Red Sox

Alex Cora defends Triston Casas after Ted Williams ‘myth’ comment

"He was giving (Williams) a compliment, to be honest with you."

Triston Casas has clubbed four home runs so far this season. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

April 14, 2024

Triston Casas might have irked some Ted Williams fans with his comments on Saturday evening.

The Boston first baseman golfed a pitch into the Fenway Park bleachers during Saturday’s 7-2 win over the Angels — with his tape-measure blast eventually landing at 429 feet.

But with his big fly still falling well short of the famous “Ted Williams seat” in right field, Casas cast his doubts about whether or not the Red Sox legend really managed to drive a ball more than 500 feet.

“That’s my best ball, for sure,” Casas told reporters. “I had one hit harder, exit velo-wise, last year. But that Ted Williams seat is starting to feel more and more like a myth.”

Crushed.
Destroyed.
Demolished. pic.twitter.com/nImFOWDKd8
— Red Sox (@RedSox) April 13, 2024

On Sunday morning, Alex Cora came to the defense of Casas, who apparently was catching plenty of flak online for questioning “The Splendid Splinter” and his ability to send pitches into orbit.

“It was probably a very windy day when he (Williams) hit it,” Cora said of Williams’ home run, as transcribed by NESN.com’s Sean T. McGuire. “I don’t know the conditions that day. But it’s a long ways. That’s a long ways. … “Triston was telling me that they were crushing him on social media. He was giving (Williams) a compliment, to be honest with you. But it’s a long ways.”

Casas is far from the first Red Sox to question whether or not Williams really hit a ball 502 feet from home plate on June 9, 1946.

“I don’t think anyone has ever hit one there,” David Ortiz said in 2015. “I went up there and sat there one time. That’s far, brother. Listen, do you see the No. 1 [Bobby Doerr’s retired uniform number on the façade above the right field grandstand]? I hit that one time. You know how far it is to that No. 1 from the plate? Very far.

“ And you know how far that red seat is from the No. 1? It’s 25 rows up still. That’s the farthest I’ve ever hit the ball right there, and no one else has gotten to the No. 1 . . . The closest one that I have ever seen — I remember a day game, I hit a ball in that tunnel. But still — I crushed one and it wasn’t even close to that.”

On Sunday, Cora was reminded of Ortiz’s previous comments about the red seat.

“See, and nobody got on David,” Cora said.