Herald photog puts his magic moment in focus

When red-hot rookie Rafael Devers blasted a tworun homer in the first inning of Thursday night’s Red Sox game, Herald photographer Matt Stone quickly followed the trajectory of the ball with his Canon 1DX as it soared toward the Green Monster.

What happened next has gone viral. Here’s Matt’s story:

“I was in the first-base photo pit right next to the Red Sox dugout. I shot Devers hitting the home run and then I looked to see where the ball was going. I always follow the ball, and this one was heading right for the Green Monster.

What made this photo so different is I kept the frame really wide so you can see the kid with the ball appearing to be almost on top of his head and also all the expressions on the faces of the other fans.

You can see the kid with the glove almost catching it. And it’s all against a clear, green background. The green helps the eye focus on the expressions and the ball. It’s so hard to see the ball sometimes when it’s hit into the stands. But in this photo it pops!

My phone has been going off like crazy as people call.”

The image lit up the sports world with some saying it has captured the essence of summer — peanuts, Cracker Jacks and unsung heroes. The Sox also won, 9-5. The shot has since generated memes on social media in mash-ups that place it on the cover of the “Saturday Evening Post” (a nod to Norman Rockwell), on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and in a scene out of “Game of Thrones.” Hashtag: #FenwayMagic.