JBJ’s most memorable moments with Red Sox
From 2013 rookie upstart to ALCS MVP
Jackie Bradley Jr. won’t get his number retired at Fenway Park, but he produced a Red Sox career that will long be remembered in franchise history.
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After a nearly decade-long run with the organization that drafted him in 2011, Bradley reportedly signed a two-year deal to join the Milwaukee Brewers this week. Bradley will be remembered as arguably the greatest defensive center fielder in Red Sox history who made web gems seemingly nightly, and a maddeningly inconsistent hitter who came through in some clutch moments.
Bradley was beloved in Boston, a staple of the Red Sox’ outfield but also the community. As he moves on, here are some of his most memorable moments:
Bradley makes 2013 Opening Day roster
It was the feel-good story of spring training in 2013. The then-22-year-old was a longshot to make the Opening Day roster, especially since the Red Sox could have waited for service time purposes. But the outfielder forced their hand with a torrid spring in which he batted .419 with two homers, four doubles and 12 RBI.
With David Ortiz still recovering from an Achilles injury, it made room for Bradley to make the team.
He started the season as the left fielder, making him the youngest position player since Donnie Sadler in 1998 to start on Opening Day.
“At 35,000 feet, he couldn’t jump any higher,” then-manager John Farrell said of Bradley, who learned he made the team while on a flight.
Bradley lays out
After going back-andforth between Boston and Triple-A Pawtucket in 2013, Bradley was still trying to find his footing in the big leagues in 2014 when he made a catch that Red Sox fans would get used to seeing over the years. In a July game at Fenway Park against the White Sox, Bradley made a perfect jump on a deep fly ball from Tyler Flowers, ranging to his left to make an outstanding diving catch.
“That’s about as good as you’re gonna see it,” NESN broadcaster Jerry Remy said. “He goes into the leap like he’s going off a diving board and makes the catch.”
“One of the best catches of the year,” teammate Daniel Nava said after the game.
In an interview with The Athletic in 2018, Bradley ranked this catch the best of his career, noting how the wind was blowing the ball away from him to make the play even harder.
An unforgettable streak
A career .239 hitter, Bradley has always been streaky at the plate. But for one unforgettable month early in 2016, he was the best hitter in baseball. Mostly batting from the bottom of the order, Bradley produced a 29-game hitting streak, tying Johnny Damon in 2005 for the fourth-longest streak in team history.
The streak ended when Farrell moved him to the leadoff spot as Mookie Betts needed a day off. Bradley went 0-for-4. During the hitting streak, he batted .415 with a 1.271 OPS, nine doubles, three triples, eight homers and 30 RBI. It helped him earn his first and only All-Star selection.
And for once, Bradley commanded respect as a hitter.
“A lot of people doubted him from the beginning,” Betts said during the streak. “I just enjoy watching him prove everyone wrong. He can hit. He can play center field. He can play the game.”
Sorry, Judge
Bradley’s most famous catch came on July 16, 2017. It was “Sunday Night Baseball” against the Yankees, and the Red Sox led 3-0 in the eighth when Aaron Judge hammered a pitch that was destined to land in the Red Sox’ bullpen. But Bradley knew Fenway’s dimensions like no other, timed his leap perfectly and reached over the wall to make the catch, and made it look easy.
On the mound, David Price couldn’t help but laugh. In the bullpen, Matt Barnes put both hands on his head in disbelief. The Red Sox crowd gave their center fielder a deserved ovation.
“It was special,” Bradley said.
“You could feel the energy. It was a lot of fun, especially with the way momentum was heading our way, and just to be able to take one back. It was cool.”
Added Betts: “I get kind of spoiled. … It’s just fun to be a part of it.”
A grand breakthrough
Bradley was so bad at the plate early in 2018 that he was benched as he tried to figure it out. He seemed to find the answers, as he finished the regular season strong. Then, he saved his best for the ALCS.
With the bases loaded and two outs in Game 3, Bradley launched a pitch into the right-field seats in Houston for a grand slam, which sealed a victory and 2-1 series lead. It was his second bases-clearing hit of the series after a double in Game 2.
“He stepped up big-time,” Xander Bogaerts said. “Apparently he’s the guy we need with the bases loaded now.”
It may have been the best moment of Bradley’s career as he won the ALCS MVP with just three hits in the series and nine RBI, all of them with two outs, including a go-ahead homer in Game 4. It proved pivotal, too, as the Red Sox went on to win the World Series.
Deserved recognition
Bradley was already considered one of the best center fielders in the majors, but finally earned some hardware to back it up in 2018 when he won his first Gold Glove. It came after two close calls in 2014 and 2016, when he was a finalist. His 10 outfield assists in 2018 tied for most in the American League.
Bradley’s best play in 2018 came on July 29 against the Twins. Bobby Wilson was destined for extra bases with his drive into the left-center field gap, but Bradley got a great jump on the ball and made a tumbling, diving catch as he slammed into the Green Monster. Nathan Eovaldi, who was making his first start for the Red Sox, saluted the center fielder as the fans at Fenway gave him another ovation.
Sox back Jackie
It showed the kind of respect that Bradley’s teammates and coaches had for him last August when the Red Sox decided to postpone a game to bring awareness to racial injustice. In response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake ,a Black man in Wisconsin, the Red Sox held a team meeting to discuss if they would play last Aug. 27. Following the lead of Bradley, the only Black player on the team, and coach Tom Goodwin, the Red Sox sat out the game.
Bradley had decided he wasn’t going to play that night and actually encouraged his teammates to play, but they decided to support him.
“He wanted us to go play even though he wasn’t going to play today,” Bogaerts said. “But I think this really shows how much we care about him and the team and trying to make this a better place.”
It turned out that Bradley had about a month left in his Red Sox career — and he finished it strong. In what ultimately was his final game in a Red Sox uniform, Bradley hit a homer and made a leaping catch in a 9-1 victory, one final lasting memory of a memorable decade.
“It’s been a great ride,” Bradley said.