With 3 HRS, Story removes $140M worth of pressure

BOSTON — The new guy is going to be all right. If you’re wondering about the odds that the Trevor Story contract works out for the Red Sox, think about what he had already endured before he hit three home runs in the Sox’s 12-6 win over the Mariners on Thursday.

As he was negotiating with the Red Sox in spring training, the team’s franchise player, Xander Bogaerts, was facing daily questions about his future as the starting shortstop. When Story signed, he was asked to move to a brand-new position to appease Bogaerts. Two weeks later the Sox officially failed to sign Bogaerts to an extension before his opening-day deadline, essentially sealing Story’s fate as Bogaerts’ replacement in 2023. Awkward.

Then the season began and Story got sick. He missed some time. He returned and looked lost at the plate. It was written off as early-season jitters, but nothing changed.

By almost every statistical metric Story was one of the worst players in baseball through the first month of the season. He wasn’t hitting for average, he wasn’t hitting for power, he wasn’t even making contact.

He literally threw the game away April 23 in Tampa, when he couldn’t make a routine play at second base and sailed his throw that led directly to an extra-inning loss to the Rays.

He hit rock bottom May 5, when he went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts against Shohei Ohtani, chucked his bat across the field and got loudly booed by a packed house at Fenway Park.

It looked like a total waste of $140 million as the Red Sox were in last place and seemingly going nowhere.

“Baseball is the most challenging sport in the world,” Story said. “I feel like on an everyday basis you’re going to be challenged, especially here [in Boston]. It’s something that I take a lot of pride in: trying to be very even-keeled about it all.

“I just believe that the hard work pays off eventually. But it’s very challenging.”