Red Sox veteran sees the light
Chris Untereiner is learning to embrace his new position with the Regina Red Sox.
“I’m the wily veteran,” he said with a laugh.
It’s a scenario the Red Sox might not have foreseen when Untereiner joined the team four years ago as a bullpen catcher.
Lo and behold, he’s now a mainstay behind the plate for the two-time defending champions, who are looking to send Untereiner out on top this summer in his final season with the Western Major Baseball League club.
“I kind of got chills when you mentioned that,” said Untereiner, whose team edged the Yorkton Cardinals 2-1 on Sunday at Currie Field. “Of course (a three-peat) is ideal but right now we’re just worried about (the next game). We’ll see what happens in the end of August.”
Untereiner just completed his senior year at Long Island University, where he started all 55 games in 2013 and posted a .297 batting average. He spent two seasons at Long Island following two previous campaigns at Monterey Peninsula College in California.
The end of his college career also means the end of his run with the Red Sox. The 21-year-old Regina product — already one of the most productive hitters in franchise history — is off to another hot start this season, posting a .370 average after eight games.
“It’s bittersweet,” he said. “I’ve been playing baseball for 17 years now so you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I’m living in the moment — going game by game, just enjoying the guys, making new friends, making memories. That’s what it’s all about.”
When Untereiner walks away from the Red Sox, he can do so with no regrets — thanks in large part to the legacy that has been established in recent years.
Each season Regina loses key players but others step in and fill the void, helping to ensure that the team doesn’t miss a beat.
“It starts from everybody’s word of mouth,” Untereiner noted. “(Players) are bringing guys in from their (own college) teams. The American guys have nothing but good things to say. The talent is just through the roof from the top down. It’s a great organization. They’re bringing in great talent and we’re putting on a good show for the fans.”
The Red Sox did it again Sunday with a dramatic win in the bottom of the ninth inning. It started with a single by first baseman Bronson Gillam. Third baseman Tyler Wheeler — a Rogers State product making his Red Sox debut — followed with a ground ball that went off the glove of pitcher Kody Rock. Third baseman Michael Meany picked up the ball but threw wildly to first base, allowing Gillam to come all the way around with the winning run.
Rock took the loss for Yorkton (3-5).
Regina’s only other run came courtesy of second baseman Pier-Olivier Dostaler, who slugged a home run in the first inning.
Meany tied it up in the sixth with an RBI single in support of pitcher Jeff Pool, who gave up just three hits and one run in seven innings, walking four and striking out five.
Red Sox starter Justin Blue matched Pool over seven innings, allowing eight hits and one run along with one walk and five strikeouts. He handed it over in the eighth to set-up man Jacob Leyba, who pitched out of a jam, followed by a clean ninth from closer Andre Del Bosque, who picked up the win.
The Red Sox (5-3) are to hit the road for their next two games — tonight against the Swift Current Indians and Tuesday versus the Melville Millionaires. That visit to Melville had originally been scheduled for Saturday but was postponed due to rain.