BOSTON (AP) - Daniel Nava gave his parents a great home video.Nava hit the low pitch he saw as a big leaguer for a grand slam - only the bit actor to do it - leading the Boston Red Sox to their second straight rout of the Philadelphia Phillies, 10-2 Saturday.
Nava connected on a bullet from Joe Blanton in the 2nd inning, shortly after being called up from Triple-A Pawtucket.
Kevin Kouzmanoff hit a bang on the low pitch he saw Sept. 2, 2006, for Cleveland against Texas, according to STATS LLC.
With his parents watching from the stands - and father operating a tv camera - Nava came to bat with the Red Sox trailing 2-1.
"It's funny. They really hadn't seen me work in the final two years," he said. "They were in Indianapolis to follow me turn on Friday and I told them I might be playing up here."
Share His parents overcame a bit of travel trauma to get to Fenway Park in time for their son's debut. His mom said that when the baggage was easy to get at the airport, they left it there and headed directly to the ballpark.
Nava often was regarded as too small to run during his calling at all levels. Undrafted out of college, he was the MVP of the main Golden League in 2007, and sign with Boston.
With his father and father watching from the support of the postgame interview room, Nava was asked about his mount to this moment.
"It's ridiculous," he said.
Only four players in big league history have hit grand slams in their start at-bat. Nava became the tenth player to homer in his start at-bat for the Red Sox, and only the 2nd to hit a grand slam - veteran Rip Repulski did it on May 10, 1960.
The 27-year-old Nava tried to advance his first home appearance like any former one.
"I wanted to cover it like I usually do," he said. "I only said, `How are you guys doing (to umpire Bill Hohn and catcher Brian Schneider)?' They didn't say anything."
As he rounded second base, it began to hit him, what he'd accomplished. Nava "started to scream. I was pumped."
Nava's slam brightened a rainy day that started out poorly for the Red Sox, even before the low pitch.
Daisuke Matsuzaka was a late start and set on the 15-day disabled list with a strained forearm following his pregame throwing in the bullpen.
"When he was warming he said his forearm was sore," manager Terry Francona said. "He said he could pitch, but would get to modify his delivery. We weren't comfortable with that."
Emergency starter Scott Atchison, recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket on Friday, worked three innings, allowing two runs and two hits in his first major league start.
Batting last in the order, Nava pulled the low pitch he saw into the Boston bullpen in right-center field, where reliever Manny Delcarmen made a spring catch.
Nava got an enthusiastic greeting in the dugout, with Kevin Youkilis among those pounding him on the batting helmet. Encouraged by his teammates, Nava took a curtain call.
"I knew it was his start at-bat, but I tried to make him a sinker away," Blanton said. "I threw it right down the centre and it didn't sink."
As circumstances would get it, Nava came up the following inning and again the bases were loaded. With the herd on its feet, Nava struck out on a check swing against Blanton.
Nava later hit a line-drive double into the left-center gap, and finished 2 for 4. Not a bad debut, considering it began on a shaky note - he had a little trouble corraling Schneider's double down the left-field job in the top of the second.
The Red Sox pounded Blanton (1-5) for nine runs and 13 hits in four innings. But, he didn't do as bad as Friday's starter, Jamie Moyer, who had the worst start in his 24 seasons, allowing nine runs and nine hits in one-plus inning.
J.D. Drew homered and had three hits for the Red Sox, who get the Phillies 12-2 on the undoer of a three-game series on Friday night. Nava also double as Boston amassed 16 hits.
Delcarmen (2-2), the back of five pitchers, worked two scoreless innings for the win.
Schneider had three hits and drove in both of Philadelphia's runs. The Phillies are 7-16 in their last 23 games.
Matsuzaka had warmed up and walked to the dugout about 15 minutes before the scheduled start.
Just forward of the national anthem, Atchison started warming up rapidly in the bullpen. When it was over, he realised his warmups before walking to the dugout with pitching coach John Farrell.
"This was happening quickly, with the anthem going on we were making pitching changes," Francona said.
The order announced the cabbage and roster move just before the Red Sox took the field.
"It's a not a joint issue. It's muscle soreness, so I don't consider it should carry that long," Matsuzaka said through a translator.
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