Ex-Boston Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez couldn't have picked a much better time to notch his first home run of the 2023 MLB season.
Now with the Minnesota Twins, Vazquez came through with a game-tying three-run blast in the fifth inning of Monday's game against his former team.
The Red Sox traded Vazquez to the Houston Astros before the 2022 trade deadline in exchange for prospects Enmanuel Valdez and Wilyer Abreu. Vazquez, a 2018 World Series champion with Boston, went on to help the Astros to a title.
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In December, Minnesota signed Vazquez to a three-year contract worth $30 million. The 32-year-old has struggled mightily to start his Twins career, hitting just .222 with a .558 OPS entering Monday's action. It took Vazquez 47 games to collect his first homer of the campaign.
Vazquez spent the first eight-and-a-half seasons of his MLB career in Boston. His 698 games played for the Red Sox marks the fourth-most by a catcher in franchise history.