BOSTON — Victor Mesa Jr. is about as big a Lionel Messi fan as you’ll find in baseball. He wore a custom-made Messi jacket to Fenway Park on Sunday morning, and the Rays’ social media accounts posted a video message from Mesa to Messi ahead of Argentina’s World Cup Final showdown against Spain on Sunday afternoon.
Before he could shift his attention to his soccer-playing idol, though, Mesa made a memorable play of his own.
In the second inning of the Rays’ series finale, Mesa legged out an inside-the-park home run to give Tampa Bay an early lead against Boston right-hander Sonny Gray and the red-hot Red Sox.
Mesa ripped a 108.8 mph line drive that rattled around Fenway Park’s center-field triangle. Mesa was at second base by the time Ceddanne Rafaela got to the ball, and then Rafaela was slow to pick it up.
Third-base coach Brady Williams spun his right arm through the air, sending Mesa home, but second baseman Romy Gonzalez made a strong relay throw to catcher Connor Wong. The throw appeared to beat Mesa to the plate, but the ball bounced away from Wong as Mesa dove toward home.
Mesa stood up and pumped his fist, celebrating the Rays’ 25th inside-the-park homer and their first since Jake Mangum legged one out more than a year ago — on July 2, 2025, against the Athletics at Steinbrenner Field. It was Mesa’s second straight day with a home run, although the one he hit Saturday was of the more traditional over-the-fence variety.
