Sean McAdam: Red Sox’ returnees Trevor Story, Roman Anthony making sudden impact

BOSTON — The goal, the credo, for those in the medical field is well known: First, do no harm .

In a way, it's the same for athletes returning from long stints on the sideline. Players coming back from injuries don't want to be disruptive or interrupt the momentum that their team may have built in their absence.

As such, Trevor Story and Roman Anthony have tried to rejoin the Red Sox as inconspicuously as possible, quietly returning to their posts without calling too much attention to themselves.

While Story was recovering from surgery to fix a sports hernia and Anthony was recuperating from a finger/wrist issue, the Red Sox found some life, executing a U-turn that lifted them from last place to playoff contention. And now that they're healthy again and have reclaimed their spots on the roster, they'd prefer to just blend in, thank you very much.

But through two games, that hasn't been the case. On Sunday in Yankee Stadium, they each collected two hits and looked like they hadn't missed any time. Monday night, back home at Fenway, they took things to another level.

Anthony reached base three times, scoring the tying run in the ninth inning after leading off the inning with a gift triple, badly misplayed by Seattle center field Julio Rodriguez.

Meanwhile, Story cranked a two-run double high off The Wall in the eighth to pull the Red Sox to within a run, then lined a game-winning, walk-off single to left-center in the bottom of the 10th sending his team to a thrilling 9-8 win over the Mariners.

The scorecard for the duo after two games: eight hits, three runs scored and three RBI.

"They look good. They look really good," said interim manager Chad Tracy. "Both of them, their at-bats were good....Both of them have swung the bat really, really well."

Anthony's return has been somewhat more seamless, as there was little doubt he would become an everyday presence in the lineup, either in left supplanting an underperforming Jarren Duran or at DH, a season-long black hole for the club even when Masataka Yoshida was healthy.

Compounding matters was the fact that Story had struggled at the plate before he went to the IL. Could he reasonably lay claim to the everyday shortstop job?

"That was the biggest thing about the rehab — making sure that with this group and what they've done, for Trevor and I, that when we come back, there's no hiccups," said Anthony. "I felt good about where I was at coming into (Sunday) and just going to continue to ride it out."

As electric as his ninth inning triple was, Anthony capped it with an artful slide home, getting his hand around catcher Cal Raleigh and evading the tag with a nifty swim move.

As pleased as he was with his own exploits, Anthony was even happier for Story.

"Getting to go through this process with him, I'm so happy for him," said Anthony. "Every at-bat, he continues to look better and better. He's just a true veteran. He's the same guys every day, good or bad, and to see him do (what he did tonight) was unbelievable."

Story's eighth inning Wall-scraper plated two, and as the bottom of the 10th unfolded, it became more and more likely that he would have the opportunity to play the ultimate hero. The Mariners, in fact, made sure of it when, after a bunt moved ghost runner Eli White to third, they elected to intentionally walk both Caleb Durbin and Jarren Duran to load the bases.

Was Story even more amped up that the Mariners filled the bases to get to him?

"Yeah, yeah," said Story, a sly smile creasing his face. "For sure."

That both Anthony and Story were the night's biggest stars in their first home game back wasn't lost on Story.

"It means a lot," said Story of the night. "We've been watching from afar for a while, just supporting the boys and thinking about the time when we can get back on the field and contribute. We'd talk about it a lot and just be looking forward to that. Here we are, and it's been fun."

Story made sure to credit the environment at Fenway for lifting the players' performance.

"This atmosphere kind of brings out the best in you," he said. "It's as simple as that."

Story knew he risked expecting too much from himself upon his return, of placing undue pressure on his own shoulders.

"For me, always, that's usually better for me, is trying to do less," he said. "It's not about us coming back to do anything other than fit in and try to win games."

Monday, he and Anthony, his summer rehab partner, more than did their part.

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