BOSTON — The Portland Sea Dogs took a day to dream Saturday, playing a baseball game at Fenway Park.
The fact they celebrated a victory added to the fun, as the Sea Dogs beat the Harrisburg Senators 5-2, before 12,801 at Fenway.
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Keith Couch pitched a two-hitter over seven innings and Travis Shaw went 3-for-4 with a home run to lead Portland (53-54).
Billed as the Futures at Fenway, Saturday’s game is an annual event involving Red Sox minor league teams. This year, Portland squared off against Harrisburg (59-49), an affiliate of the Washington Nationals.
“It’s not just another game. It’s Fenway Park. It’s special,” Sea Dogs manager Kevin Boles said. “I tell you, seeing these guys on the field, you can see what’s ahead for them. A lot of these guys, their future is here at Fenway Park.”
Couch (8-3) would like to think so. Couch, 23, began the season in the Sea Dogs bullpen, but joined the rotation when Brandon Workman was promoted. Couch has since become one of the most dependable starters in the Red Sox organization.
“He was outstanding today,” Boles said. “After the first two innings, he executed his pitches.”
In those first two innings, Couch may have been trying to hard, being too fine with his fastball and slider. He gave up a run in the first (triple, sacrifice fly) and another in the second (two walks and a single).
“The first two innings I was like guiding (my fastball), and I was trying to do too much with my slider,” Couch said.
“Then (I said) forget it, I’ll just throw it.”
That worked. The only base-runner Couch allowed in his final five innings reached by error.
Couch is from Long Island, where he pitched for Adelphi University. Saturday’s crowd included 20 family members, friends and former college teammates who drove up for the game.
“I had so much fun,” Couch said. “It’s something special, obviously, because it happened here. Hopefully it’s one of many.”
Down 2-0, Portland grabbed the lead for good in the second inning.
Christian Vazquez and Shaw led off with back-to-back singles. Derrick Gibson walked with one out to load the bases.
Vazquez scored on Shannon Wilkerson’s ground-out. Heiker Meneses then drilled a fastball by Taylor Hill (2-4), for a double off the Green Monster, scoring two for a 3-2 lead.
Shaw came up again in the fourth. On Friday, Shaw crushed two balls into the wind at Hadlock, and watched them both held up for fly-outs,
This time, Shaw got all of a fastball. As he ran up the first-base line, Shaw watched it disappear into the bullpen beyond the right field fence.
“It definitely feels good to hit a home run at Fenway Park,” Shaw said. It was his team-leading 13th homer.
In the seventh, Garin Cecchini walked with one out. He was stealing second base when reliever Richie Mirowski threw a wild pitch. Cecchini kept running to third base.
Mirowski then bounced a pitch off his catcher, and Cecchini raced home for a 5-2 lead.
Portland reliever Miguel Celestino pitched a one-hit eighth. New Sea Dogs reliever Matt Maloney allowed two hits in the ninth, but stranded them for his first save.
The Sea Dogs and Senators play again today at 1 p.m., back at Hadlock Field.
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