Nava did not start in the first two games of the series, but the Red Sox did honor him with a video tribute on the Fenway Park scoreboard Monday night. Then he started Wednesday night's game in left field, which Rays manager Kevin Cash explained simply as: "It seemed right to let him have this opportunity."
The fact that right-hander Rick Porcello started didn't hurt either. In the seventh the righty vs. lefty confrontation played out with runners on the corners and Nava hitting with two outs in the inning.
After watching a 92-mph fastball for ball one, Nava singled one through the right side on the next pitch -- another 92-mph fastball.