Former Replacement Player Mahay Looks as Good as a Regular at Fenway

BOSTON — Boston Red Sox outfielder Ron Mahay, 23, was nervous, excited and eager in his major league debut on Sunday, but, as a former replacement player, he wasn’t sure how the former strikers who are now his teammates would accept him.

“I want to help in any way I can,” he said. “A couple of base hits would help. A couple of plays in the outfield would help too.”

And that’s exactly what he did. Mahay went two for five with an RBI double and a spectacular catch in center field.

Mahay was greeted by cheers when he first came to the plate in the second inning and when he hit a run-scoring double. When Mahay scored on Terry Shumpert’s double, his teammates lined up along the dugout steps to greet him with high-fives and pats on the back.