TORONTO — Let the record show that Adley Rutschman’s first hit as a member of the Red Sox was an infield single off Dylan Cease in the third inning against the Blue Jays on Tuesday night.
The 230-pound catcher hustled down the line and beat the throw from second baseman Ernie Clement by a step as the crowd of 42,419 groaned.
“You’ve got to check the feet per second because I was cooking on that one,” Rutschman said after coming off the injured list to make his Sox debut.
He later drew two walks before coming to the plate as the tying run in the ninth inning. But there was no storybook moment, just a routine ground out to shortstop and a 5-3 loss.
The Sox are counting on better days after trading Carlos Narváez and three of their best prospects for Rutschman earlier this month. The loss aside, interim manager Chad Tracy liked what he saw.
“He was fine. He looked good, looked comfortable, looked confident,” Tracy said.
Rutschman hit third behind Masataka Yoshida and Ceddanne Rafaela. Willson Contreras, Wilyer Abreu, Caleb Durbin, and Jarren Duran followed.
Imposing is not the right word. But it’s fair to say the Sox looked more formidable with Rutschman in the lineup.
“It makes sense that he fits into the middle of the order somewhere,” Tracy said.
Tracy suggested that Abreu would hit third and Rutschman fifth against a lefthander. Rutschman is a switch hitter who has been better against righthanders this season.
“The important thing is those two guys are really powerful [and] they’re sandwiching Willson,” Tracy said.
Tracy said his plan was to start Rutschman again on Wednesday with Ranger Suarez on the mound, then give him a day off on Thursday afternoon in the series finale as he continues to recover from a left wrist injury.
The Sox, who have lost four straight and scored only 11 runs, need some sort of jolt. They are 4 for 39 (.103) with runners in scoring position in that stretch with 36 runners left on base.
Winning 32 of 37 games to rescue their season was historic. Now baseball is biting back.
Rutschman had not played for a team other than the Orioles since he was a junior at Oregon State in 2019. He downplayed the transition to the Red Sox, saying the time on the injured list made it easier because he had the time to get to know his new teammates, especially the pitchers.
“Guys have been awesome, just working with me and catching me up to speed,” Rutschman said. “Really nice to get out there and play.”
The Sox also expect Rutschman to bring value defensively. With the new guy behind the plate, lefthander Patrick Sandoval allowed one run over four innings and 45 pitches.
He gave up three runs over the next two innings and threw 39 pitches. Blue Jays hitters were 4 for 7 with a sacrifice fly and three RBIs the third time around the order. That had more to do with the Sox wanting Sandoval to work deeper into the game than anything Rutschman did or did not do.
Sandoval was impressed with his new catcher. There was comfort and trust immediately.
“Great,” Sandoval said. “He’s an All-Star catcher, and I have all the confidence in the world in him.”
Having faced him in prior seasons, Sandoval expects Rutschman to be a difference-maker.
“Big time. He’s a big-time catcher, big-time player,” the lefty said. “We’re very lucky to have him here.”
The Sox have 43 games remaining and a four-game hold on the second wild-card spot in the American League. Rutschman, who led the Orioles to postseason berths in 2023 and ’24, is eager to return.
“I’ve visualized it a lot,” he said. “Ever since I went to the postseason a couple years ago, you know that atmosphere, and you know what it’s like. There’s nothing better than playoff baseball.
“Doing that with a good group of guys, you can’t ask for anything more, and that’s the entire goal: Go to the playoffs, make a run, win a World Series.”
Peter Abraham can be reached at peter.abraham@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at peteabeglobe.bsky.social.