It may not yet be recognized by Merriam-Webster but it was truly the only word that would do: Rejubilation.
A year removed from a last place finish in the American League East, the Boston Red Sox wrapped up the 13th American League pennant in franchise history on Saturday night at Fenway Park. As the Sox celebrated their pennant-clinching 5-2 win over the Detroit Tigers on the field at that "lyric little bandbox of a ballpark" before a rapturous crowd, outfielder Shane Victorino captured the mix of euphoria and redemption in the air with a word never before used by the many who have ably and poetically chronicled the game through the years.
"When I came here people counted me out," Victorino, who signed with the Red Sox in the offseason after batting a career-worst .255 while splitting time with the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012, told Ken Rosenthal of FOX on the field. "People said last year that I was done. No. When I came here there was rejubilation. There was something inside of me that said 'I want to prove something. I want to prove that you know what, that's the reason why I came here.' Boston strong!"
The 32-year-old outfielder more than validated Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington's decision to sign him by striking the decisive blow in Boston's Game 6 victory over the Tigers in the ALCS. Facing Detroit reliever Jose Veras with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, Victorino deposited an 0-2 curveball into the Monster Seats atop Fenway's most famous architectural feature. The grand slam turned a 1-2 deficit into a 5-2 lead.
WATCH: Victorino's Grand Slam
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