NEW YORK — Roman Anthony has had his fair share of hits in big moments for the Red Sox in the two-plus months since he was called up to the majors. His latest was different.

The always even-keeled Anthony acknowledged the moment Thursday night in the Bronx, unleashing an unfamiliar bat flip after launching a Yerry De Los Santos meatball into the second deck at Yankee Stadium and giving the Sox some much-needed ninth inning breathing room in a 6-3, series-opening win. Anthony is always a producer, but never a showman. He was both in the final inning of a long grind of a game in which he led the Red Sox with three RBIs.

“First time I’ve seen that,” manager Alex Cora said of the bat flip.

Anthony, like the rest of the Red Sox, had some frustrating moments before he was able to breathe in front of a sell-out Bronx crowd. After tying the game with a well-placed single that plated David Hamilton from second base in the sixth inning, Anthony chased a pitch from lefty specialist Tim Hill with the bases loaded in a tie game in the sixth. That at-bat was one of many missed opportunities for the Sox in a game in which they were 3-for-19 with runners in scoring position and left 14 on base.

Nathaniel Lowe gave Boston a 4-3 lead with a clutch RBI double in the seventh, and after Steven Matz and Garrett Whitlock held the lead in relief, Anthony seized a chance to expand the lead. With Hamilton once again on second after reaching on an error, Anthony got a first pitch slider from De Los Santos that crossed the middle of the plate and crushed it, sending it 370 feet into the New York night at 107.4 mph.

The blast wouldn’t have been a homer at Fenway, one of two ballparks in which that would have been the case. But with the short porch hovering at Yankee Stadium, it was a no-doubter.

“It’s a great feeling,” said Anthony. “For me, going up there trying to get something early I can do some damage on and not miss it and drive some runs in. Got a great pitch to hit and didn’t miss it.”

Anthony isn’t sure where his demonstrative bat flip came from.

“It just happened. I don’t even know. I don’t usually do that,” he said.

Anthony was just three games into his big league career when the Red Sox swept the Yankees at Fenway — and then shocked the baseball world by trading Rafael Devers to the Giants — in mid-June. In that series, he sat twice with lefties on the mound for the Yankees and was 0-for-5 with a strikeout and a walk. Now, he’s Boston’s leadoff man and a catalyst for the offense. The Roman Empire introduced himself to the Evil Empire with another signature moment.

“He’s probably the most mature 21-year-old in baseball I’ve ever been around in baseball in my life,” said teammate Alex Bregman. “We’re trying to figure out what he does wrong, honestly. We don’t know if he has any vices or anything. He just does everything the right way. The moment’s never too big for him.”

Anthony was close to Yankees fans in his place in right field and said the heckling he endured through the game represented “a lot more” than he expected. He took it in stride as the Sox took their sixth game in seven tries against their rivals so far this year.

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“It’s probably what I imagined and maybe even a little more,” said Anthony. “For me, I love playing in that atmosphere. I love getting booed. I love everything about it.

“It’s exciting to be here. I got to play them at home my first week. Now that I’m settled in and through that first week, this time around felt a little bit more calm, a little bit more controlled and I just felt better.”

Even at 21, Anthony is comfortable enough in his own skin to rib teammates who are much older. According to Cora, Anthony welcomed Bregman to the rivalry before the game. Anthony’s one start in a Red Sox-Yankees game, of course, represented one more than Bregman had. He was on the injured list for the first two series the clubs played.

Anthony’s latest signature moment kept his veteran teammates in awe.

“Looking at him, it’s like, ‘Wow, there’s 21-year-olds that just can come up and do it at the highest possible level. We’re very lucky to have him,” said Lucas Giolito. “It’s incredible. There’s not much else to say.”

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