Red Sox 5, Athletics 4
The perseverance of the Boston Red Sox pays off with a win against the Athletics in 10 innings. The Red Sox managed to notch an MLB-best 11th walk-off win of the season.
Red Sox – Athletics Game Summary
The Athletics only mustered a walk in the first inning, before the Red Sox got their turn to hit. Masataka Yoshida drove a changeup below the zone to right field, driving in Trevor Story to give the Red Sox an early 1-0 lead.
Back-to-back hits from Lawrence Butler and Carlos Cortes put Boston starter Lucas Giolito in a tough position with one out in the second inning. Darell Hernaiz hit a sacrifice fly out to right field to score Butler and tie the game at one run. Luckily for the Red Sox, Brett Harris grounded out to second to end the inning.
Rob Refsnyder responded almost immediately. After taking a first-pitch strike, Refsnyder crushed a hanging sweeper over the green monster to retake the lead for Boston.
The third and fourth innings saw unsuccessful rallies from both teams before the fifth inning saw some offense. After loading the bases with one out, Giolito was removed in favor of Justin Wilson. A walk to Butler tied the game at two.
Athletics Jump Out
After a Colby Thomas strikeout, Hernaiz came up to bat with another RBI opportunity. Hernaiz hit a 1-2 splitter up the middle, deflecting off the glove of a diving Romy Gonzalez. The Red Sox would get Brett Harris to fly out for the third out, going into the bottom half down 4-2.
Boston managed to force a bases-loaded situation. Yoshida came up with one out and legged out an infield single to bring the game within one. Unfortunately for the Red Sox, Boston couldn’t squeeze out more runs. Tyler Ferguson came in the game and struck out Gonzalez and Refsnyder to end the fifth inning, maintaining a 4-3 lead.
It took until the top of the sixth to see the Athletics finally go down 1-2-3, courtesy of Justin Slaten. The bottom half saw another Boston rally as Trevor Story tied the game at four with an RBI single.
The game remained tied after nine innings, thanks to some timely pitching from Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman.
After allowing nothing in the top of the 10th, Boston looked poised to win. Nathaniel Lowe walked intentionally to put runners on first and second with no outs. A Carlos Narvaez sacrifice bunt helped put Nate Eaton in the perfect position at third with one out. A ground ball by a pinch-hitting Nick Sogard to second base saw the throw home come late, as the Red Sox picked up their 83rd win.
What Went Right for the Red Sox
Red Sox Perseverance
The Red Sox have previously been unable to get out of a funk when trailing in a game. This time, they didn’t lie down, pulling themselves up by the bootstraps to tie the game.
Bullpen Clutch
Seven relievers were called in to pitch in this contest. None allowed any runs, as the runs from when Wilson was in the game were charged to Giolito. Special praise to Zack Kelly and Chris Murphy, who were called in for the 10th inning and kept the game tied.
What Went Wrong for the Red Sox
Giolito in Too Long
Giolito shouldn’t have been able to load the bases in the fifth before being removed. At the very least, he needs to be removed before allowing multiple baserunners.
Bad With RISP
3-for-17 with runners in scoring position isn’t the worst, considering how many 0-for days they’ve had recently. However, leaving 13 guys on base should not be happening to a team contending for a playoff spot.
Looking Ahead
Boston will look to win the final game and take the series on Thursday. After that, they have a weekend series in Florida, taking on AL East foe Tampa Bay Rays.
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