Caleb Durbin gave Fenway Park the kind of late-night jolt that can turn a hot streak into something historic.
With two outs in the eighth inning Monday, Durbin blasted a tiebreaking solo homer over the Green Monster, and the Boston Red Sox held on for a 6-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles. The victory pushed Boston to 14 straight wins, leaving the club one more victory shy of matching a franchise mark that has stood for 80 years.
That record belongs to the 1946 Red Sox, who won 15 in a row behind Ted Williams. Boston now has a chance to join them Tuesday night after a comeback-heavy win that also snapped Baltimore’s seven-game run and lifted the Red Sox to 51-48.
The game had the feel of a tug-of-war from the start. Baltimore grabbed three different leads, including a 5-4 edge in the seventh, but Boston kept answering. Ceddanne Rafaela tied it in the bottom of the seventh with a two-out RBI single, setting the table for Durbin’s swing an inning later.
Durbin came up against Tyler Wells with the bases empty and two outs, then jumped on a cutter and sent it into the Green Monster seats. The Boston dugout was already celebrating before the ball landed, and the announced crowd of 37,659 erupted as Durbin circled the bases and met teammates waiting near the dugout.
Just unreal.
- Red Sox (@RedSox) July 21, 2026
Boston still had to finish the job in the ninth, and Aroldis Chapman made it interesting. Baltimore pushed runners to second and third, putting Tyler O’Neill in position to swing the game back the other way. O’Neill lined out, and shortstop Tsung-Che Cheng made the final play to strand both runners.
Chapman picked up his 22nd save of the season and the 389th of his career, moving him within one save of Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley for ninth on MLB’s all-time list. Eckersley was in the ballpark for the finish.
Garrett Whitlock got the win after retiring Baltimore in order in the eighth.
Boston’s streak has been built on nights like this, when the club keeps finding a way even without a clean performance. The Orioles committed four errors, and two unearned runs came out of those mistakes. Three defensive miscues in the third inning helped turn what should have been a scoreless frame into a two-run Boston rally.
Wilyer Abreu drove in a run with a double, and Willson Contreras added a run-scoring single. Contreras finished with three hits, including a game-tying RBI double in the sixth. Rookie Payton Tolle gave Boston 5 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits while striking out nine and walking one.
Baltimore got a lift from Christian Encarnacion-Strand, who had been recalled from Triple-A four days earlier. He homered over the Green Monster in the fifth and added an RBI single in the sixth. Orioles starter Shane Baz allowed four runs, though only two were earned, across six innings, striking out six without a walk.
Boston entered the night with baseball’s longest active winning streak, and Baltimore had the second-longest. Only one of those runs survived.
The Red Sox have now won 18 of their last 20 and will get their first shot at tying the club record Tuesday at Fenway Park, with Kyle Bradish scheduled to start for Baltimore. Boston could activate Ranger Suárez from the injured list or turn to a bullpen game.
One more win would put this team alongside Williams and the 1946 American League champions. After another comeback and another tense finish, the Red Sox are suddenly standing one victory from a piece of franchise history.
In Other News...
Orioles May Need A Different Plan For Gunnar Henderson
Gunnar Hendersons rough offensive stretch has become one of the Orioles more uncomfortable storylines, and it has pushed the conversation beyond simple patience. With fans growing restless and Henderson not producing like the lineup anchor Baltimore expected, the club is left weighing what to do with a player whose struggles are now hard to ignore.
Benching him is not a realistic answer for a team that does not have much infield depth, especially with Blaze Alexander injured, so the more practical discussion is about changing the look of the lineup. The upcoming series against the Red Sox could offer a natural window, since Boston is lined up to send three left-handed starters to the mound and Baltimore may decide this is the right time to ease some of the pressure on Henderson without taking him out of the picture entirely. [Read more 🡒]
Ike Irish Delivered A Huge Orioles Farm Day Amid More Tides Frustration
Ike Irish gave the Orioles system one of its loudest farm-day performances in recent memory, earning Orioles Hangout MiLB Player of the Day honors after a monster showing for the Keys. He filled up the box score with extra-base damage, run production and constant pressure on the bases, the kind of line that can turn a quiet development day into a headline for the whole organization.
Norfolk, meanwhile, was left searching for offense again in a 4-0 loss to Nashville, even with Trey Gibson turning in a solid start and the Tides getting home runs from Thomas Sosa and Brandon Butterworth. The shutout loss was another reminder that the upper levels still need more consistent production, especially with Nashville getting enough timely work from Victor Figueroa and Colin Tuft to keep the game out of reach. [Read more 🡒]
Chris Bassitt Update Could Change Everything For Orioles Rotation
Chris Bassitts recovery has moved into a more encouraging phase for the Orioles, even if the calendar still leaves plenty of waiting. After landing on the 10-day injured list with back soreness, he was shifted to the 60-day injured list, and the latest update points to a pitcher who has at least begun his throwing progression again. For a rotation that has had to keep adjusting around injuries, any sign that Bassitt is getting back on the mound matters.
The timing still makes this more of a late-summer watch than an immediate fix, but the door is open for a return in mid-August if everything keeps moving in the right direction. Around the league, other notable arms are in various stages of recovery too, with Carlos Rodon progressing after a PRP shot, Max Scherzer pausing rehab after cortisone injections, and Anthony Santander briefly shut down after a shot for his shoulder. For Baltimore, though, Bassitt remains the name that could alter the rotation picture the most if his buildup keeps trending up. [Read more 🡒]