The Boston Red Sox were staring at a blank scoreboard with three outs left Saturday night. By the time it was over, Fenway Park had one of its loudest finishes of the season.
Boston scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth and beat the San Francisco Giants, 3-2, to clinch the series and grab its second straight win over San Francisco. Wilyer Abreu, who had struck out in each of his first four trips to the plate, delivered the final play that sent Evan White home with the winning run. Abreu fought through a seven-pitch at-bat, put the ball on the ground toward first base and watched the Giants’ throw miss the mark.
Bryce Eldridge tried to force the out at home, but his throw was off line. White crossed safely, the Red Sox poured out of the dugout, and Boston improved to 70-59 overall and 33-32 at Fenway. The Giants fell to 52-77.
For eight innings, Boston’s offense had little to show for the night. Giants starter Blade Tidwell was sharp, giving up just three hits across 5 2/3 scoreless innings while striking out seven. He kept the Red Sox from getting a hit with a runner in scoring position and helped San Francisco carry a 2-0 lead deep into the game.
That lead came from a pair of solo homers. Willy Adames opened the scoring with a 403-foot shot in the first inning, and Andrew Knizner added another in the third. Patrick Sandoval absorbed both blows and still gave Boston a chance, finishing 5 2/3 innings with two runs allowed on five hits and two walks, along with six strikeouts.
Boston stayed quiet through eight innings despite six hits and four walks. Then the ninth finally cracked open.
Caleb Durbin and Andruw Monasterio reached to start the rally, and White - batting for Mickey Gasper - punched a single into center to score Durbin and get Boston on the board. Nick Sogard kept it rolling with the biggest swing of the inning, pulling an RBI double into left field to bring Monasterio home and tie the game at 2-2. White moved to third, Ceddanne Rafaela was intentionally walked, and Abreu came up with the bases loaded.
What followed was the kind of at-bat that can define a night. Abreu had been 0-for-4 with four strikeouts, but he stayed alive long enough to put the ball in play and let the chaos take over. His grounder produced the winning run, even if it won’t show up as a hit.
Sogard was a key piece of the comeback, finishing 2-for-3 with two walks and the game-tying RBI. He reached base four times and raised his season average to .277. White’s pinch-hit single was the first crack in the Giants’ armor, and Abreu’s ground ball finished the job.
Boston’s bullpen did the rest. Greg Weissert, Jovani Morán and Will Olds combined for 3 1/3 scoreless innings, with Olds handling the final 1 1/3 frames to earn the win and keep his major league ERA at 0.00.
The Red Sox staff struck out 10 and held San Francisco hitless in eight chances with runners in scoring position. The Giants stranded 11 runners, a brutal total in a one-run game.
The Red Sox didn’t hit a home run and finished with just 10 total bases, while the Giants had two homers and 14 total bases. None of that mattered once Boston got the ninth inning rolling.
With Friday’s 6-4 win already in the books, the Red Sox have taken the series and will try for the sweep Sunday afternoon at Fenway Park. Boston remains third in the American League East and began Saturday 6 1/2 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays and four behind the New York Yankees, though both teams lost later in the day.
The finale is set for 3:15 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. Boston is expected to send left-hander Jake Bennett, who is 7-6 with a 3.46 ERA and 61 strikeouts, while San Francisco plans to start left-hander Matt Wilkinson in his major league debut.
After that, the Red Sox head to Miami for a three-game series against the Marlins beginning Monday night.
In Other News...
Roman Anthony Is Giving The Red Sox What They Needed To See
Roman Anthonys rehab assignment with the Portland Sea Dogs has given the Red Sox exactly the kind of encouraging update they were hoping for after his right wrist injury. He has looked sharp at the plate, picking up multiple hits, drawing walks and even leaving the yard, a strong sign that his swing is moving the way the club wants to see as he works back into game shape.
Anthonys week in Portland also came with a lighter moment, as he crossed paths with competitive eater Joey Chestnut at a Sea Dogs promotional event. The performance is the more meaningful part for Boston, though, and while the team has liked what it has seen so far, it still has not announced when Anthony will be back on the major league roster. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Waiting On Curtis Mead Decision That Could Affect More Than Him
Curtis Meads first game with the Red Sox ended almost as quickly as it began, with the infielder leaving after being hit by a pitch and later diagnosed with a fractured wrist. Since then, Boston has been waiting on the next step in his recovery, and that wait is about to get a little more telling with a scan scheduled to check how the injury is healing.
Meads timetable matters beyond his own return window because the Red Sox are also tracking the comebacks of other injured players, which could force some tricky roster decisions. If the scan shows enough progress for Mead to have a chance to get back during the regular season, Boston may have to sort through a crowded picture at just the wrong time. [Read more 🡒]
Rafael Devers Finally Addressed How His Red Sox Exit Changed Him
Rafael Devers is still only months removed from the kind of Red Sox ending that lingered long after the news cycle moved on. Boston chose to move on from its third baseman after a stretch of tension and frustration had made the relationship harder to salvage, and the breakup became one of the defining stories of the season for a club that has spent plenty of time trying to steady itself.
In a recent interview, Devers addressed the aftermath in a way he had not before, saying the experience forced him to mature and take something from it. For the Red Sox, that makes the exit more than just a roster decision, because it also closes the book on a player who seems to view the separation as part of his growth, even as the details of what changed behind the scenes continue to hang over the story. [Read more 🡒]