Shut out for six innings and trailing through seven, it took until the 10th inning for the Red Sox to secure their first lead Tuesday night. And when they got it, they didn’t mess around.
TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 24: Brayan Bello #66 of the Boston Red Sox pitches to the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning in their MLB game at the Rogers Centre on September 24, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)Getty Images
The Red Sox erupted for three runs in extra innings to secure their fourth straight win, a 6-5 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in 10 innings.
Trevor Story stroked a single to left for the first run. The second scored as the result of an infield groudout and the third on the third hit of the night from Vaughn Grissom, a single.
The Red Sox nearly emptied their bullpen, using seven relievers in relief of starter Brayan Bello. The Blue Jays responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning, but could draw no closer as Chase Shugart notched his first major league save, wiggling out of a bases-loaded jam.
The Sox finally pulled even in the eighth, with back-to-back singles from Romy Gonzalez and Triston Casas putting runners at the corners with no out. After Story fanned, Masataka Yoshida hit a sharp grounder up the middle which resulted in a force out of Casas at second, but enabled Gonzalez to score. The Sox then had runners at first and second with two out, but pinch-hitter Nick Sogard hit a flyout to left, ending the threat.
Blanked over the first six innings, the Red Sox finally stirred awake in the seventh. Consecutive two-out walks followed by an infield single from Danny Jansen loaded the bases for Ceddanne Rafaela, who stroked a sharp single to left, scoring Vaughn Grissom and Wilyer Abreu.
But the Sox, who had been held to just three hits before that inning, couldn’t muster any more offense, stranding the two baserunners.
Already leading 2-0, the Jays padded their lead with a solo run off Lucas Sims in the fifth. Sims asked for trouble by walking the first hitter he faced, infielder Davis Schneider. Two batters later, George Springer, who always seems to mash against the Red Sox even when he’s slumping, cracked a line double off the wall in left-center, with Schneider forced to stop at third.
Nathan Lukes then produced a fly ball to left, sufficient enough for Schneider to score easily.
Red Sox starter Brayan Bello experienced a lapse of control in the third inning and it cost him.
Trouble began when he walked Toronto’s No. 9 hitter, Joey Loperfido, with one out. After he fanned Springer for the second out of the inning, he then issued another walk, this one to Lukes.
That brought up Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and to compound matters, Bello quickly fell behind 2-and-0. After he got back into a full count, he left a slider on the inner half that Guerrero hit on a line off the left-center field wall, scoring both baserunners.
In the meantime, the Red Sox had some opportunities but couldn’t do much with them.
From the second through the fifth innings, the Sox managed to put the leadoff man on base, but failed to move the runners along. Twice, they got leadoff doubles — from Story in the second and Grissom in the fifth — and squandered the chances. Story at least got moved to third base; Grissom never left second base.
The Sox, who were 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position in the series opener Monday, were 0-for-6 in that department for the first five innings.
Last road game of season Wednesday
Until recently, the Red Sox had been a very good road team in 2024. That was before they dropped 9-of-10 away from home in one September stretch.
For the final game away from home this year, the Sox will pitch Richard Fitts (0-0, 0.00), who, as the ERA suggests, has yet to give up an earned run in three outings. He’ll be opposed by RHP Kevin Gausman (13-11, 3.91).
