Caleb Durbin turned a tense Fenway night into a full-on party Monday, ripping a two-out homer in the eighth inning to power the Boston Red Sox past the Baltimore Orioles 6-5 and extend Boston’s winning streak to 14 games. The clutch swing had fans roaring and talking openly about a serious playoff push.
Durbin Delivers In The Eighth
Down to their last out of the inning and trailing, Durbin jumped on a pitch and launched a go-ahead solo shot to straightaway center, flipping the score and giving the Red Sox a lead they would not give back. His blast came on the heels of Ceddanne Rafaela’s RBI in the seventh that had pulled Boston even, a momentum swing laid out in the game’s play-by-play, as detailed by FOX Sports.
Pitching, Saves And Late Drama
Starter Payton Tolle did the heavy lifting early, piling up nine strikeouts and exiting just one out short of what would have been his ninth quality start. Veteran reliever Aroldis Chapman handled the ninth, slamming the door for the save. The comeback win nudged Boston into sole possession of the third American League wild-card slot during a blistering July run, as reported by the Boston Herald.
Historic Surge And What’s Next
This 14-game heater has the city buzzing and leaves the Red Sox just two wins shy of a distant franchise streak, turning midsummer nights at Fenway into appointment viewing. Boston will try to make it 15 straight in Tuesday’s home game, a storyline the club and national outlets had circled both before and after the latest victory, according to Field Level Media.
In a statement to Field Level Media, Durbin said, "I feel like we’ve flipped the script," a line that fit perfectly after his late-inning heroics. The Sox are back at it Tuesday at 7:10 p.m., and the full box score and play-by-play from Monday’s thriller are available at FOX Sports.
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