For eight innings in Queens on Sunday, it looked like the Red Sox might finally blink. Instead, Boston’s bats woke up just in time, scratching out a 3-2, 10-inning win over the New York Mets at Citi Field and wrapping a perfect 9-0 road trip with a ninth straight victory.
The Red Sox trailed late before New York closer Devin Williams lost the strike zone in the ninth, issuing back-to-back walks and then surrendering a game-tying bloop single to Jarren Duran. A defensive mistake that short-circuited a potential game-ending double play helped keep the comeback alive, and Tsung-Che Cheng and Ceddanne Rafaela were in the middle of the chaos as Boston suddenly flipped the script. As reported by The Boston Globe, the wild ninth set up a nervy extra inning.
How The 10th Inning Swung Boston’s Way
In the top of the 10th, Masataka Yoshida started on second as the automatic runner, and Connor Wong did the small-ball thing, dropping a sacrifice bunt to push Yoshida to third. Anthony Seigler followed with a sacrifice fly to left that brought Yoshida home with the go-ahead run. Garrett Whitlock then marched to the mound and calmly retired the Mets in order in the bottom half, slamming the door on any thought of a New York answer. According to ESPN, Seigler’s sac fly and Whitlock’s clean frame locked in the 3-2 final.
Pitching Plan Pays Off
Boston went with a scripted approach on the mound, asking rookie starter Payton Tolle for a short but sharp outing and lining up Brayan Bello for bulk relief behind him. Tolle delivered swing-and-miss stuff, striking out seven, while Bello soaked up multiple innings after a recent stint in Triple A, bridging the middle of the game. That tandem handed things off to veteran Aroldis Chapman and then Whitlock in the late innings, just enough to hold the Mets down until the lineup finally showed up. CBS Sports logs Tolle at 3.2 innings on 66 pitches with seven strikeouts, Bello at 4.1 innings, and Whitlock finishing it off with a spotless line on the scoreboard.
Historic Road Rip Through Three Time Zones
The win capped a three-city, three-time-zone run in which Boston swept the Angels, White Sox and Mets, an undefeated road swing the club had not pulled off in nearly half a century. The nine-game surge gives the Red Sox a serious tailwind heading into the All-Star break and into a lengthy homestand to open the season’s second half. As noted by The Boston Globe, this is Boston’s first 9-0 road trip since 1977.
It almost did not happen. Mets starter Zach Thornton had been in full control, shutting out Boston through seven innings and holding the lineup to just two hits before the late-inning rally flipped the script. For fans who want every last pitch and plate appearance, the full box score and play-by-play are available at ESPN and on CBS Sports.
