The Boston Pink Sox have been put to the extra-innings problem (once more), this time tasked with outlasting the scrappy Oakland Athletics on the highway, which didn’t come simple.
Boston didn’t get the perfect from right-hander starter Brayan Bello, who surrendered 4 runs by means of 5 innings, nonetheless, the Pink Sox bullpen picked up the slack. Maintaining Oakland forward at 4-3 by means of Boston’s three-scoreless-inning stretch heading into the seventh inning, the window was open for a late-game rally, which got here at simply the appropriate time.
Taking discover of the resilience of Boston’s reduction arms, supervisor Alex Cora used the whole Pink Sox dugout — all 13 positional gamers — to get the job completed. It saved Cora and the teaching employees on their toes, however got here rewarded when Boston outfielder Tyler O’Neil plated house the go-ahead run within the prime of the eleventh inning to assist in giving the Pink Sox a 5-4 victory — the staff’s third consecutive and first in further innings.
“Whole staff effort,” Cora informed reporters, per NESN’s postgame protection. “From the start, we needed to grind. Two pitches within the zone, they hit it out of the ballpark. We grinded the at-bats. The entire teaching employees was a part of it as a result of we haven’t completed this shortly, the double swap and all that stuff. It was enjoyable.”
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O’Neil may’ve given the Pink Sox the lead with an RBI groundout, nonetheless, that also left three important outs to be recorded within the backside half of the body.
That’s the place right-handed reliever Josh Winckowski and outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela got here by means of as Oakland seemed to drive in its ghost runner to not less than ship the competition to a twelfth inning.
Winckowski pitched the ultimate two innings, holding the Athletics scoreless whereas Rafaela made a large lead-saving catch in centerfield, monitoring a deep flyout off the bat of Oakland’s Shea Langeliers to report the second out.
“Off the bat, I used to be going for it 100%,” Rafaela mentioned postgame, per NESN. “It felt fairly good to assist my teammates, assist the staff.”
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MORE RED SOX
Listed below are extra notes from Tuesday night time’s Pink Sox-Athletics sport:
— Pink Sox reliever Chris Martin pitched a scoreless eighth inning, notching his twenty third consecutive scoreless look which ties ex-Boston right-hander Joe Kelly (2017) for probably the most in franchise historical past. Martin trails chief Koji Uehara (2013) by 4 outings for the all-time lead.
— Boston improved to a good 1-1 in extra-inning video games in 2024.
— Jarren Duran stole his team-leading sixth base of the season, giving the 27-year-old six in Boston’s first six video games performed.
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— Boston reduction pitchers Greg Weissert, Isaiah Campbell, Martin, Kenley Jansen and Winckowski mixed to pitch six scoreless innings to slam the door on Oakland.
“We’re pitching for one another to select one another up,” Winckowski defined, per NESN. “Our leaders Marty and Kenley doing their issues as at all times, and we’re simply attempting to comply with their footsteps. The fellows are rolling good.”
— The Pink Sox will hunt a collection sweep in Oakland in Wednesday afternoon’s finale with the Athletics. First pitch from the Oakland Coliseum is ready for 3:30 p.m. ET, and you may catch the sport, plus an hour of pregame protection, stay on NESN.
