The Boston Red Sox scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to erase a 2-0 deficit and defeat the San Francisco Giants, 3-2, in one of the wildest finishes of their season.
The Red Sox shared a message on X alongside a graphic featuring interim manager Chad Tracy's reminder of what their historic ballpark can become during a postseason race: "Love you, Fenway." Tracy emphasized the significance of Fenway Park as a home-field advantage, saying, "It can be a pretty big home-field advantage playing at this place."
The comeback ended with Wilyer Abreu being chased around the infield by his teammates as the Fenway crowd erupted. The Red Sox were held scoreless for eight innings and had given their fans very little reason to believe a rally was coming. That changed quickly once Boston finally generated some traffic against San Francisco's bullpen.
Caleb Durbin and Andruw Monasterio helped create the first opportunity before Eli White came off the bench and lined an RBI single into center field. White's hit scored Durbin and ended Boston's shutout bid. Nick Sogard followed with a game-tying double to left field, bringing Monasterio home and moving White to third.
The Giants intentionally walked Ceddanne Rafaela to load the bases for Abreu with one out. That decision made sense considering Abreu had struck out in each of his first four plate appearances. The Boston outfielder finally delivered when his team needed him most, working a full count against left-hander Sam Hentges before hitting a ground ball down the first-base line.
The replay confirmed White was safe, allowing the celebration to continue. Abreu officially finished 0-for-5 with four strikeouts, but his final plate appearance produced the game-winning RBI. His ability to forget everything that had happened earlier became one of the defining parts of Boston's comeback.
The Red Sox have not dominated at home this season, and Saturday's victory improved Boston to 33-32 at Fenway Park. The Red Sox have been significantly better on the road, an unusual development for a club accustomed to using the Green Monster and its passionate crowd as major advantages.
Boston now has an opportunity to change that narrative during the stretch run. The Red Sox improved to 70-59 overall and secured the series victory after beating San Francisco, 6-4, in Friday's opener. Boston will attempt to complete the sweep Sunday afternoon before beginning a three-game road series against the Miami Marlins.
Source: Yahoo Sports