Red Sox Take Close Second Game From Blue Jays, Look for Sweep Tomorrow
Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images
There was an interesting ending to the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays game as Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette was trying to score the tying run, but got thrown out at home to end the game. Kenley Jansen was in to close for the Red Sox looking to hold on to a 7-5 lead for the save. He would start the 9th inning by striking out center fielder Kevin Kiermaier. Next, right fielder George Springer would hit a sharp line drive to left field for a single.
Shortstop Bo Bichette would come to the plate batting .317 on the year and has also been hot in his last 10 games batting .333 with 14 hits, 3 RBIs and 5 runs. Earlier in the game, Bichette hit a solo homerun to tie the game. On the first pitch Bichette would drive a ball that nearly was a homerun hitting the wall and falling in front of Red Sox right fielder Alex Verdugo. With only one out, George Springer paused to see if Verdugo would come down with the ball before making it over 3rd base.
Designated hitter Brandon Belt came up to the plate next as the winning run. In 5 pitches, Jansen would get Belt to strike out swinging leaving the Blue Jays with first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as their last hope. On Jansen’s third pitch, Guerrero would shoot the ball the opposite way in between first and second base. George Springer would score easily from first base, Bo Bichette on the other hand would come around third base, hesitate for a second before running through third base coach Luis Rivera’s stop sign. When the throw from Verdugo got to catcher Connor Wong, Bichette still was not in frame and was easily tagged out as he slid into the plate.
The Red Sox led the game in the 5th inning after scoring 3 runs breaking a 2-2 tie. Justin Turner hit a double scoring one, while both Rafael Devers and Masataka Yoshida both hit singles scoring a run each. In the next inning, Alex Verdugo would hit a sacrifice fly that would drive in another run giving the Red Sox a 6-2 lead. In both the 7th and 8th innings, the Blue Jays would score 3 runs, bringing them within one of their division rivals at 6-5. Luckily for the Red Sox, leading off the 9th inning, Justin Turner would hit a solo homerun providing some insurance before the madness of the bottom half of the inning.
Video by MLB from YouTube.com
This season the Red Sox are a franchise best 6-0 against the Toronto Blue Jays, today’s win bright the team back to .500 and they are now only 3 games behind them to get out of last place. Before this series they were on a 7-game losing streak, but they are now able to look forward to try and sweep the Blue jays in tomorrow’s game at 1:37 PM EDT. The Red Sox will send Garrett Whitlock who is 4-3 with 5.15 ERA, while the Blue Jays will send out Kevin Gausman who is 7-4 with a 3.01 ERA.
