Ceddanne Rafaela provided the heroics for the Boston Red Sox on Friday night at Fenway Park.
The Red Sox trailed the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 with one out and a runner on first base in the bottom of the ninth inning when Rafaela stepped to the plate against Pete Fairbanks. With a 1-2 count, Rafaela blasted one over the Green Monster to give Boston the 5-4 walk-off victory:
Rafaela has been one of the best players in baseball for the last month. In addition to playing elite defense in center field, the 24-year-old has slashed .314/.337/.674 with seven homers and 21 RBI over his last 25 games. His 3.5 fWAR on the season ranks fifth among position players in the American League.
The Red Sox trailed 4-1 after an early injury to starter Hunter Dobbins and a sloppy third inning in which they allowed three unearned runs. Marcelo Mayer (RBI double) and Abraham Toro (RBI groundout) narrowed the deficit in the fourth before Rafaela finished the job with his two-run blast. Roman Anthony pinch-hit in the ninth inning and drew a walk to set up Rafaela’s dramatic moment.
With ace Garrett Crochet on the mound, the Red Sox (51-45) will take an eight-game win streak into Saturday’s game against the Rays. They’re currently 4.5 games back in the American League East standings and in possession of the second Wild Card spot.
