Did the Boston Red Sox need that, or what? With the team struggling in September, their grasp on the American League Wild Card was slipping.
After a back-and-forth contest with the Athletics, the Red Sox found themselves in the tenth inning. To that point, they had already used Justin Wilson, Justin Slaten, Steven Matz, Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman out of the bullpen.
With a runner on second base to start the inning, Alex Cora turned to Zack Kelly. The reliever allowed a quick hit to put runners on the corners, but a strikeout and popout later lessened the threat. With superstar rookie Nick Kurtz coming to the plate, Cora gave the ball to lefty Chris Murphy. Murphy struck out Kurtz, giving the Red Sox a chance to win the game.
The Athletics walked Nathaniel Lowe to set up a double play, bringing Carlos Narvaez to the plate. Narvaez laid down a beautiful bunt, moving the runners to second and third. Cora made another substitution by inserting Nick Sogard in the game for Ceddanne Rafaela.
Sogard rewarded his manager by getting the ball in play, hitting a weak ground ball to second base, scoring Nate Eaton to win the game.
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“It wasn’t pretty,” Sogard said. “My whole goal was to put the ball in play. Didn’t hit it hard, didn’t hit it good, but it was enough.”
The game had a playoff atmosphere. Cora used nearly his entire bullpen, as well as his bench. Removing Rafaela from the game was something he rarely ever does. The Red Sox needed a win to stave off their rivals in the playoff chase, and the role players came through when it mattered. They’ll finish the series with the Athletics on Thursday afternoon before traveling to Tampa.
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