Baseball seasons are long. They ebb. They flow. Along the way, people tend to overreact on occasion. It happens.
Still, even with that understanding, it did feel like the Red Sox could have really used a victory on Monday night at Fenway Park.
After a rough weekend in the Bronx where Boston could manage just one win in the four-game series, and after announcing that Sonny Gray’s Tuesday start would be skipped, and after placing the team leader in home runs and RBIs on the injured list, a dose of positivity felt sorely needed for the Red Sox against the Mariners on Monday night.
For a while, it looked like they were getting exactly that, with Payton Tolle and Mickey Gasper being the driving forces. Then, it looked like another painful loss was on the way.
Instead, one of the more memorable wins of the season played out at Fenway Park.
The Rare Midgame Hug
They say that every time you show up to the ballpark, you’re liable to see something you’ve never seen before. Two opponents sharing an embrace halfway up the first-base line would qualify as a first for just about everyone watching this one.
In the top of the third inning, Tolle got Dominic Canzone to send a grounder back to the mound. The lefty fielded the ball while moving toward first, and instead of risking a throw or a flip, he decided to make the play himself.
Canzone accepted that he was a dead duck and stopped running. And for whatever reason — mostly because he’s Payton Tolle — the pitcher decided to offer up a hug instead of just tagging the runner.
After the game, Tolle didn’t have much of an explanation for the impromptu show of affection.
Mickey Bonds, Teddy Gasper, Whichever You Prefer
Arguably the most unpredictable development of the entire MLB season has been the month of August that Mickey Gasper has had for the Red Sox. It was a historic run — genuinely — but it looked like it had ended in an unceremonious fashion when he was sent down to Worcester on Sunday along with Anthony Siegler to make room on the roster for Roman Anthony and Trevor Story.
But the demotion lasted all of one day, as Gasper was recalled on Monday when Willson Contreras was placed on the injured list due to a nagging hamstring injury.
Gasper started Monday’s game and batted second. He dug into the left-handed batter’s box, loosened up with a couple of swings, and then absolutely unloaded on a changeup that was left over the heart of the plate.
When the 387-foot laser came down in the Boston bullpen, the game was tied.
The next time Gasper dug in, a graphic appeared on the game broadcast that informed viewers that Gasper has had the third-best calendar month in terms of OPS, trailing only Barry Bonds and Ted Williams. Prior to this month, those three names had never been uttered in the same sentence. But that’s part of what makes baseball baseball.
Ceddanne Atones
Ceddanne Rafaela’s near-catch on Sunday became a controversial talking point in Boston and New York, leading to a previously unseen level of frame-by-frame analysis for a play in the middle of what would end up being a 16-1 game in August.
Rafaela insisted — to no avail — in the moment and after the game that he had made the catch, but he got a chance to make up for it a bit with another Gold Glove-caliber catch on Monday.
That might have been more of a bad read/great recovery play for Rafaela, but he made sure to show everyone that he had this one secured in his glove.
That catch came a half-inning after Rafaela gave Boston a two-run lead when he plated Anthony and Connor Wong in the bottom of the fifth.
Duran’s Dinger
With Roman Anthony, Jahmai Jones and Eli White all on the roster, left fielder Jarren Duran may have to earn his at-bats for the stretch run. He helped his cause in the first inning, when he absolutely clobbered a high fastball from George Kirby and wrapped a 411-foot blast around Pesky’s Pole in right field to give the Red Sox a 3-1 lead.
That was Duran’s sixth home run in the month of August, and though it’s too late to make up for some dreadful months this season, the Red Sox are surely hoping Duran can carry some of his momentum into September.
Deflating Outings From Guerrero, Miller
Alas, all of that was for naught. Tolle was pulled with two outs and a runner on first in the top of the sixth after throwing 96 pitches. Reliever Tyron Guerrero, who’s been reliable all year, came in to get out of the sixth and preserve the two-run lead.
But Guerrero found himself some trouble, allowing a single to Weston Wilson before walking J.P. Crawford to load the bases. Guerrero then gave up a two-RBI single to Randy Arozarena followed by a Canzone double to plate two more runs.
In the blink of an eye, a 5-3 lead for Boston became a 7-5 deficit.
This was Guerrero’s 38th appearance of the season. In 34 of those outings, he allowed zero earned runs. Just once prior to Monday did Guerrero allow more than one earned run, but he was tagged for three against Seattle.
Further perplexing matters, Erik Miller — who entered the night with a 0.00 ERA since joining the Red Sox at the trade deadline — served up a leadoff home run to Cal Raleigh in the top of the seventh inning.
Story, Anthony, Rafaela Lead Late Comeback
The Red Sox came back and forced extra innings in a way that felt uniquely Fenway.
With Nick Sogard and Caleb Durbin on base, each with singles in the eighth, Trevor Story — in his first game at Fenway since mid-May — sent a high fly ball to left field off the end of the bat on a defensive swing at a sweeper on a 2-2 count. It wasn’t exactly struck with conviction, but it was enough to just barely scrape the wall in left field, scoring two runs and cutting the deficit to one.
In the ninth, still down by one, the Red Sox received a gift in the form of Julio Rodriguez making an ill-advised decision to try to make a sliding catch on a line drive to shallow center off the bat of Anthony. Rodriguez didn’t make the catch and couldn’t get any leather on the ball, allowing it to roll all the way to the center field wall.
It felt like a potential inside-the-park moment, but Anthony was smartly held at third base. After Ted Williams 2.0 shockingly struck out, Rafaela sent a shallow fly ball to left field.
It was a risk, but Anthony tagged and headed home, barely beating the throw from Arozarena to tie the game at 8-8.
Walkoff Win
After a very well-rested Aroldis Chapman buzzed through the top of the 10th with two strikeouts following a sacrifice bunt, the Red Sox had the bases loaded with one out, thanks to a sacrifice bunt of their own followed by a pair of intentional walks.
That brought Story back to the plate, and the veteran shortstop patiently got ahead in the count 3-0. Former Red Sox reliever Cooper Criswell came back with a couple of strikes, but his 3-2 pitch split the plate. Story did not miss.
Story struggled at the plate in Triple-A during his rehab appearances but insisted he was ready to return to the big leagues. In two games now, he’s 4-for-8 with two doubles, three RBIs and a clutch walk-off hit.
Of course, had the Red Sox lost this one, they wouldn’t have been doomed. But sometimes, when a team is scuffling after a tough weekend against a division rival, a win like this one can feel just a touch more important than an average victory, and it’s merely the latest chapter in what has been a memorable summer at Fenway Park.
