NEW YORK (AP) — It took the Boston Red Sox almost 24 hours Thursday and Friday to get to New York for their three-game series against the Mets.
Fewer than 48 hours later, the major leagues’ hottest team completed its first 9-0 road trip in 49 years.
Boston took advantage of shortstop Francisco Lindor’s error on a potential game-ending double play in the ninth to score two runs, and Anthony Siegler hit a sacrifice fly in the 10th for a 3-2 victory on Sunday over the struggling New York Mets.
Boston, which finished the first half at the Los Angeles Angels, Chicago White Sox and the Mets, had not gone 9-0 on a trip since July 29 to Aug. 7, 1977, at the California Angels, Seattle and Oakland. The Red Sox have won 14 of 16 and 17 of 22, climbing from last in the American League to within a half-game of the last wild card spot.
“You can never count us out, whether that be in a playoff run or in a game,” Siegler said. “It just speaks volumes to how we approach the game and how we carry ourselves.”
Boston outscored the Mets 13-4 during a series that began at 7:51 PM EDT Friday, fewer than three hours after the Red Sox arrived at Citi Field following a treacherous trek from Chicago.
Their charter plane had two different mechanical issues, forcing the Red Sox to disembark and stay in Chicago following their 2-1 win over the White Sox on Thursday night and leaving them on the plane for several hours early Friday afternoon.
By Saturday, the Red Sox were sporting T-shirts reading “Show and Go Airlines, See You at 4:15.”
“That, I think, will always be a fun story for a while,” reliever Garrett Whitlock said with a grin after earning the save with a perfect 10th inning.
With the club off to a 10-17 start, World Series-winning manager Alex Cora and most of his staff were fired April 25. Boston opened 12-10 under interim manager Chad Tracy before going 10-19 from May 22 through June 24.
Boston has thrived during a 14-2 surge that began June 25, when the Red Sox beat the New York Yankees 6-3 after not arriving home from Colorado until dawn due to a mechanical issue on their plane.
The Red Sox have a 2.53 ERA and have averaged 4.9 runs per game over the last 16 games. They averaged just 3.9 runs over their first 78.
“Where we’re at right now, based on where we were three weeks ago, you couldn’t ask for much more,” Tracy said.
Boston is a major league-worst 17-27 at home, where it opens a series against AL East-leading Tampa Bay on Fridfy. The Red Sox have never made the playoffs in a season in which they finished under .500 at Fenway.
“Any big league win is hard to get, so to be able to string some together is really good,” Whitlock said. “I think it’s helped this team kind of really gather some momentum. But we know what when we get back we’ve got more work to do. It’s our own fault for digging ourselves the hole that we did.”
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