For once the Red Sox flip the script, but will it mean better days ahead?
Ceddanne Rafaela gets set to cross home plate and celebrate with his waiting teammates after hitting a two-run homer in the ninth to beat the Angles.
Heather Diehl/For the Globe
Discounting inside-the-park homers, it was the shortest home run in the majors this season and the shortest hit by a Red Sox player at Fenway Park since 2015 when Statcast started providing accurate measurements.
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It also was the shortest walkoff home run in the majors since 2015 according to MLB research guru Sarah Langs.
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'I couldn't see where it landed from where I was,' said Trevor Story, who was on deck. 'But then you heard the crowd reacting. What a great feeling.'
The Sox trailed 4-0, 7-5, 8-7, and 9-8 but came back each time. Alex Cora used six of his eight relievers and four of his five bench players to chase down the Angels.
Cora was morose after
When
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Then the comeback gained momentum as the bullpen allowed two runs over 7⅓ innings and gave Rafaela a chance to use Fenway to his advantage.
Now the Sox have a day off before opening a three-game series against the Yankees on Friday night in the Bronx. Walker Buehler and
The Sox need the day to reset their bullpen and their emotions.
'Maybe this game will get us going,' Romy Gonzalez said over the din of music playing in the clubhouse.
Until one good victory leads to another and another after that, these Red Sox are not to be trusted.
But it's worth remembering that the Mets were 28-36 after 64 games last season and finished the season in the National League Championship Series.
Or that the Tigers were 31-33, then beat the Astros in the wild card before losing a five-game Division Series against the Guardians.
The Padres were 32-32 and went on to nearly topple the Dodgers in the Division Series.
That the Red Sox are 6-17 in games decided by one run can be viewed as their not being a team smart enough or resourceful enough to win close game.
But it also means they're in close games. The Sox have actually outscored their opponents by 13 runs.
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'That's the frustrating part,' Story said. 'We've been in so many of those games we lost. If half of those go our way, we're in a much better spot.
'We need to play a little better, play a little cleaner and it'll start to go our way. We have to believe that.'
The alternative is what, cash in the season before Father's Day and wait to see who gets traded and if Cora gets fired? There's no fun in that.
'To say that we needed this one is an understatement,' said Cora, whose mood had brightened considerably before the game. 'A lot of close games and they go the other way … It's the same game; it's the same script. Hopefully we can change it now.'
Peter Abraham can be reached at
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New York Times
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Boston Globe
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