It’s a cliche, but it’s true that you have to keep battling until the 27th out is recorded in baseball. And it’s a good thing the Boston Red Sox did that Sunday afternoon.
The Red Sox were down to their last out when they mounted a miraculous five-run comeback in their 5-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim. Mookie Betts started the comeback with an RBI single, and Dustin Pedroia put Boston ahead for good with a three-run home run. Xander Bogaerts then put an exclamation point on things with a solo shot of his own.
“Just to see the continued fight — we didn’t have much going until the final inning,” manager John Farrell said on NESN’s “Red Sox Extra Innings.” “Just outstanding. A couple of swings out of obviously from (Pedroia) and (Bogaerts) to give us the five-spot in the ninth. And on a day where we really didn’t have a lot going offensively.
“… We found a way to dig a little deeper before the 27th out was recorded, and give credit to our guys who keep fighting, keep battling. So a inning, much needed to salvage a split and keep pace with where we are in this race.”
Farrell missed most of the game after home plate umpire Gabe Morales ejected the skipper for arguing balls and strikes in the third inning. Remarkably, that might have been one of the most important decisions in the game, as he might have prevented Pedroia from being thrown out after arguing on the same play.
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Pedroia stayed in the game and drove in the game-winning runs. And as Bogaerts eluded to, it was a victory the Red Sox needed to avoid an eighth loss in the their last 10 games.
Let’s take a look at a few more notes from Sunday’s win.
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— The unsung hero Sunday was Clay Buchholz, who pitched three scoreless inning in relief to pick up the win.
— Yoan Moncada and Andrew Benintendi, two of Boston’s best minor league prospects, both had big games Sunday afternoon for Double-A Portland.
Moncada went 3-for-4 with a double, triple and four runs scored. Benintendi, meanwhile, provided the power with two home runs and two doubles in a five-RBI effort. That was more than enough offense for the Sea Dogs, who beat Binghamton 8-1.
— The Red Sox didn’t announce any trades Sunday afternoon, but director of baseball operations Dave Dombrowksi and other team executives met with manager John Farrell prior to the series finale between the Angels and Sox.
“(Conversations with them) a couple times a day on just things outside of the daily routine here,” Farrell told reporters, via MassLive.com. “Sometimes just casual conversation. Sometimes, it’s a little bit more than that.
“… Just look at the guys that are under our control, feel like we’ve got a good team to not only maintain where we are in this race but to win this division. That’s our thought, that’s our belief and trust in the guys that are here.”
— David Price’s 2016 season, his first with the Red Sox, has been bumpy, but Boston’s ace likely isn’t going anywhere for a long time, which is a welcomed change for the left-hander after being traded before the deadline the previous two seasons.
“It feels good, for sure, having that assurance that you’re going to be somewhere,” Price told reporters Sunday, via the Providence Journal. “It feels good not to be in those rumors. (That’s) not fun.”
— David Ortiz and Albert Pujols have been friends for years, so th Los Angeles Angels designated hitter knows about the pain Ortiz is facing in his final Major League Baseball season.
“Dave can probably freaking still play until he’s 50 if he wants,” Pujols told the Providence Journal. “The thing is, when you’re dealing with nagging injuries in there, it’s not fun anymore. It’s hard. It’s just a guy who’s always been a good hitter, a really clutch hitter.
“He just decided, if he’s going to hang them this year, he’s going to go out with a bang and a great year. That’s what he’s doing.”
Thumbnail photo via Kelvin Kuo/USA TODAY Sports Images
