BOSTON — David Ortiz sure knows how to make an exit.
The Red Sox designated hitter provided a double dose of clutch at Fenway Park on Saturday, tying the game with an RBI triple in the ninth before delivering a game-winning RBI double in the 11th to help Boston escape with a thrilling 6-5 win over the Houston Astros.
Ortiz’s heroics erased a forgettable outing from Red Sox right-hander Clay Buchholz, who allowed five runs over the first two innings to put the Red Sox in an early hole.
Boston scored four consecutive runs over the final eight innings to pick up the win.
Here’s how it all went down.
GAME IN A WORD
Papi.
Saturday belonged to Ortiz, who brought the Red Sox back from the brink with a two-out, RBI triple past the dive of Astros center fielder Jake Marisnick in the ninth and won it for Boston in the 11th.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Ortiz delivered yet another clutch hit.
After Xander Bogaerts got on with two outs in the 11th, Big Papi brought him home with a huge fly to the triangle in center that Marisnick couldn’t track down.
ON THE BUMP
— Buchholz continued a familiar pattern of enduring major early struggles before turning things around late. He surrendered five runs on a Carlos Correa solo home run in the first and a George Springer grand slam in the second, but recovered to retire nine of the last 11 batters he faced.
The right-hander lasted six innings, surrendering five runs on seven hits while striking out five and issuing two walks. It’s the fifth time in eight starts this season Buchholz has allowed five runs or more.
— Reliever Carson Smith gave up two hits in 2/3 of an inning of work in the seventh, recording both outs on a 6-4-3 double play.
— Left-hander Tommy Layne got the final out of the seventh but allowed a leadoff double to Marwin Gonzalez to start the eighth. The Red Sox caught a break when Gonzalez strayed too far from third base and was tagged out in a rundown, but Layne exited with two outs in the eighth after walking catcher Jason Castro.
— Junichi Tazawa rung up Marisnick to strand two Houston runners in the eighth, then worked a scoreless ninth to keep Boston in it.
— Craig Kimbrel came on to retire the side in the 10th.
— Koji Uehara allowed a double in the 11th but got Springer to pop out to end the inning.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— The potent Red Sox offense came out firing with three straight hits to lead off the first inning. Xander Bogaerts hit an RBI ground-rule double to tie the score, and Travis Shaw drew a 10-pitch walk with the bases loaded to put Boston in front 2-1.
— Ortiz launched an historic homer in the third inning to cut Boston’s deficit to 5-3.
— The Red Sox picked up another run in the fourth when Mookie Betts beat out a potential inning-ending double play, allowing Josh Rutledge to score after his leadoff double.
— Boston threatened in the eighth after Shaw led off the inning with a walk. But Dustin Pedroia couldn’t deliver while pinch-hitting for catcher Christian Vazquez, grounding out with Shaw at third to end the inning.
— Ortiz rescued the Sox in the ninth with by lacing a two-out, game-tying RBI triple just past the dive of Marisnick in center. Hanley Ramirez sent the game to extras by inexplicably bunting with the winning run just 90 feet away.
— The Red Sox had a chance to win it in the 10th after a leadoff double by Shaw, but Astros closer Luke Gregerson retired the next three Boston batters in order.
— Ortiz’s game-winning double improbably left him a single shy of the cycle. He finished 3-for-5 with three very clutch RBIs.
— Jackie Bradley Jr. extended his hitting streak to a career-high 20 games with a single in the first inning. Yet it was an otherwise rough day for the Red Sox center fielder in the No. 2 hole: He finished 1-for-5 and left four men on base while recording the last out in three separate innings.
— Bogaerts went 3-for-6 with an RBI and a run scored to extend his hitting streak to nine games. He’s recorded multiple hits in six straight contests.
— Betts also had a nice day at the plate, going 2-for-5 with an odd pop-fly double that struck Correa in the arm after he lost the ball in the afternoon sun.
TWEET OF THE DAY
Buchholz in a nutshell:
UP NEXT
Right-hander Sean O’Sullivan will make his second start in a Boston uniform Sunday in the Red Sox’s series finale with the Astros. Houston will send rookie righty Chris Devenski to the mound. First pitch at Fenway is set for 1:35 p.m. ET.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
