Steven Wright went the distance, Red Sox batters kept on raking, and Boston took home a 7-2 victory in Game 1 of a crucial four-game set with the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.
Let’s take a look at how it happened.
GAME IN A WORD
Dance.
Steven Wright’s knuckleball danced all afternoon, for the most part baffling Orioles batters, save for a blip in the fifth inning. The Red Sox also were dancing in the dugout as the team hit three home runs in the win.
IT WAS OVER WHEN …
Marco Hernandez launched a three-run homer in the eighth inning, extending Boston’s lead to five.
ON THE BUMP
— Steven Wright’s fastball was effective once again.
The 31-year-old knuckleballer held the top five Orioles batters — Adam Jones, Hyun Soo Kim, Manny Machado, Chris Davis and Mark Trumbo — hitless. The quintet went 0-for-17 with two walks and six strikeouts.
Wright’s final line: nine innings, two earned runs, four hits, five walks and seven strikeouts on 122 pitches. It was Wright’s third complete game of the season, tied for the major league lead.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— Xander Bogaerts and Mookie Betts manufactured a bit of offense for the Red Sox in the early going.
Betts led off the game with a base hit to right field and advanced to second on a hit-and-run play in which Dustin Pedroia grounded out. Bogaerts hit a swinging bunt just in front of the plate and was thrown out, but no one covered home after the throw, and Betts smartly sped around to score the first run of the game.
There was a bit of controversy on the play, as Orioles manager Buck Showalter argued the ball was foul. Replays showed the ball hit inside the batter’s box first and then struck the side of Bogaerts’ left foot, but the play was not reviewable and the run stood.
Betts again reached base with a hit in the third inning, advanced to third on a Pedroia hit and scored when Bogaerts extended his hitting streak to 23 games with a double down the left field line.
Betts (2-for-5) and Bogaerts (2-for-4) both finished with multi-hit days.
— Jackie Bradley Jr. found his stroke again, too. After a lineout to center field earlier in the game, Bradley crushed a fastball to left-center field for a solo home run that helped Boston regain the lead, 3-2.
— Blake Swihart finished with a three-hit day after two singles and a triple, raising his average to .267 in the process.
— David Ortiz welcomed Orioles rookie Ashur Tolliver to the big leagues in a big way.
Ortiz launched a 2-2 breaking ball deep into the right field seats to give the Red Sox a 4-2 lead in the eighth inning. It was the 40-year-old’s only hit of the day. The homer was his 14th of the season and 517th of his career, putting him four behind Ted Williams, Frank Thomas and Willie McCovey for 19th on baseball’s all-time list.
— Marco Hernandez hit his first career home run in the eighth inning, a three-run dinger to extend Boston’s lead to five.
— Travis Shaw and Ryan Hanigan were the only Red Sox regulars to go hitless on the afternoon. Shaw reached base on a walk, though.
TWEET OF THE GAME
Yes, yes he is.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox remain in Baltimore for Game 2 of their four-game set against the Orioles. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m ET. Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez is expected to make his season debut for the Red Sox, while the Orioles are set to counter with righty Kevin Gausman (0-2, 3.24 ERA).
Thumbnail photo via Tommy Gilligan/USA TODAY Sports Images
