The Boston Red Sox were victims of a blatant umpire error against the Texas Rangers on Thursday night, but they wound up getting a Major League Baseball record out of it.
In the ninth inning of the Red Sox’s 6-2 win over the Rangers at Fenway Park, Boston closer Craig Kimbrel struck out Nomar Mazara to start the frame after the Texas right fielder swung at a ball that hit him in the leg immediately afterward. That should’ve been an automatic out, but home plate umpire Chad Fairchild incorrectly called it a wild pitch, making the play unreviewable and giving Mazara first base on the strikeout.
Red Sox manager John Farrell was livid, but Kimbrel righted the situation by striking out Jonathan Lucroy, Rougned Odor and Mike Napoli in order for a four-strikeout inning. The extra K gave the Red Sox 20 combined on the night — starter Drew Pomeranz had 11, Heath Hembree had two, Robbie Scott had one and Matt Barnes had two — to tie the MLB record shared with just four other teams. It was the third time the Red Sox have pulled off the feat, with Roger Clemens getting it done single-handedly in 1986 and 1996.
And if you want to watch all 20 strikeouts in 20 seconds (which you probably do), you can check out MLB’s video here.
Thumbnail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
