The Boston Red Sox thought Jackie Bradley Jr. had saved them, but he only prolonged the inevitable.
The Red Sox center fielder sent Boston’s game against the Oakland Athletics into extra innings Friday night, when he robbed A’s first baseman Ryon Healy of a walk-off home run in the ninth inning. But in the bottom of the 10th inning, Mark Canha stepped to the plate against Heath Hembree and hit one high over the left-field fence to give Oakland a 3-2 win.
Chris Sale dazzled at Oakland-Alameda Coliseum, but once again the Red Sox’s offense was unable to provide him with the run support to win the game.
The Red Sox fell to 21-20 with the loss, while the Athletics improved to 19-23 with the win.
Here’s how it all went down.
GAME IN A WORD
Deja vu.
Sale, as usual, mowed down the opponents, but the Red Sox were unable to provide their ace much run support, saddling him with a no-decision.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Canha launched a walk-off home run off Hembree in the 10th inning.
ON THE BUMP
— Sale dominate the opposition Friday night just as he has done all season. The left-hander tossed seven innings, allowing two runs on seven hits while striking out 10.
The Red Sox ace breezed through the first four innings, but the A’s got to him in the fifth. Healy stroked a one-out single to center and scored when Canha smoked a triple to right field to trim the Red Sox’s lead to one. The A’s were unable to drive in Canha, though, as Sale struck out Chad Pinder and induced Josh Phegley to fly out to end the inning.
Oakland struck again in the sixth against Sale when Khris Davis drove in Rajai Davis with a double to deep left to tie the game.
Sale struck out the final two batters of his outing to record his eighth straight start with at least 10 strikeouts, which tied a record Pedro Martinez set back in 1999 and that Sale first matched in 2015. Martinez holds the record with 10 straight starts with at least 10 strikeouts, but his streak spanned two seasons.
— Joe Kelly pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning.
— Craig Kimbrel pitched the ninth inning and got the first two batters out with relative ease, and then Healy stepped to the plate. The A’s first baseman crushed a fastball to dead center that looked like it was going to end the game, but Bradley Jr. glided over and scaled the wall to rob Healy of the walk-off homer and send the game to extra innings.
— Hembree pitched the 10th inning and gave up a walk-off home run to Canha.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— Andrew Benintendi broke out of an 0-for-26 slump in the second inning with a leadoff double. The Red Sox, however, were unable to drive him in as A’s starter Kendall Graveman retired Hanley Ramirez, Mitch Moreland and Bradley Jr. in order.
— The Red Sox got on the board in the fourth inning when Moreland launched two-run home run off Graveman to break the scoreless tie.
— Boston loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth inning, but A’s third baseman Trevor Plouffe made a phenomenal play to rob Ramirez of multiple RBIs.
— Sandy Leon and Benintendi were the only Red Sox hitters to record multiple hits.
TWEET OF THE NIGHT
The assault on the record book continues.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox will continue their four-game series against the Athletics on Saturday afternoon. Drew Pomeranz will get the ball for Boston and will be opposed by Oakland’s Sean Manaea. First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET.
Thumbnail photo via Neville E. Guard/USA TODAY Sports Images
