The Red Sox needed a win. Jarren Duran needed anything he could get.
Boston's rookie outfielder delivered a go-ahead RBI single in the top of the ninth inning, proving to be the exact difference in a 3-2 comeback over the division rival Tampa Bay Rays.
It was his 10th RBI in 33 games played for the Red Sox, a stretch in which he's batted .215 with a .578 OPS.
"I just think about the team the whole at-bat, you know? This one's for the team, like, I've got to do something for the boys. I haven't been doing much for the team so I was just trying to step up in a big moment for them."
Duran got ahead on an 2-0 count, fouled one slider off, and took the same pitch to right field to score teammate Alex Verdugo.
"He saw it well, I think if you see that all the whole inning we put great at-bats against (Rays reliever Pete) Fairbanks," Cora said. "I know he dominated us the other day. But we saw him today, Raffy did an amazing job, Alex did too, Christian did too, so he was able to see some sequences and some pitches and you know, to stay on a breaking ball and put it in play was awesome. You gotta have a short memory, and I know he's probably upset that he struck out before that, a few at-bats, but he put the ball in play in there and gave us a chance to win the game and we did."
Thanks to that, the Red Sox (nine games back) shave a game off their chase of the Rays, who sit in first place in the American League East.
Maybe this game will be a momentum switch for Boston and Duran.
