The Red Sox rallied twice against the Minnesota Twins and walked off with a 5-4 win in the bottom of the 10th inning with a bizarre hit by Alex Verdugo that had everyone in the park wondering if the game was over or not, which it was, resulting in Boston completing the comeback.
Not lost in Boston’s win was starting pitcher Chris Sale’s solid six innings of work. The lefty struck out 11 and gave up one run on three hits.
The Red Sox didn’t give Sale the run protection, peppering Sonny Gray for seven hits over five innings but stranding 13 runners on base. Something Red Sox manager Alex Cora recognized, stating the defense didn’t do their job.
“That’s a good lineup, and he was on the control, fastball plays tonight,” Cora told reporters, as seen on NESN’s postgame. “And then, after that, he just took over bases loaded, no outs, and he had that … mentality like ‘Let’s go, this is my game, and I’m going to keep it in check’.”
Sale has had a rough start to the season, entering the night with an 11.25 ERA over 12 innings pitched, giving up 15 runs and striking out 19.
“This is what we’ve been working for,” Sale told reporters, as seen on NESN’s postgame. “… For the most part, I had everything going, under control, and it was there.”
Sale added that he’s been working hard in between starts to get back to form.
“I just know that’s where I have to be,” Sale said. “That’s where the works going to come from. That’s where success comes from. I need reps. I need to get off the mountain. I need to feel more comfortable and just being more consistent. This is a game of consistency and making adjustments, and those are two things that desperately needed to make.”
The first seven outs Sale recorded were via strikeout and has struck out at least six batters in his four starts this season.
Here are some more notes from Red Sox-Twins on Tuesday:
— Reese McGuire came up huge in the tenth inning when he singled to left, driving in two runs in the bottom of the tenth leading up to Verdugo hitting the walk-off single to right.
— The Red Sox were able to extend the eighth inning when Minnesota’s catcher Cristian Vazquez was charged with interference which Boston declined because Twins first baseman Donovan Solano took his foot off the bag.
— The Red Sox are in the midst of 19 days without a day off, which started on April 8 and will conclude on April 26. Boston is 6-5 during this stretch.
— The Red Sox will continue their three-game series with the Twins. Wednesday night’s Red Sox-Twins game will air on NESN+, with coverage of Bruins-Panthers Game 2 airing on NESN. First pitch from Fenway Park is slated for 7:10 p.m. ET.
