The Red Sox on Saturday were three outs away from their first post-All-Star break win, but Kenley Jansen wasn't able to seal the deal.
Jansen's latest return to Dodger Stadium, where he played the first 12 seasons of his MLB career, proved to be a sour one. Boston's closer allowed a game-tying home run in the ninth inning, which signaled his second blown save of the season and first since mid-April. And to make matters worse for Jansen, the clutch blast came off the bat of Kiké Hernández, a former teammate with both the Dodgers and Red Sox.
The four-time All-Star buckled down to finish the ninth without any further damage, but LA went on to walk off with a 7-6 win in the 11th. After the game, Jansen opened up about his missed opportunity.
"Nothing you can do about it," Jansen told reporters, per MLB.com. "Just one pitch. He kind of got it and (there's) nothing you can do about it. I just tried to keep the team in the game, and that's it. It's one hit."
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The tough loss put Boston in jeopardy of suffering a three-game sweep for only the second time this season. Playing two extra frames also took a toll on the visitors' bullpen, so Alex Cora and company will be hoping for a lengthy outing from starter Kutter Crawford on Sunday night.
First pitch from Chavez Ravine is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
Featured image via Katie Stratman/USA TODAY Sports Images