Boston Red Sox starter Garrett Crochet wasn’t his usual self on Tuesday. He cruised threw five innings, allowing just three hits and one run. In the sixth inning, things went awry.
Austin Hedges led off the inning with a home run. A few hitters later, David Fry hit a two-run home run. After that, Brayan Rocchio homered in three runs of his own. A 5-1 Red Sox lead quickly became a 7-5 Cleveland Guardians deficit.
It was the worst start of Crochet’s season, and Roman Anthony had already exited the game with a left oblique injury. The team didn’t quit, though.
Ceddanne Rafaela tied the game with a two-run home run in the sixth inning. Garrett Whitlock and Justin Slaten each threw scoreless innings. In the eighth, Alex Bregman legged out an infield single with two outs to score the go-ahead run. Jarren Duran and Trevor Story followed it up with doubles to blow the game open.
“That’s the type of team we are,” Rafaela said.
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The big eighth inning did more than just win the Red Sox the game, too. Aroldis Chapman had been warming up for what would have been his third game in three days. Instead, in a four-run game, Brennan Bernardino took the mound for the ninth and closed the book on an 11-7 win.
The Red Sox will go for the sweep against the Guardians on Wednesday night at Fenway Park.
Featured image via John Jones/Imagn Images
