The Boston Red Sox scored on an error in the bottom of the eighth inning to grab a 4-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park on Thursday night.
JD Martinez got the scoring started when he blasted his 41st home run of the season in the second inning. Rafael Devers also hit a solo homer in the sixth inning. Devers entered the game for Eduardo Nunez who left the game with an injured knee.
The Blue Jays scored two runs in the top of the eighth inning as Joe Kelly hit two batters in a row, including one with the bases loaded. Brandon Workman came in and recorded a strikeout to get out of the inning, keeping the game tied.
Xander Bogaerts hit a one out double in the bottom of the eighth inning. Bogaerts stole third base and came around to score when a Blake Swihart popup was dropped by Yangervis Solarte.
Craig Kimbrel retired the side in order in the top of the ninth inning to record his 40th save of the season. Eduardo Rodriguez started the game and allowed only one run on five hits in six innings. Rodriguez didn’t issue a walk and struck out seven.
The Red Sox won 15 of the 19 games against the Blue Jays this season. This was their 15th series sweep of the season. The Red Sox are now 101-46, 10.5 games ahead of the New York Yankees at the top of the American League East with a magic number of six to clinch the division. The Sox also have a magic number of eight to clinch the top seed overall for home field throughout the American League playoffs.
