It is starting to become a regular thing this season for the Boston Red Sox. And that is come from behind wins. Boston rallied from a 5-1 deficit Friday night, getting a walk-off single from Alex Verdugo for a 6-5 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. It is their 23rd come from behind win so far this season.
Toronto (31-30) took an early 3-0 on an RBI single by Teoscar Hernandez in the first inning, and then RBI singles by Bo Bichette and Hernandez in the second. Bobby Dalbec got Boston on the board with a solo homer into the centerfield bleachers in the bottom of the third. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. extended the Blue Jays lead to four at 5-1 when he unleashed off reliever Hirokazu Sawumara in the sixth for a long two-run homerun deep into the seats above the green monster. The estimated 440 foot shot was his 19th long ball of the season. The Sox rallied right back into the game in the bottom half. Verdugo led off with a double, and then later with two outs would score on a Hunter Renfoe RBI single. Christian Vazquez followed with a single to put runners on first and third. Toronto then went to the bullpen and replaced their starting pitcher Ross Stripling with Tyler Chatwood. Chatwood had big problems finding the strike zone. He hit Christian Arroyo with a pitch to load the bases, and then walked Marwin Gonzalez to score Renfoe. A wild pitch scored Vazquez to cut it to 5-4.
Boston (39-25) tied it with an Arroyo homerun for the second straight night. Arroyo lost one over the monster seats on a 1-0 pitch with one out in the eighth to make it 5-5. The game winning hit was set up on a Toronto error to start the bottom of the ninth. Kike Hernandez reached base when a routine ground ball to the shortstop Bichette was a bad throw, and popped out of the glove of first baseman Rowdy Tellez allowing Hernandez to get to second base. Verdugo won it by taking a 1-2 pitch and hitting off the monster in left to allow pinch runner Danny Santana to come home easily and end the game.
Garrett Richards got a no decision allowing four runs on 11 hits with two walks and three strikeouts in 5.1 innings. The bullpen of Sawumara, Brandon Workman, Josh Taylor, and Garrett Whitlock combined to allow just one earned run over the final 4.2 innings. Whitlock (2-1) got credit for the win. Verdugo had three hits to spark the offense. Stripling also got a no decision in the Toronto loss allowing four runs on five hits in 5.2 innings. Carl Edwards Jr. was charged with a blown save, while Rafael Dolis (1-2) took the loss. Guerrero Jr. and Randal Grichuk each had three hits, while Hernandez, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and Marcus Semien had two hits a piece as they outhit Boston 16-8. Game two of the four game series is Saturday at 4:10 p.m. The Sox send RHP Nick Pivetta (6-1, 3.78 ERA) to the hill, to be opposed by LHP Steven Matz (6-3, 4.50) for the Jays.
