Rafael Devers hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning Monday night, as the Boston Red Sox got past the Toronto Blue Jays 2-1 at Fenway Park to take a split of the four game series.
Boston (40-27) got a great start from Nathan Eovaldi, after the pitching staff had been lit up for 13 homeruns by Toronto over the last two games. The Sox took a 1-0 lead when Alex Verdugo doubled off the green monster in left in the third to score Kike Hernandez from first base. That lead held until the ninth inning, when Matt Barnes came on to try to pick up the save. Barnes struck out both Marcus Semien and Bo Bichette, but MLB homerun leader Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hammered one deep over the monster on a 1-0 pitch for his 22nd long ball of the season to tie it 1-1. In the bottom half, Verdugo and JD Martinez led off with singles. Xander Bogaerts then was retired on a flyout to left. Devers provided the dramatics when he took a 2-1 offering off the wall in left center to score Verdugo easily to end it.
Eovaldi got a no decision but was in control all night going 6.2 innings allowing no runs on three hits with one walk and four strikeouts. Josh Taylor also came up big out of the bullpen striking out three in 1.1 innings with his eighth hold of the year. Barnes (3-1) was credited with the win despite the blown save. Verdugo, Devers, and Marwin Gonzalez had two hits a piece. Alek Manoah started for Toronto (33-31) and allowing one run on four hits in 6.0 innings. Rafael Dolis (1-3) took the loss allowing the run in the ninth. Guerrero Jr. had two hits and is now batting .346 so far on the season. He also becomes the second opposing player ever to homer in each game of a four game series at Fenway Park, with the only other being Johnny Grubb for the Cleveland Indians in 1978. Boston is the fifth team to reach 40 wins on the 2021 campaign. The Red Sox begin a short two game series in Atlanta with the Braves on Tuesday night at 7:20 p.m. LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (5-4, 6.03 ERA) will toe the rubber for the BoSox, to be opposed by LHP Tucker Davidson (0-0, 1.53) for the Braves.
