BOSTON- Christian Vazquez hit a game winning two-run homerun in the bottom of the 13th inning Sunday evening, giving the Boston Red Sox a 6-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 3 of the American League Division Series at Fenway Park. Boston now leads the best of five series 2-1.
Tampa Bay, who allowed 20 hits in a 14-6 loss in Game 2, got off to a good start against Nathan Eovaldi. With one out in the top of the first Wander Franco singled to right field, and then Austin Meadows took the first pitch he saw onto the roof of the Rays bullpen in right for a 2-0 lead. It didn’t take long for Boston to answer back, as leadoff hitter Kyle Schwarber hit a long towering flyball to left that found the first row of the monster seats to quickly slice the margin in half. A two run third inning gave the Red Sox the lead. Christian Arroyo and Schwarber led it off with singles, and Kike Hernandez continued his hot hitting with a single to center to score Arroyo and end the day for Tampa Bay starter Drew Rasmussen. Rafael Devers greeted reliever Josh Fleming with another single to center to score Schwarber to make it 3-2 Boston.
Hernandez did it again in the fifth to extend the advantage to a pair, taking Pete Fairbanks deep over the monster seats on a 2-1 pitch at an estimated 424 feet for a leadoff solo homer. That 4-2 lead held until the eighth, and that is when the Rays rallied against Hansel Robles. Wander Franco went opposite field for a leadoff solo homerun, and then Meadows doubled. Robles nearly got out of it retiring the next two hitters, but Randy Arozarena tied things 4-4 with an RBI double. As the game moved into extra innings, Nick Pivetta was sensational in keeping it tied. The right hander entered in the 10th and didn’t allow a run and only walked one while striking out seven. He ran into some trouble in the top of the 13th. With Yandy Diaz at first and two outs, Kevin Kiermaier hit a long fly ball to right that hit the base of the wall and deflected off Red Sox outfielder Hunter Renfroe and bounced into the Boston bullpen. After a review, it was ruled a ground rule double as Renfroe never had control of the baseball instead putting Kiermaier at second and Diaz at third. Pivetta then struck out Mike Zunino to end that threat. Against Luis Patino in the bottom half, Renfroe walked with one out and then Vazquez sent the home fans into delirium taking the first offering into the front row of the monster seats to win the game and move the Sox within one win of reaching the ALCS.
Pivetta (1-0) worked a total of 4.0 innings giving up three hits to earn the win. Other than the rough outing by Robles, the combination of Josh Taylor, Ryan Brasier, Austin Davis, Garrett Whitlock, and Pivetta didn’t allow a run in 7.1 innings of relief and had 12 strikeouts. Eovaldi went the first 5.0 in his no decision allowing two runs on three hits with one walk and eight strikeouts. Schwarber, Hernandez, and Arroyo had three hits each. Hernandez is now 8 for his last 12 at the plate, and had a hit in seven straight trips to the dish until he lined out to begin the seventh. The homerun by Vazquez, who had just eight in the regular season, was his first since September 1 also against the Rays. Tampa Bay used nine guys out their pen with Patino (0-1) getting tagged with the loss. Rasmussen was charged with three runs on six hits in just 2.0 innings. Franco and Meadows had two hits each. Franco became the youngest player to hit a postseason homerun since Bryce Harper did so in the 2012 NLDS. The Rays, who had the best record in the American League in the regular season and are the defending A.L. Champions, are now in a must win Game 4 on Monday night in Boston. Tampa Bay will likely go with a mixture of guys from the bullpen and hasn’t officially announced a starter for Game 4 that is scheduled for 7:07 p.m., while Boston is going with lefty Eduardo Rodriguez (0-1 in postseason, 10.80 ERA).
Images from Game 3 of the American League Division Series between the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park on Sunday, October 10, 2021. Boston won 6-4 in 13 innings and now leads the best of five series 2-1. Photos by Chris Lessner
