BOSTON (AP) — Pinch-runner David Hamilton dashed home when Toronto’s infield, drawn close, couldn’t handle Trevor Story’s gentle grounder to second base, allowing the Boston Red Sox to claim a 4-3 win over the Blue Jays in 10 innings on Thursday, thus preventing a four-game sweep. Boston rallied from a 2-1 deficit in the eighth inning and trailed again following George Springer’s sacrifice fly in the 10th.
Jarren Duran initiated the bottom half with a single, bringing in the automatic runner. After Duran was caught stealing, the Red Sox filled the bases with Rafael Devers’ single and two hit batters. With one out and the infield playing in, Story’s ball off the bat’s end moved toward second baseman Andrés Giménez, who couldn’t field it cleanly enough to throw home.
He managed to recover and secure a meaningless out at first after Hamilton slid head-first across home plate, averting what might have been Toronto’s third error of the game. Brennan Bernardino (1-0) earned the victory after a hitless 10th inning. Nick Sandlin (0-2) allowed two runs—one of which was unearned—along with two hits and two hit batters in two-thirds of an inning. Tyler Heineman collected three hits for Toronto.
Key moment: The Red Sox tied it at 2-2 in the eighth without a single hit. Third baseman Will Wagner mishandled Rob Refsnyder’s ground ball at the inning’s outset, and Duran drew a walk. Brendon Little struck out Devers on a full count, then Yimi García induced Alex Bregman to hit to third, narrowly avoiding a double play at first.
Garcia subsequently threw a wild pitch, letting Refsnyder score. (The Blue Jays requested a review, suspecting the pitch hit batter Triston Casas, but it hadn’t.) Notable statistic: With two additional errors, the Red Sox now total 14 this season—the most in the major leagues. They have allowed six unearned runs over their last four games.
Next up: Toronto will send right-hander Bowden Francis (1-1) to the mound on Friday in Baltimore against right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano (1-1). The Red Sox are heading to Chicago, where left-hander Sean Newcomb (0-1) will face right-hander Davis Martin in the series opener against the White Sox.
