the joy of sox: G62: Red Sox 7, Tigers 1

June 6, 2018

G62: Red Sox 7, Tigers 1

Tigers  - 010 000 000 - 1  7  1
Red Sox - 004 010 11x - 7 12  1

The Red Sox pounced on Blaine Hardy (6-7-5-0-2, 92) in the third inning. They hit three doubles and received two gifts (an error and a HBP) and scored four runs before making an out. Later on, Andrew Benintendi and Christian Vazquez hit home runs to push Fast Eddie Rodriguez (5.2-5-1-1-5, 107) to victory.

The Red Sox are now 43-19. Only one other team in Red Sox history had a better record after 62 games. In 1946, Boston began 44-17-1. (The 1978 team also was 43-19.)

Boston trailed 1-0 when Rafael Devers began the third by reaching on an infield error. Vazquez crushed a double off the Wall and Devers scored. Jackie Bradley was hit by a pitch (he was also hit in the eighth). Benintendi roped a double to the gap in left-center, scoring Vazquez and putting men at second and third. Xander Bogaerts doubled off the Wall in left-center, driving in two runs. Benintendi hit his 10th home run in the fifth.

Rodriguez allowed two hits in the sixth and departed with two outs and men at first and second. Heath Hembree walked Jacoby Jones (who had tripled and singled) on four pitches, loading the bases. (Hembree's second pitch should have been called a strike and ball 4 might have been in the zone, too.) He recovered and got Jose Iglesias to line to first.

Matt Barnes had a lengthy and shaky seventh. He retired the first two Tigers, but Nick Castellanos and Miguel Cabrera both singled. Benintendi was charged with an error on his throw to the infield, allowing Cabrera to take second. Victor Martinez worked an eight-pitch walk. That brought the potential tying run to the plate. James McCann fell behind 1-2 but battled for seven pitches before grounding to Bogaerts, who ran to second for a force.

Vazquez banged his second dong of the season in the eighth, off Louis Coleman's first pitch. Sam Travis knocked in Mitch Moreland in the eighth. Moreland had reached base when his fly into the right field corner clanked off the glove of Castellanos for a two-base error.

Brandon Workman and Bobby Poyner both pitched clean innings to wrap up the game.

In Toronto, the Yankees beat the Blue Jays 3-0 in 13 innings. Boston remains 1 GA.