September 25, 2019

G158: Red Sox 10, Rangers 3

Red Sox - 032 002 102 - 10 12  0
Rangers - 300 000 000 -  3  7  1
The Red Sox fell behind by three runs after only six Rangers had batted (and Texas also had a runner thrown out at the plate). However, they immediately tied the game and went on to score ten unanswered runs, as Rick Porcello rebounded strongly from his shaky initial inning, allowing only two hits over the next five innings (6-6-3-0-8, 98). Porcello retired his last 11 batters.

Mitch Moreland went 4-for-5, including his 19th home run of the season. Christian Vázquez (#23) and Rafael Devers (#32) also went deep. Vazquez's shot in the third inning was the Red Sox's 239th home run of the season, setting a new franchise record, breaking the mark set by the 2003 club.

Devers's home run was his 87th extra-base hit of the year, passing Ted Williams and setting a new Red Sox record for a player 22 years old or younger. Devers's 32 homers ties him with Tony Conigliaro for the most home runs for the Red Sox in a season before turning 23.

It was the bottom of the order that tied the game in the second. J.D. Martinez singled, but was forced at second by Vázquez. Moreland singled and Gorkys Hernández walked. One run scored on Jackie Bradley's groundout to shortstop and Chris Owings single made it 3-0. In the third, Vázquez homered to center, with Xander Bogaerts aboard. Vázquez left the game in the middle of the third after experiencing tightness in his left hamstring.

Three Texas relievers were each rudely welcomed into the game. Brett Martin began the sixth, as Sandy León reached on an error and Moreland donged to right-center. Devers led off the seventh by blasting Jonathan Hernandez's second pitch over the wall in right-center.

Ian Gibaut started his outing in the ninth by walking Andrew Benintendi. Devers doubled and Benny scored on Bogaerts's fly to center. Then JDM singled in Devers. Gibaut also walked León before fanning Moreland. Texas played it safe, bringing in another pitcher, Taylor Guerrieri, to get the third out and hold the score at 10-3. It mattered not, as Andrew Cashner retired them in order in the last of the ninth.

AL East: The Rays beat the Yankees 4-0, holding the MFY to one lonely hit. New York also struck out 16 times, with Stanton/Judge providing some air conditioning at the Trop, going 0-for-7 with seven strikeouts. In two games against the Rays this week, the Yankees have scored one run in 21 innings, while striking out 29 times. Sounds they are just about in playoff shape ...


Rick Porcello / Kolby Allard
Benintendi, LF
Devers, 3B
Bogaerts, SS
Martinez, DH
Vázquez, C
Moreland, 1B
G. Hernández, RF
Bradley, CF
Owings, 2B
Last night, in Arizona:
Cardinals    - 100 000 000 000 100 000 0 - 2 13  0
Diamondbacks - 000 000 001 000 100 000 1 - 3 13  2
It was the longest game by innings and the second-longest by time (6:53) in Diamondbacks' history (though the longest game by time ever played at Chase Field). The Diamondbacks set franchise records for pitchers used in a game (13) and players used (30).

It was only the second game in major league history that both teams recorded 21+ strikeouts (Cardinals pitchers struck out 23 batters, while Diamondbacks pitchers fanned 25). The 48 combined punchouts tied the major league record, set on May 7, 2017, when seven Yankees struck out 26 batters in a 5-4 win in 18 innings over the Cubs (whose eight pitchers combined for 22 strikeouts).

Ildemaro Vargas became the first player since at least 1920 (when RBIs became official) to drive in a game-tying run in the ninth inning and then record a walk-off RBI in the 19th inning or later. Vargas hit a pinch-hit home run with one out in the bottom of the ninth. Ten innings later, Arizona got two leadoff singles, followed by two strikeouts. Then the Cardinals made the highly-questionable decision to intentionally walk Christian Walker (he was 0-for-4, with three strikeouts and a BBI in the 17th) and pitch to Vargas (who was 3-for-5). Vargas grounded the first pitch into left for a game-winning single.

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