One swing, four runs, game over
Cade Gibson threw a sweeper. Jarren Duran hit it 412 feet at 105 mph and the Boston Red Sox walked out of Tuesday night with a 7-3 win over the Miami Marlins in 11 innings.
The setup mattered as much as the swing. Willson Contreras led off the 11th with a single that pushed automatic runner Wilyer Abreu from second to third. Two more men reached. Duran came up with the bases loaded and did not wait around.
It was the second grand slam of his career, and the first to decide a game this late.
Try it for $0.99.
Gasper picked a good night for a first
Before the 11th, this was Mickey Gasper’s game. He homered twice, the first two-homer game of his career, and kept Boston level when the offence had little else working.
The two clubs traded runs into a 3-3 deadlock that survived nine innings and a scoreless tenth. Boston had chances and wasted them. Miami stayed close enough to believe the night was theirs to steal.
Then Gibson caught too much of the plate.
Five in a row, nine in twelve
Boston have now won five straight and nine of their last 12. That run has arrived at the point of the season where it counts, with the Red Sox pushing in a crowded American League picture rather than drifting.
Duran’s swing in the 11th was the version of him Boston have been waiting on. Gibson took the loss and fell to 2-1.
Miami leave with a game they were an inning away from extending. They have spent August competing hard in exactly these situations and collecting very little for it.
The series continues Wednesday. Miami will want a different ending.
Discover the rest of our MLB news on MathODDS!
in your pocket.
Real-time notifications & alerts
Leave a Reply