The Boston Red Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 6-2 on Monday, Aug. 7, at Fenway Park. This was the opener of a four-game series against the last-place Royals. After the Red Sox got swept over the weekend and lost three games in the wild card, they need to take advantage of this weak opponent. Tonight, the Red Sox got a great performance out of starter Brayan Bello and got a career game out of shortstop Pablo Reyes. The Red Sox won tonight in walk-off fashion after a controversial check swing call that went the Red Sox way. With tonight’s win, they have overtaken the Yankees for fourth place in the AL East but still stand five games out of the wildcard.
Tonight, both starting pitchers excelled. Both ended up going 6 2/3 innings. The Royals’ starter, Cole Ragans, allowed one earned run and one unearned run, while Bello allowed two runs. However, it was Ragans who allowed the first run of the ballgame, in the third inning. After Reyes singled to begin the inning, he would then steal second and advance to third on the throwing error from catcher Freddy Fermín. Center fielder Rob Refsnyder would take a walk before left fielder Masataka Yoshida scored Reyes on a sacrifice fly. The Red Sox would double their lead in the fifth when after a one-out double by Reyes, catcher Connor Wong doubled him in.
Meanwhile, Bello was escaping jams left and right. In the first inning, he gave up a walk and a single before getting first baseman Matt Beaty to ground out and end the inning. In the fourth inning, he faced runners at first and second after an error and a single. He struck out Beaty and got Fermin to ground into a double play. Bello would get another massive twin killer one inning later. After right fielder Drew Waters doubled to start the frame, he stole third and, after review, was called safe. Left fielder Dairon Blanco would walk, putting runners at the corners with nobody out. Bello got center fielder Kyle Isbel to pop out to Wong before inducing third baseman Maikel Garcia into a double play to end the inning.
The Royals would tie it up in the seventh inning on an incredible two-out rally. With Bello one strike away from ending the inning and completing a seven-inning shutout, Isbel would hit a hustle double into right field. This would cause manager Alex Cora to take out Bello and go to the reliever, Josh Wincoski. However, Wincoski did not succeed in stranding the runner at second. The first batter he faced would single home Isbel and put the Royals on the board. The next batter, shortstop Bobby Whit Jr., would double home Garcia and tie the game 2-2. Fortunately for the Red Sox, the scoring for the Royals would end there, but not before they shocked the Fenway crowd and made this game a lot tighter.
The Red Sox would keep the Royals scoreless in the eighth and ninth innings, thanks to scoreless outings from relievers Chris Martin and Kenley Jansen. This game became a must-win. Not only was it against a weak opponent, but the Sox had used up all their high-leverage relievers. If you were to ask Alex Cora, he would tell you that the Red Sox cannot afford to lose a game in which Bello, Wincoski, Martin, and Jansen all pitch.
The Sox had a chance to win it in the bottom of the ninth, with the game still tied at two. Designated hitter (DH) Justin Turner led off the inning by flying out to the right fielder. With one out, third baseman Rafael Devers ripped one down into the corner in right, which bounced over the wall for a double. The right fielder, Adam Duvall, then struck out for the second out of the inning. The Royals intentionally walked Triston Casas to put runners on first and second for Luis Urias. On a full-count pitch, he checked his swing on ball four to load the bases. Royals manager Matt Quatraro was so upset at the check swing call that he was ejected. After looking at the replay, it looked like the first base umpire got it wrong, and Urias did, in fact swing. However, that is not a reviewable play, and the Red Sox had the bases loaded for Pablo Reyes. Reyes took the first pitch for a ball from reliever Carlos Hernandez before launching the next pitch for a grand slam to end the ballgame. The ball hit the left-field foul pole, sending Fenway into a frenzy on the first home run of the season for Reyes, and perhaps the most memorable moment of 2023 for the Red Sox.
After last night, the Red Sox became 7-0 this season and 22-4 all-time when they wear their yellow city connect uniforms. When Cora was asked if they would wear these same uniforms tomorrow night, he said, “We ain’t changing.” Tomorrow will also see the return of shortstop Trevor Story. Story will make his season debut after having elbow surgery in January. Kutter Crawford will start for the Sox, coming off a five-inning scoreless performance against the Mariners. The Royals will start Brady Singer, who is 7-8 with a 5.10 earned run average (ERA). The Red Sox will try to make it two straight wins with a victory in game two of this four-game series against the Royals.
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