The Mariners pounced on Wright immediately in the top of the first inning as Dee Gordon started with a base hit. Mitch Haniger whiffed but Denard Span singled. Nelson Cruz crushed a 40,000 foot bomb to put the Mariners up early. Kyle Seager grounded back to the mound but Ryon Healy followed with a 970 foot home run of his own to increase the lead. Mike Zunno grounded out to third to end the inning with the Mariners ahead 4-0 early.
The Sox roared back in the home half of the first against Wade LeBlanc as Mr. Mookie Betts and Andrew Benintendi stroked back to back singles to begin. JD Martinez doubled home Betts and Mitch Moreland scored Benintendi with a hit, advancing Martinez to third. Xander Bogaerts whiffed but Brock "The Hitman" Holt doubled home Martinez. Rafael Devers grounded out to second but Holt moved to third and Moreland scored to tie the game. Christian Vazquez crushed a ground rule double to score Holt to give the Sox the lead before Blake Swihart lined out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-4.
The Mariners responded in the top of the second inning although Guillermo Heredia grounded back to the mound to start. Andrew Romine singled and a passed ball moved him to second before Gordon walked. Haniger singled to left and Martinez fired home to nail Romine.....SAFE! The Sox challenged the tag at home although New York Yankees manag....errrr Head of MLB Operations Joe Torre DEMANDED the call be upheld to tie the game. Span erased Haniger at second with a force but the pain in the ass Cruz singled home Gordon to give the Mariners the lead back. Seager grounded into a force to end the inning with the Mariners ahead 6-5.
The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the second although Mr. Mookie walked to start. Benintendi flied out to left but Martinez doubled. Moreland hit a bullet but right to short and Bogaerts lined out to left to end the inning.
Wright settled down in the top of the third as he struck out Healy to start. Zunino flied out to center before Heredia hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the third as Holt whiffed to start. Devers flied out to left before Vazquez was thrown out at second trying to stretch a single to end the inning.
The Mariners looked to have put the game away against the incompetent Wright in the top of the fourth inning. Romine singled but Gordon flied out to left. Haniger walked and Benintendi dropped a bullet hit by Span for a double to score Romine. Who else but Cruz then launched another 3 run bomb to increase the lead and chase Wright from the game after allowing TEN earned runs in just 3 1/3 innings.
Brian Johnson took over for Wright and blew away Seager before Healy flied out to center to end the inning with the Mariners ahead 10-5.
The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fourth as Swihart popped up to short to start. Mr. Mookie grounded out to third and Benintendi grounded out to first to end the inning.
Johnson got in trouble in the top of the fifth although he struck out Zunino to start. Heredia whiffed but Romine singled. Gordon and Haniger stroked back to back singles to load the bases but Span flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox began their comeback in the bottom of the fifth although Martinez lined out to right to begin. Moreland singled but Bogaerts flied out to right. Holt singled and Devers singled home Moreland to chase LeBlanc. James Pazos came in for LeBlanc and got Vazquez to fly out to right to end the inning but the Sox were now down 10-6.
Once again Cruz singled to open the top of the sixth but Seager popped up to third. Healy banged into a double play to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the sixth although Swihart flied out to center to start. Mr. Mookie popped up to second but Benintendi walked. Nick Vincent was brought into pitch to Martinez and JD greeted him by launching his 23rd home run of the year to cut into the lead. Moreland tripled and Bogaerts singled him home. Bogaerts swiped second but Holt grounded out to short to end the inning but the Sox were down 10-9.
Matt Barnes came in and turned up the heat in the top of the seventh inning. Barnes blew away Zunino before Heredia was frozen for strike three. Romine whiffed to end the inning. The Sox took command against Juan Nicasio in the bottom of the seventh. Devers singled but Vazquez took strike three. Swihart singled and Mr. Mookie walked to load the bases before Benintendi singled in Devers to tie the game. Martinez singled home Swihart and Betts to take the lead and that was it for Nicasio. Nick Rumbelow came in and Moreland was frozen for strike three. All of a sudden Bogaerts keeled over and had to be rushed to Mass General with Eduardo Nunez replacing him. Rumbelow uncorked a wild pitch on a Martinez steal that scored Benintendi. Another wild pitch moved Martinez to third and Nunez singled him home. Holt whiffed to end the inning with the Sox ahead 14-10.
Nunez moved to second with Holt moving to short with Joe Kelly now on the mound. Gordon looked at strike three before Haniger walked. Span banged into a double play to end the inning. Old pal Roenis Elias came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Devers greeted him with a double. Devers was thrown out at third on a ground ball by Vazquez before Swihart flied out to left. A wild pitch moved Vazquez to second but Mr. Mookie flied out to center to end the inning.
Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel took over for the top of the ninth and Cruz popped up to first to start. Seager whiffed and Healy lined out to center to end the game. The Sox had come back to win 14-10.
Hero of the Night is JD Martinez. He was 4 for 5 with 3 runs scored and 5 total rbis including a 2 run home run and a stolen base.
The Good:
Andrew Benintendi was 2 for 4 with a walk, rbi and 3 runs scored.
Mitch Moreland was 3 for 5 with an rbi and 3 runs scored.
Eduardo Nunez singled and scored as a pinch hitter.
Brock Holt was 2 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.
Rafael Devers was 3 for 5 with 2 rbis and a run scored.
Christian Vazquez was 2 for 5 with an rbi.
Brian Johnson tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings.
Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless 7th inning to earn the win.
Joe Kelly pitched a scoreless 8th inning.
Craig Kimbrel pitched a scoreless 9th inning.
The Bad:
Steven Wright lasted just 3 1/3 innings while giving up TEN runs.
The Ugly:
Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4 but walked twice and scored 2 runs.
Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 with an rbi and a stolen base.
Blake Swihart was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.
Final Thoughts:
Now that was a big win considering the circumstances. The Sox were down by 6 runs to one of the better teams in the AL and refused to quit. Everybody on offense contributed at one point and they needed each and every one of them to pull off this comeback. Wright got absolutely hammered but the bullpen shut the door after that. Maybe his knee is acting up again but the story is Bogaerts having to come out of the game. Hopefully he's ok but you never know with him. The New York Yankees lost so the Sox inch closer in the division race as well. The win improved the Sox to 51-26, 1 game behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox are back in action against the Mariners as they send Mike Leake to the mound to counter Eduardo Rodriguez (9-1) at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.
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