Red Sox Fire Alex Cora & Coaching Staff (4/25/26)

Just a few hours after the Boston Red Sox smacked the Baltimore Orioles around, the Red Sox front office fired manager Alex Cora, hitting coach Pete Fatse, bench coach Ramon Vazquez, third base coach Kyle Hudson, assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson and hitting strategy coach Joe Cronin. Game planning and run preventing coach Jason Varitek was also "re-assigned" meaning he either takes a job coaching the minors or he's leaving.

                                                                      OUT

So who survived? Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey, 1st base coach Jose Flores and bullpen coach Chris Holt. Who are the new coaches? Worcester Red Sox manager Chad Tracy has been named Interim manager, Worcester Red Sox hitting coach Collin Hetzler will be the new Boston hitting coach. Portland Sea Dogs manager Chad Epperson will be the third base coach and minor league hitting coordinator John Soteropulos is the new assistant hitting coach. A new bench coach hasn't been established yet and who replaces Varitek is also to be determined.

                                                                      IN

So why the major shakeup? It was beyond time. When John Farrell was named manager of the 2013 team, it was the right move to make. It was a veteran team and he knew some of the pitchers as pitching coach of the Red Sox. They were one of the best pitching teams from 2013 to 2017 (especially in 2017) and won it all in 2013. By 2017, the younger players like Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr and Christian Vazquez weren't playing to their full potential so ownership fired Farrell. When Alex Cora took over that team for 2018, he was the right man for the job. He got through to the kids and the 2018 season speaks for itself. But just 4 years later the magic wore off as it was a completely new team and the cracks in the foundation became gaping wide holes.

His managerial decisions such as relying too much on analytics, benching players against matchups, yanking starters too early and stubbornly putting relievers in a position to fail started to be called into question. Every single season after 2021 they came out flat as a pancake and were around .500 by the end of May and that's on him for not having the team ready out of spring training. This season they were terrible fielding wise and one of the worst hitting teams in the league. They were getting utterly dominated by the most mediocre of pitchers and it was clear what they were doing wasn't working. Was it the right move to make to fire Cora and almost his entire staff? We'll know in a few months.

So who's coming in? Chad Tracy has been the manager of the Worcester Red Sox the last five years and it does sound cheap on paper to promote from the minors, but it might be a blessing in disguise. He was the one managing Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, Peyton Tolle, Connelly Early and Kristian Campbell so maybe he can get through to them since it was clear that Alex Cora wasn't. Chad Epperson was also going into his fifth year as manager of the Portland Sea Dogs so having him at third base if and when Franklin Arias or some of the other Sea Dogs finally get here, he'll be familiar with them. Having two coaches with field managing experience is also an upgrade over Ramon Vazquez and Jason Varitek who previously had none. Fans are wondering why Andrew Bailey didn't get the axe too, but that's easily explained. Bailey had no control over roster construction and guess who won a ring with Craig Breslow in 2013?

                                                    Gee, wonder why Bailey wasn't fired

The bottom line was the situation was reaching a boiling point and something had to be done. The roster isn't still what it should be, but also keep in mind 6th man Romy Gonzalez and starting first baseman Triston Casas are still out along with Johan Oviedo, Justin Slaten, Patrick Sandoval and Kutter Crawford. The Sox might get some of them back and start to play better. One thing is for sure, at least it shows ownership hasn't COMPLETELY given up if they at least try to make a change. Whether the Sox can turn it around is up to them now.

Schlittler, Yankees Sweep Sox (4/23/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Eduardo Rivera has been sent down to Worcester after his good effort last night and left handed starting pitcher Peyton Tolle has been called up to make his season debut. With Sonny Gray down, Tolle was the logical choice to take his place.

                                                                            OUT

                                                                       IN

It was bad news all around as the Boston Bruins dropped Game 3 of their first round NHL playoff series to the Buffalo Sabres and the Red Sox were swept out of Fenway by the New York Yankees. For 6 innings the Sox had the Yankees on the run thanks to great pitching by Peyton Tolle, outdueling Cam Schlittler and the Yankees 2-1. Then Danny Coulombe loaded the bases in the top of the seventh but had gotten two outs. As usual Sox manager Alex Cora summoned Greg Weissert to get out of the jam but pinch hitter Cody Bellinger ripped a 2 run single and Aaron Judge got an rbi hit as the boo's rained down at Fenway. The Sox offense failed to respond and the Yankees completed the 3 game sweep with a 4-2 victory at Fenway Park.

                                                               Self explanatory

Tolle got the ball in the top of the first inning and Amed Rosario struck out swinging to start. Aaron Judge struck out swinging and Ben Rice went down hacking to end the inning. Schlittler got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start. Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to short and Masataka Yoshida grounded out to second to end the inning.

Giancarlo Stanton took strike three to start the top of the second and Randal Grichuk went down hacking. Trent Grisham grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as Willson Contreras struck out swinging to start. Wilyer Abreu walked but was thrown out at second trying to steal. Rosario threw a routine grounder away by Trevor Story for an error and Marcelo Mayer made them pay with a double to center to score Trevor. Caleb Durbin grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                        Mayer drives in a run

Jazz Chisholm Jr took strike three to start the top of the third and Jose Caballero grounded out to third. Austin Wells flied out to left to end the inning. Carlos Narvaez struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third but Duran got a base hit to left. Rafaela popped up to second and Yoshida grounded out to first to end the inning.

Rosario got a base hit to center to start the top of the fourth and Judge drew a walk. Rice singled to left to load the bases with nobody out. Stanton struck out swinging, Grichuk flied out to right and Grisham took strike three to end the inning. Tolle pulled the Houdini!

                                                           Tolle is fired up

The Sox failed to capitalize on the momentum in the bottom of the fourth as Contreras struck out swinging to start. Abreu flied out to left and Story popped up to first to end the inning.

The Yankees fought back in the top of the fifth as Chisholm hit a home run into the Charles River to start. Caballero struck out swinging, Wells flied out to left and Rosario also flied out to left to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                              Yankees tie it up

The Sox answered in the bottom of the fifth as Mayer grounded out to first to start. Durbin grounded out to third but Narvaez pounded his first home run of the season to put Boston back on top. Duran grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 2-1.

                                                       First of the season

Tolle returned for one final inning in the top of the sixth as Judge struck out swinging to start. Rice grounded out to second and Stanton struck out swinging to end the inning. Tolle was outstanding, holding the Yankees to 1 run in 6 innings while striking out 11.

                                                         Great effort by Tolle

Rafaela popped up to first to start the bottom of the sixth and Yoshida flied out to center. Contreras also flied out to center to end the inning.

Things fell apart in the top of the seventh when Danny Coulombe was brought in to pitch. Grichuk struck out swinging but Grisham got a base hit to left. Chisholm Jr and Caballero both got base hits to center to load the bases but Wells struck out swinging. Defying all logic, Sox manager Alex Cora brought in Greg Weissert to face pinch hitter Cody Bellinger. Naturally Bellinger got a base hit to left to score both Grisham and Chisholm. Boos rained down at Fenway as Judge got a base hit to right and Abreu booted the ball for an error to score Caballero. Rice was intentionally walked but Stanton struck out swinging to end the inning with the Yankees up 4-2.

                                                     Yankees take the lead

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the seventh with Ryan McMahon in for Grichuk. Abreu got a base hit to center but the fans booed when Story grounded into a double play. Mayer lined out to second to end the inning.

Tyler Samaniego came in to pitch the top of the eighth and McMahon got a base hit to center to begin. Grisham took strike three and Chisholm Jr forced Ryan at second. Caballero doubled to right but Wells grounded out to first to end the inning. Durbin grounded out to short to start the bottom of the eighth and Narvaez struck out swinging. Duran struck out swinging and Fenway booed as Cam Schlittler once again shoved it up the Sox collective asses with 8 strong innings. 

                                                     Walpole's own dominates Fenway

Bellinger flied out to left to start the top of the ninth and for whatever reason Sox manager Alex Cora brought in Ryan Watson to face Judge. Judge took strike three and Rice was also rung up for strike three to end the inning. David Bednar came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Rafaela grounded out to third to start. Yoshida popped up to first and Contreras grounded out to third to end the game. The Yankees had swept the Sox out of Fenway with a 4-2 victory.

                                                              Yankees win

Jackass of The Night is Greg Weissert. Yes, Coulombe loaded the bases but Weissert let all three runs score to put the game out of reach.

                                                          Jackass Weissert

The Good:

Marcelo Mayer was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Carlos Narvaez was 1 for 3 with a home run.

Tyler Samaniego tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Ryan Watson pitched 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 4.

Willson Contreras was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Caleb Durbin was 0 for 3.

Danny Coulombe took the loss by being charged with 3 runs in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Wilyer Abreu was 1 for 2 with a walk but was caught stealing and made an error.

Trevor Story was 0 for 3 but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Can someone be fired now? Its very apparent that this isn't working. People have been screaming all month about how lifeless the Red Sox look and it can't all be just Alex Cora or Craig Breslow's fault. It was a combined effort to freefall like this in less than a month. The Sox scored three runs in three games against the Yankees and its a shame because Peyton Tolle pitched his ass off tonight. He wasn't afraid of the Yankees and that's a good sign moving forward. The only way the Sox are going to win games this season in spite of everything is great starting pitching. Too bad the bullpen, the offense and the manager can't help most of the time. It seems like every move Cora makes totally backfires even if its the right move. Coulombe and Weissert should have been able to get the job done, instead they allow the winning runs to score. Then the Sox bats can't do anything once they fall behind and the season continues to spiral down the drain. This can't keep going on like this because fans aren't going to take it. Either Cora, Breslow or both has to go. Its just a question of who and when. They're not even watchable at this point, especially if they fall behind 2 or 3-0 early. The Sox look to rebound as they hit the road against the other AL East teams. The first stop is in Baltimore tomorrow night. Brayan Bello (1-2) goes one on one with Brandon Young of Baltimore. The game begin at 7:05 PM at Camden Yards.

Fried, Yankees Dominate Sox (4/22/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a peculiar roster move. Jack Anderson was sent back to AAA to make room for.....Portland Sea Dogs reliever Eduardo Rivera. Rivera was JUST promoted to Worcester yesterday and hadn't even pitched yet. He did have impressive numbers in Portland striking out 16 batters in 10 innings while only allowing 1 run. There's a difference in AA hitters and the majors, but may as well try something new. Not like the Sox are gonna score any runs.

                                                                             OUT

                                                                      IN

As for the game, its an epidemic at this point just how bad the Boston Red Sox are. Once they fall behind the game is all but over and they absolutely cannot hit. Whether its on the manager or the players, nothing is working. Tonight the New York Yankees damn near blanked them again with Max Fried doing the honors this time. Fried tossed 8 shutout innings while the Yankees blitzed Ranger Suarez (1-2, 4.00 ERA) for 3 runs in the first inning. The Yankees got another run against Suarez and Alex Cora yanked him in the 5th inning, earning some stern looks in the process. Jarren Duran somehow knocked in a run in the ninth but the Yankees had beaten the Sox 4-1 at Fenway Park.

Suarez got the ball in the top of the first inning and immediately crapped his pants. Paul Goldschmidt grounded out to first to start but Judge walked. Cody Bellinger struck out swinging but Giancarlo Stanton doubled to left. Amed Rosario hit a home run all the way to Jupiter to put the Yankees up for good just 5 batters into the game. Randal Grichuk got a base hit to left and Jazz Chisholm Jr flied out to left to end the inning with the game over already, 3-0 Yankees.

                                                        Game is over

As usual, the Sox did absolutely nothing in the bottom of the first against Fried. Ceddanne Rafaela took strike three right down the middle but somehow Willson Contreras walked. Wilyer Abreu grounded out to first and Trevor Story struck out swinging to end the inning.

Jose Caballero struck out swinging to open the top of the second and Austin Wells hit one up the elevator shaft. Goldschmidt grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the first as Andruw Monasterio walked to start. Jarren Duran doubled and then Caleb Durbin, Connor Wong and Isiah Kiner-Falefa all struck out swinging as Fenway Park booed them off the field.

The Yankees iced the game in the top of the third as Judge got a base hit to left to start. Bellinger lined out to second but Stanton doubled to left. Rosario hit a sac fly to left to score Judge and Grichuk flied out to right to end the inning with the Yankees up 4-0.

                                                             Rosario outscores the Sox

Rafaela flied out to right to start the bottom of the third but Contreras grounded out to short. Abreu got a base hit to left but Story grounded out to short to end the inning.

Chisholm Jr flied out to left to start the top of the fourth and Caballero grounded back to the mound. Wells took strike three to end the inning. Monasterio flied out to left to start the bottom of the fourth but somehow Duran doubled to center. Naturally Durbin grounded out to short and Wong flied out to right to end the inning.

Goldschmidt struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth but Judge walked. Judge stole second then moved to third on the Bellinger grounder to second. Suddenly Alex Cora yanked Suarez after allowing 4 runs in 4 1/3 innings to a chorus of boos. Zack Kelly came in and Stanton popped up to third to end the inning.

                                                         "I sucked tonight" - Suarez

Kiner flied out to right to start the bottom of the fifth and Rafaela struck out swinging. Contreras popped up to second to end the inning.

Ben Rice pinch hit for Rosario and took strike three to begin the top of the sixth before Trent Gresham pinch hit for Grichuk. Grisham took strike three and rookie Eduardo Rivera was called in to make his ML debut against Chisholm. Rivera punched out Chisholm swinging to end the inning.

Ryan McMahon took over for Rice to start the bottom of the sixth and Abreu lined out to third to start. Story struck out swinging and Monasterio grounded out to third to end the inning.

Caballero got a base hit in the hole at short to start the top of the seventh but Wells grounded into a double play. Goldschmidt took strike three to end the inning. Duran was retired on a nubber in front of the plate to start the bottom of the seventh and Durbin grounded out to short. Wong flied out to left to end the inning.

Judge grounded out to short to start the top of the eighth and Bellinger did the same. Stanton completed the trifecta to end the inning. 

Kiner lined out to third to start the bottom of the eighth and Rafaela struck out swinging. Contreras struck out swinging to end the inning as Max Fried tossed an 8 inning shutout, Fenway Park thundered with boos.

Rivera returned for the top of the ninth and McMahon struck out swinging to start. Grisham flied out to right and Chisholm Jr popped up to first to end the inning. Yeoman's effort by Rivera in his ML debut, least there was a silver lining to this horrible night.

                                                                Good work Rivera

Yankees manager Aaron Boone thought so little of the Sox he brought in Brent Headrick to close out the bottom of the ninth. Abreu grounded out to second to start but Story got a lucky base hit to right. Monasterio flied out to second and Story took second on defensive indifference. Somehow Duran got a base hit up the middle to score Story then took second on defensive indifference. Duran took third on a wild pitch but Durbin grounded out to short to end the game. The Yankees had won it 4-1.

                                                                 Yankees win

Jackass of the Night is Ranger Suarez. Not that the Sox bats accomplished much but he put them in a 4-0 hole in the blink of an eye. He lasted just 4 2/3 innings allowing 5 hits and 2 walks.

                                                         Jackass Suarez

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 3 for 4 with an rbi.

Zack Kelly tossed a full scoreless inning.

Eduardo Rivera tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Caleb Durbin was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Connor Wong was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Willson Contreras was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Wilyer Abreu was just 1 for 4.

Trevor Story was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Andrew Monasterio was 0 for 3 but walked.

Final Thoughts:

What else can be said at this point apart from this is flat out embarrassing? The Sox are getting run out of Fenway by the Yankees and fans have reached their breaking point. Ownership doesn't seem to care as long as they got 30,000 asses in the seats and they could belong to Yankee fans for all they care. Its a toxic situation all around. The Sox aren't even putting on competitive at-bats let alone getting any kind of offense going. You can say Fried is one of the best in the game but Luis Gil shut them down and he belongs in Scranton. Something's got to give because Craig Breslow failed in putting a roster together and Alex Cora is failing hard as a manager. They're not playing for him and its clear as day. He can stand in front of the mic and say "we gotta play better" every night but the bottom line is, they're not. If this continues, they'll be 20 games under .500 and Fenway will be empty by June. The Sox can start the turnaround in a big way tomorrow night when Peyton Tolle is called up to make his season debut. In his way is the Sox new nemesis, Walpole's own Cam Schlittler. The game begins at 6:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Gil, Yankees Blank Sox (4/21/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. As expected, Sonny Gray was placed on the 15 Day Injured List with a bad hamstring and the Sox called up relief pitcher Tyler Samaniego to take his place. Don't know why the Sox are adding another reliever instead of calling up a starter like Peyton Tolle or Jake Bennett, but nothing's gone right this season. Why should this?

                                                                      OUT

                                                                      IN

The good news was the Boston Bruins defeated the Buffalo Sabres in Game 2 of their first round NHL playoff series but the bad news was the Boston Celtics lost Game 2 of their first round NBA playoff series to the Philadelphia Sixers and the New York Yankees shut out a lifeless Boston Red Sox team. Luis Gil held the Sox to just 2 measly hits in 6 1/3 innings. Meanwhile Connelly Early (1-1, 2.88 ERA) once again ran out of gas in the sixth inning, leaving trailing 3-0. The Yankees got a run against Jack Anderson as the Sox bats did nothing against the Yankees bullpen. It all added up to a 4-0 win by the Yankees at Fenway Park. How many runs did the Sox get, John Cena?

Early got the ball in the top of the first inning and Amed Rosario grounded out to short to start. Aaron Judge grounded out to short and Ben Rice took strike three to end the inning. Gil got the ball in the bottom of the first and Roman Anthony took strike three to start. Willson Contreras got a base hit to left and moved to second on the Masataka Yoshida grounder to second. Wilyer Abreu popped up to third to end the inning.

The Yankees ended the game in the top of the second when Giancarlo Stanton hit a home run into the Charles River to put the Yankees up for good. Cody Bellinger grounded out to second but Randal Grichuk got a base hit to left. Jazz Chisholm singled to left but Jose Caballero grounded into a double play to end the inning with the game over 1-0 Yankees.

                                                                  Yankees strike first

The Sox rolled over in the bottom of the second as Trevor Story flied out to center to start. Ceddane Rafaela grounded out to short but somehow Marcelo Mayer hit a ground rule double into the left field stands. Naturally Caleb Durbin struck out swinging to end the inning.

Austin Wells lined out to left to start the top of the third and Rosario grounded out to short. Judge grounded out to third to end the inning. Carlos Narvaez lined out to right to start the bottom of the third but somehow Anthony walked. Naturally Contreras flied out to left and Yoshida flied out to center to end the inning.

Rice was hit with a pitch to start the top of the fourth but Stanton struck out swinging. Bellinger grounded into a double play to end the inning. Abreu grounded out to first to start the bottom of the fourth and Story grounded out to third. Rafaela flied out to right to end the inning.

Grichuk grounded out to second to open the top of the fifth and Chisholm struck out swinging. Caballero singled in the hole at short but Wells grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Mayer was plunked to start the bottom of the fifth but naturally Durbin grounded into a double play. Narvaez flied out to center to end the inning.

The Yankees iced it in the top of the sixth as Rosario walked to start. Judge walked but Rice struck out swinging. Stanton doubled to center to clear the bases and Bellinger walked to chase Early. Once again Early ran out of gas being charged with 3 runs in just 5 1/3 innings. Jack Anderson came in and Grichuk got Stanton thrown out at third on a grounder to Durbin.  Chisholm caught the Sox asleep with a bunt single down the third base line to load the bases but Caballero was rung up for strike three to end the inning with the Sox down 3-0.

                                                            Early got no run support.

The Sox rolled over and died in the bottom of the sixth as Anthony lined out to short to start. Contreras popped up to first and Yoshida grounded out to short to end the inning.

Wells flied out to center to start the top of the seventh and Rosario grounded out to third. Judge ripped a base hit to left but Rice took strike three to end the inning. Ryan McMahon came in for Rosario to start the bottom of the seventh and Abreu flied out to center. Somehow Story and Rafaela drew back to back walks to chase Gil after 6 1/3 shutout innings. Brent Headrick came in to face Mayer but Sox manager Alex Cora defied all logic by pinch hitting Andruw Monasterio. Monasterio flied out to right and Durbin took strike three to end the inning.

Stanton flied out to center to start the top of the eighth but Bellinger singled to left. Grichuk doubled to center to score Bellinger to wrap up the scoring. Tyler Samaniego came in to pitch to Chisholm and he hit a bullet to Contreras. Willson doubled off Grichuk at second to end the inning with the Yankees up 4-0.

                                               Grichuk about to join the Sons of Anarchy

Trent Grisham took over for Grichuk for the bottom of the eighth and Narvaez singled to right. Tim Hill came in to pitch to Anthony and Roman grounded out to short to move Carlos to second. Contreras grounded out to third to end the inning.

Caballero struck out swinging to start the top of the ninth but Wells singled to right. McMahon struck out swinging but Judge walked. Rice took strike three to end the inning. David Bednar came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Abreu grounded back to the mound to start. Story grounded out to third but Rafaela beat out a roller to third. Jarren Duran pinch hit for Monasterio and struck out swinging to end the game. The Yankees had won 4-0.

                                                             Yankees win

Jackass of the Night is a tough one because the whole offense took the night off. Still, Caleb Durbin failed with a runner on second, grounded into a double play and took strike three with two men on.

                                                       Rally killing Jackass

The Good:

Ceddanne Rafaela was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Marcelo Mayer singled and was hit with a pitch.

Carlos Narvaez was 1 for 3.

Tyler Samaniego tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 4.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4.

Andruw Monasterio was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Jarren Duran struck out as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Roman Anthony was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Willson Contreras was just 1 for 4.

Trevor Story was 0 for 3 but walked.

Connelly Early was the hard luck loser tossing 5 1/3 innings allowing 3 runs off 5 hits and 3 walks.

Jack Anderson allowed a run in 2 innings.

Final Thoughts:

Its getting ridiculous as this point but there might be some changes coming. Sox owners John Henry and Tom Werner have been spotted at Fenway more times in the last week than they've been in years. They're seeing their failure first hand and maybe they'll make a change. Its clear that GM Craig Breslow failed big time to put a roster together and its clear as day Alex Cora has totally lost it. This isn't the 2018 or 2022 Red Sox, this is a brand new team with younger players that he's not getting the most out of. Luis Gil was considered the easier of the three pitchers the Sox were going to face and they look completely helpless. Gil also induced very few swing and misses so the Sox just kept beating the ball in the dirt. It raises questions on what exactly the coaching staff does game to game if the players consistently get shut down by mediocre pitchers. Not to mention on what planet is it a good idea to pinch hit Mayer for Monasterio. It shows Cora has either zero confidence in the number 4 overall pick or is a slave to analytics. Either way its an extremely bad look and toxic toward Mayer's development. Its an entire organizational failure from top to bottom and maybe hitting rock bottom will make some changes. If the Yankees shut down the Sox the next two games, someone has to go. Cora, Breslow, Pete Fatse, all of them, somebody. The Sox look to buck the trend tomorrow night when Ranger Suarez (1-1, 3.22 ERA) takes on Yankees ace Max Fried. The game begins at 6:45 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Hold Off Tigers on Patriots Day (4/20/26)

That was too close for comfort but the Boston Red Sox won on Patriots Day to salvage their series with the Detroit Tigers, but it came at a price. Sonny Gray lasted just 2 2/3 innings before leaving with a hamstring injury, the same one that's been plaguing him for years now. The leaky Boston bullpen ended up coughing up the lead to put the Tigers ahead 3-2. The Sox fought back to tie it in the sixth and took advantage of a comedy of errors to score three runs in the bottom of the seventh. The Sox added two more runs in the eighth and they needed them. The Tigers scored three runs against Jovani Moran in the top of the ninth but Aroldis Chapman slammed the door. The Sox had held on to win 8-6 at Fenway Park.

                                                         Brock Lesnar approves of the win

Gray got the ball in the top of the first and Kevin McGonigle hit a straight fastball right down the middle into centerfield for a base hit. Gleyber Torres grounded into a double play and Colt Keith flied out to the centerfield warning track to end the inning. Flaherty got the ball in the bottom of the first and Roman Anthony struck out swinging. Willson Contreras lined a base hit off the glove of Hao-Yu Lee but Wilyer Abreu flied out to left but Masataka Yoshida walked. Trevor Story flied out to left to end the inning.

Riley Greene flied out to left to start the top of the second and Dillon Dingler grounded out to third. Kerry Carpenter struck out swinging to end the inning. Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second but Caleb Durbin walked. Marcelo Mayer broke his bat on a bloop single to center to move Durbin to third and Carlos Narvaez dropped down a bunt. Durbin was a dead duck but somehow Flaherty threw the ball away for an error to score Caleb. Anthony walked to load the bases and Contreras hit a liner to center....but Mayer hesitated and had to retreat back to third. Abreu walked to score Durbin but Yoshida grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                                 Sox take the lead

Naturally the Tigers answered as Matt Vierling doubled past the diving Anthony to start the top of the third. Lee grounded out to second by Jake Rogers ripped a base hit to left to score Vierling. McGonigle took strike three but Rogers stole second. Torres walked and suddenly Sonny Gray started clutching his groin and falling to the ground. Gray had to be hauled off on a gurney, loaded into an ambulance and rushed to Mass General's ICU. Danny Coulombe came in to pitch and Keith grounded out to end the inning with the Tigers down 2-1.

                                                          Bye bye Gray

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the third as Story struck out swinging on a pitch nowhere close to start. Duran hit a harmless pop up to left but Durbin doubled off the Monster. Marcelo Mayer popped up to left to end the inning.

Naturally Greene walked to start the top of the fourth but Dingler beat out a double play ball. Carpenter as hit with a pitch and that was it for Coulombe. Zack Kelly came in to pitch and Vierling struck out swinging. Lee ripped a base hit to center to score Dingler to tie the game but Rogers lined out to second to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                                 Lee ties it

Narvaez walked to start the bottom of the fourth and Anthony did the same. Contreras failed to get a bunt down and ended up popping up to second to end Flaherty's day. Brant Hurter came in to face Abreu and all he could do was force Anthony at second. Yoshida popped up to center to end the inning, bad situational baseball.

McGonigle grounded out to first to start the top of the fifth and Torres grounded out to second. Keith also grounded out to first to end the inning. Story struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth and Duran grounded back to the mound. Durbin lined out to short to end the inning.

The Tigers wiped out Jovani Moran in the top of the sixth as Greene walked to start. Dingler walked and Jahmai Jones pinch hit for Carpenter. Jones got a base hit to center to score Greene, putting Detroit up. Greg Weissert replaced the incompetent Moran and Vierling struck out swinging. Lee struck out swinging and Rogers was called out on a borderline strike to end the inning with the Tigers up 3-2.

                                                               Jones puts the Tigers ahead

The Sox answered in the bottom of the sixth as Mayer grounded out to short to start with Wenceel Perez in for Jones. Narvaez doubled off the top of the Monster and promptly stole third. Anthony roped a base hit to center to score Carlos to tie the game. Anthony stole second but Contreras struck out swinging and Abreu lined out to left to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                             Anthony ties it up

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the seventh and McGonigle flied out to left to start. Torres lined out to first and Keith grounded out to short to end the inning. Tyler Holton came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Yoshida ripped a base hit to center. Story walked on four pitches and Isiah Kiner-Falefa pinch hit for Duran. Kiner bunted for strike three and the crowd booed like crazy. Durbin singled in the hole at short and Ceddanne Rafaela pinch hit for Mayer. Rafaela somehow poked a base hit to right. Yoshida and Story scored easily and the throw got away for a moment. Durbin tried for home but Keith gunned him down. Rafaela took third on a wild pitch and scored on when Torres threw wide of first on a grounder to short by Narvaez. Anthony walked to chase Holton. Drew Anderson came in to face Contreras and he flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 6-3.

                                                         Rafaela puts Boston ahead

For whatever reason Ryan Watson came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Greene naturally got a base hit to center. Dingler beat out a double play ball when Kiner threw low to first and Kiner booted a grounder by Perez for an error....but wait! Sox manager Alex Cora challenged that Perez was out at first anyway. The replay showed Perez was out and Vierling flied out to right to end the inning. Abreu struck out swinging to start the bottom of the eighth but Yoshida got a base hit to left. Story doubled to center and Yoshida was almost thrown out at third, but slid back in just in time. Kiner singled to right to score both runners to ice the game. Kiner swiped second but Durbin grounded out to third. Rafaela flied out to a jumping Greene to end the inning with the Sox up 8-3.

                                                       Kiner redeems himself

Watson come in to close out the top of the ninth and naturally Lee doubled off the Monster to start. Rogers grounded out to third but McGonigle doubled off the right field fence. Torres effortlessly got a base hit hit to right to score Lee, move McGonigle to third and chase Watson. Aroldis Chapman had to be brought in to face pinch hitter Spencer Torkelson. Spencer struck out swinging but Greene ate up Rafaela in center for a "double" to score both runners. Dingler grounded out to short to end the game. The Sox had held on to win 8-6.

                                                            Sox win

Hero of The Night is Greg Weissert. The Sox were down 3-2 with runners at the corners and nobody out when Greg struck out 3 straight guys.

                                                           Weissert The Hero

The Good:

Roman Anthony was 1 for 2 with 3 walks with an rbi.

Masataka Yoshida was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Isiah Kiner Falefa was 1 for 2 with 2 rbis and a stolen base.

Caleb Durbin was 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

Marcelo Mayer was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 1 for 2 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Carlos Narvaez was 2 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Zack Kelly tossed 1 2/3 innings.

Garrett Whitlock got the win with a scoreless seventh inning.

Aroldis Chapman earned his fourth save by getting the final two outs of the ninth inning.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Danny Coulombe allowed a run in 2/3 of an inning.

Jovani Moran allowed a run in the sixth inning.

Ryan Watson allowed 3 runs in 1 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Willson Contreras was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and a drove in a run.

Trevor Story was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored 2 runs.

Sonny Gray allowed a run in 2 2/3 innings before leaving with injury.

Final Thoughts:

Too bad about Sonny Gray but that was a good comeback win for the Sox. The Sox bats haven't been clutch pretty much all season but today they were. It didn't help Detroit's defense threw the ball away more often than not. The Sox finally got some big hits with men on base from guys like Kiner, Rafaela and Anthony. Its too bad they can't do that more often. The crisis situation is Gray might be hurt a while and if so, that could mean the return of Peyton Tolle or the debut of Jake Bennett. The Sox season is hanging by a thread and they need to make a statement in the upcoming series against the New York Yankees. If they don't take 2 out of 3 then you may as well just admit this season is a washout. The Sox now remain home for a three game set with the Yankees in their first encounter since their October showdown. Connelly Early (1-0, 2.29 ERA) gets the ball for the Sox against Luis Gil of New York. The game begins at 6:45 PM at Fenway Park.