Rodriguez got the ball in the top of the first and Hanser Alberto flied out to left to start. Austin Hays grounded out to second and Trey Mancini took strike three to end the inning. Former Sox prospect Chandler Shepherd got the ball for the O's in the bottom of the first and Mooloe Betts flied out to center to start. Rafael Devers whiffed and Xander Bogaerts grounded out to second to end the inning.
Rodriguez started the top of the second by striking out Renato Nunez swinging to start. Jonathan Villar also went down hacking and Mark Trumbo was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to end the inning. JD Martinez struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the second before Mitch Moreland grounded out to second. Christian Vazquez took strike three to end the inning.
The O's pounded Rodriguez in the top of the third as Steve Wilkerson walked to start. Austin Wynns flied out to center but Richie Martin caught the Sox asleep with a bunt single. Alberto singled to center to score Wilkerson and Hays doubled home Martin. Mancini forced Hays at third but Alberto scored. Nunez grounded out to first to end the inning but the O's were up 3-0.
The Sox rallied for E-Rod in the bottom of the third although Brock "The Hitman" Holt whiffed to start. Gorkys Hernandez motored around for a triple and Jackie Bradley Jr was plunked to put runners at the corners. Mr. Mookie singled home Hernandez to put the Sox on the board. Devers singled to right but Wilkerson booted the ball, allowing JBJ to score and putting Betts at third. A wild pitch moved Devers to second but Betts was thrown out at home on a grounder by Bogaerts. Martinez whiffed again to end the inning but the Sox were down 3-2.
Rodriguez settled down in the top of the fourth as Villar lined out to third to start. Trumbo flied out to center and Wilkerson went down swinging to end the inning. Moreland singled to center to start the bottom of the fourth but Vazquez banged into a double play. Holt struck out swinging to end the inning.
Wynns flied out to center to open the top of the fifth but Martin singled to right. Alberto flied out to left and Hays flied out to center to end the inning. Shepherd was strong for one last inning in the bottom of the fifth and Hernandez lined out to left to start. JBJ flied out to left but Mr. Mookie singled to left. Devers flied out to left to end the inning.
Rodriguez cruised in the top of the sixth as Mancini whiffed to start. Nunez watched strike three go by and Villar grounded out to third to end the inning. Orioles manager Bruce Hyde sent Shepherd back for the bottom of the sixth but that ended quickly when Bogaerts walked to start. Shawn Armstrong came in and Martinez singled to right and a passed ball moved both runners over. Moreland walked to load the bases and Vazquez singled to left to score Bogaerts to tie the game. Hyde brought in Evan Pjillips to pitch to Holt and he got Martinez thrown out at home on a force. Hernandez popped up to second and JBJ whiffed to end the inning. The Sox had the bases loaded and nobody out and could only score one run to tie the game 3-3.
Rodriguez came back for one final inning in the top of the seventh. Trumbo grounded out to second but Wilkerson walked. Wynns went down hacking as did Martin to end the inning. Rodriguez finished 2019 with 7 innings of 3 run ball while striking out 8.
The Sox managed to take the lead for E-Rod in the bottom of the seventh. Mr. Mookie popped up to first but Devers doubled to right and Bogaerts singled him home to put the Sox 6 outs from E-Rod's 20th win. Martinez lined out to short and that was it for Phillips. Paul Fry got Moreland to ground out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-3.
In a microcosm of the season, the one thing the Sox wanted to do in September, they failed to do in the top of the eighth. Matt Barnes came in and got Alberto to hit a routine grounder to short....booted for an error. Hays whiffed but Mancini singled. Nunez popped up to first but Villar singled to right to tie the game and cost E-Rod his 20th win. The boo birds rained down as Barnes hunched over angry at himself. Barnes blew away Trumbo to end the inning but 20 wins went out the window as the game was tied 4-4.
Mychal Givens came in for the bottom of the eighth and Vazquez singled to left. Chris Owings pinch ran for Vazquez and stole second base. Holt singled Owings to third and once again only the Sox could screw this up. Marco Hernandez pinch hit for Gorkys and hit a bullet to Villar who doubled off Owings for the double play. JBJ flied out to right to end the inning, what a waste.
Sox closer Brandon Workman (10-1, 1.88 ERA) came in for the top of the ninth for his last appearance of the season with Sandy Leon now behind the plate. Workman struck out Wilkerson, Wynns and Martin swinging in short order. Great season Workman! With nothing else to play for, the Sox ended the game in the bottom of the ninth with Dillon Tate on the mound. Mr. Mookie walked and Devers singled off the glove of Martin. Betts caught Wilkerson asleep in right by racing around third. The throw was wild, Devers scored and THE RED SOX WIN! The Sox walked it off to end the season with a 5-4 win.
Hero of the Night is Rafael Devers. He was 3 for 5, scored a run and got the winning hit.
The Good:
Mookie Betts was 2 for 4 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.
Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.
Mitch Moreland was 1 for 3 with a walk.
Christian Vazquez was 2 for 4 with an rbi.
Gorkys Hernandez was 1 for 3 with a run scored.
Eduardo Rodriguez tossed 7 innings of 3 run ball while striking out 8.
Brandon Workman earned the win with a scoreless 9th inning.
The Bad:
Marco Hernandez lined into a double play in his only at bat.
Matt Barnes allowed a run in the top of the eighth.
The Ugly:
JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.
Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but was hit with a pitch.
Brock Holt was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.
Honorable Mention:
Chris Owings pinch ran and played second base in the 9th inning.
Sandy Leon caught the final inning.
Final Thoughts:
WE MADE IT! WE MADEEEEE ITTTTTT!!!! The miserable 2019 season is over and the Sox went out in style. This was one of the most depressing seasons ever as the Sox came out flat as a pancake in April, played mediocre in May and June, then fell apart in July. The rotation never got out of the box then lost 3 of them to injury in short order. Chris Sale, David Price and Nathan Eovaldi were all but useless for most of the season, Rick Porcello regressed and E-Rod had to carry the team on his shoulders. Sox general manager Dave Dombrowski sat on his hands most of the season and thankfully got the axe before it could get worse. The Sox go into the off-season with no general manager and could lose Rick Porcello and JD Martinez to free agency. Mookie Betts is going to want to be the highest paid player in history so he may be gone before the end or start of next season. Its too bad because Rafael Devers, Christian Vazquez, Brandon Workman and Eduardo Rodriguez all had breakout seasons and they were wasted due to the lousy pitching. The Sox better get some starting help with Gerrit Cole and Patrick Corbin rumored to be free agents to offset the potential loss of Porcello. The Sox finished 2019 with a record of 84-78, perfectly mediocre. Here's to 2020 and hope to magus its better than this year.
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