This baseball game had a lot of things that most baseball games don’t have. Here’s a list of those things.
1. A No-Hit Bid
Sonny Gray took a no-hitter into the eighth inning. He had everything working for him. His fastball and cutter each held strike rates over 80%, while his sweeper and curveball returned four whiffs apiece. He threw first-pitch strikes to 20 of 24 hitters, and lived on the edges once he was ahead. He clearly tired as the game went on due to a few too many deep counts, but the start was fantastic
nonetheless.
The last three Red Sox starters have taken no-hitters into the fifth inning or later. While that’s obviously an outlier, it’s what the front office had in mind when putting this team together. That style of baseball is largely unsustainable over 162 games, but it sure is fun to watch when it’s working.
2. Caleb Durbin remaining hot
In the fourth inning, Caleb Durbin singled in two runs. Coming into tonight, he had a 0.963 OPS with 10 RBIs in June. Tonight, he was 1-4 with two more RBIs, a run scored, and two stolen bases. It took him a while, but he’s starting to look like the player Red Sox fans thought they were getting from Milwaukee.
3. A pair of Yankees fans got engaged in the stadium
Whose terrible idea was that? Which one of them wanted to get engaged at Fenway Park? What a terrible idea.
4. Tyron Guerrero in a high-leverage spot
It was Guerrero, not Garrett Whitlock or Justin Slaten, who came in to relieve Sonny Gray after the no-hit bid was broken up. He pitched to two hitters, getting a groundout and a flyout to keep the score at 2-0. Whitlock pitched four times this week, and they likely wanted to stay away from him, but it’s still notable that Guerrero was the trusted arm in that spot.
5. An Enthusiastic Umpire
I don’t have any video evidence, but the umpire was very excited about ABS reviews. He really seemed to enjoy announcing the result of the review to the stadium. I love people who love their job.
6. An absolute meltdown by Wilyer Abreu
In the ninth inning, with a runner on first and second, Ben Rice flew out to deep right field. For some reason, Abreu attempted to throw the runner out who was trying to advance to third with a two-run lead. The throw got away from everyone, the runner scored, and the runner on first advanced all the way to third. The next hitter hit a ground ball that was able to score the runner and tie the game.
In the tenth inning, Abreu dropped a fly ball that would have been a double play had he caught it. His throw also got away, allowing the hitter to advance to second and later score. Just a nightmare of a game in right by Abreu.
7. Roger Clemens made an explicit joke
Roger Clemens also joked about being aroused by Sonny Gray’s mechanics in response to a question about the pitch clock, which was weird. In general, the booth had very little chemistry. I guess that’s what happens when you never work together.
8. Tsung-Che Cheng Recording An RBI
Recording an RBI is a game that most baseball games include. It’s on this list because the guy who recorded it only has one career RBI. This one also happened to come in the tenth inning to tie the game.
9. A RED SOX WALK-OFF WIN
A day after getting into another altercation with a fan yesterday. He was testy with the media after the game, denying that anything had happened. I’m not sure specifically what happened, but it was definitely something. He came off the bench on Sunday and came to the plate with the winning run on third.
Personally, I think it’s kinda bullshit that he gets to pump his chest and answer all the questions after a walk-off hit just one day after clamming up and not answering any questions. Nobody cares what I think about media etiquette, though, so I’ll just sit happily with this win.
That’s the Red Sox’s longest winning streak of the season, and it brings them back to ten games under 0.500. I don’t want to believe in this team, but it’s kind of hard not to, given the strength (or lack thereof) of the American League. The smart move is to sell off pieces at the deadline. The fun move is to try to make the playoffs and pitch teams to death when you get there. Before you jump on me, I know we’re less than a week removed from losing a series to the Colorado Rockies. This team is not going anywhere. But what if they do…
The Washington Nationals come to town tomorrow. Let’s keep it rolling.
