Christian Vazquez hit a two-run homer with one out in the bottom of the 13th inning as the Boston Red Sox walked off with a 6-4 win over the visiting Tampa Bay Rays in Game 3 of their American League Division Series on Sunday.
Vazquez sent the first pitch he saw from Rays reliever Luis Patino (0-1) into seats above the Green Monster in left field after Hunter Renfroe drew a one-out walk. Red Sox pitcher Nick Pivetta (1-0) earned the win after striking out seven over four scoreless innings of relief.
¡°I just gave it my all,¡± Pivetta said. ¡°My energy shows what this means and what this means to our team.¡±
Boston took a 2-1 lead in the series and can close out the best-of-five set in Game 4 on Monday night at Fenway Park. The game coincides with the twice-postponed 125th edition of the Boston Marathon. The Red Sox traditionally host a late-morning game on the day of the marathon.
Tampa Bay nearly took the lead in the top of the 13th after Kevin Kiermaier hit a double that bounced over the wall after it ricocheted off Renfroe in right field. After a review, Kiermaier was awarded a ground-rule double ¡ª holding Yandy Diaz at third base. Diaz would have scored had the ball stayed in play.
Renfroe said he ¡°was actually going for the catch, happened to look up, the wall was right there. ... Thankfully it bounced over the fence.¡±
Kiermaier called the play ¡°a heartbreaker.¡±
¡°I¡¯m still, I¡¯m just in awe right now,¡± he said right after the game. ¡°You know, that¡¯s the ruling. The umpires explained it to me, so I can¡¯t go against that. The rules are what they are. But man, that¡¯s a heartbreaker. I can¡¯t believe that happened or we don¡¯t get the chance to score right there.¡±
Boston¡¯s Enrique Hernandez went 3-for-6 with a single in the first inning, a game-tying single in the third and a solo homer in the fifth, giving him a franchise-record seven hits in as many plate appearances. Hernandez went 5-for-6 with a solo homer and three RBIs in the Red Sox¡¯s 14-6 win Friday in Game 2 at Tampa Bay. He is the first player to record eight hits over a two-game span during a single postseason.
Red Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi allowed two runs over five innings, giving up three hits and a walk while striking out eight to match the playoff career high set in the AL wild-card win over the New York Yankees on Oct. 5.
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