The Sports Xchange
Jul 19, 2017
BOSTON -- Hanley Ramirez blasted a one-out homer in the 15th inning, giving the Boston Red Sox a 5-4 decision over the Toronto Blue Jays late Tuesday night.
Ramirez, getting his third start of the season at first base, hit the first pitch from Mike Bolsinger (0-3) completely out of Fenway Park for his 15th homer of the season and the third walk-off home run of his career.
Hector Velazquez (2-1) worked four scoreless innings, allowing two hits, after being recalled earlier in the day.
Bolsinger struck out six -- four in one inning -- in 3 1/3 innings of one-run relief.
Both teams scored in the 11th inning. the Jays took the lead on Ryan Goins' sacrifice fly in the top half, and Mookie Betts delivered a two-out RBI single off Roberto Osuna in the bottom half.
That hit snapped Osuna's save streak at 22 straight, three shy of matching Tom Henke's team record. Osuna had struck out two in a row after the Red Sox, who lost a 16-inning game to the New York Yankees on Saturday, placed runners on first and second, but Betts came through.
For the second straight night, Dustin Pedroia tied the game 3-3 with a two-out double in the seventh inning. Then, with first and third and nobody out in the eighth, Toronto's Kevin Pillar hit a hard grounder to a drawn-in Pedroia, and the second baseman tagged Steve Pearce and flipped to first for a double play.
Chris Young and Pedroia hit solo homers (the fifth home run of the year for both) off starter J.A. Happ for the first two Boston runs.
Troy Tulowitzki's second single drove in a run in a three-run fifth inning -- while Justin Smoak and Kendrys Morales also drove in runs in the inning against Boston starter Brian Johnson.
The win raised the Red Sox's extra inning record to 8-2 while the Jays fell to 3-8 in extras.
Johnson stranded five runners in the first two innings. He got help from a fine Andrew Benintendi catch in the first inning, and Johnson had the Blue Jays blanked until the fifth.
Jose Bautista led off the fifth with a double. Russell Martin walked before Smoak doubled home a run with one out and Morales and Tulowitzki followed with RBI singles.
Happ didn't allow a hit until the third inning. Boston had runners at first and third with two outs in that inning before Happ made a behind-the-back blind stab of a Pedroia comebacker to end the third.
After Young's first homer since June 27 in the fourth, Boston's Sandy Leon singled with two outs and center fielder Pillar then made a fine grab of Deven Marrero's drive.
NOTES: SS Xander Bogaerts was scratched from the Boston lineup to have an MRI on his right hand. He appeared briefly in the game as a pinch runner in the 11th inning. He is 4-for-26 (.154) since getting hit July 6. ... The Red Sox recalled LHP Brian Johnson, Tuesday's starter, and RHP Hector Velazquez from Pawtucket and sent 1B Sam Travis and LHP Robby Scott to the Triple-A club. ... Regular Boston DH Hanley Ramirez made his third start of the season at first base. ... Toronto RHP Aaron Sanchez, who has won four straight against the Red Sox dating back to 2015, goes for just his second win of the season when he faces LHP Drew Pomeranz (6-1 in his last seven decisions) Wednesday night. ... Boston DH Chris Young drew his 500th career walk in the second inning.