Red Sox walk off A’s 5-4 in extras for their 11th late win of the season.
The Red Sox did it again. Nick Sogard came off the bench in the 10th inning and chopped a grounder that was just enough to bring home Nate Eaton, giving Boston a 5-4 walk-off win over the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday night — their American League-best 11th walk-off victory this year.
Eaton started the inning on second as the designated runner, moved up on Carlos Narvaez’s sacrifice bunt, and then slid head-first past catcher Shea Langeliers’ tag to score the game-winner.
Chris Murphy (3-0) picked up the win after recording just one out, while Michael Kelly (4-4) was stuck with the loss.
Boston jumped out early behind Masataka Yoshida’s RBI single in the first and Rob Refsnyder’s leadoff homer in the second. Oakland answered right back with a sacrifice fly from Darell Hernaiz, who later tied his career high with three RBIs on the night.
The A’s surged ahead in the fifth when Lawrence Butler drew a bases-loaded walk and Hernaiz laced a two-run single. But the Red Sox clawed back with runs in the fifth and sixth to even it at 4, setting up the extra-innings finish.
Trevor Story added a footnote in the sixth by swiping a base, but his streak of 31 straight successful steals — the longest to start a season in AL history since 1920 — ended when he was caught in the eighth.
Key moment: Boston nearly let things slip away in the fifth. With two outs and two strikes, Hernaiz punched a two-run single off Justin Wilson to give Oakland the lead. The Red Sox loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom half but managed just one run.
Key stat: The Red Sox continue to live dangerously in tight games. They’re 21-26 in one-run contests this year and went just 3-for-17 with runners in scoring position Wednesday. For this homestand, they’re batting .184 (7-for-38) in those spots.
Up next: The series wraps Thursday afternoon with J.T. Ginn (3-6, 4.69 ERA) going for Oakland against Boston’s Brayan Bello (11-7, 3.25).
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