Fenway Park held its breath as Tyler O’Neill’s line drive shot toward shallow left field with the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position.
Tsung-Che Cheng moved quickly from shortstop, stretched to his right and pulled the ball out of the air. The catch sealed a 6-5 victory over the Baltimore Orioles and sent 37,659 fans into another celebration.
Boston has now won 14 consecutive games. One more would match the franchise record set by the 1946 Red Sox.
Caleb Durbin put the Red Sox in that position with a two-out home run over the Green Monster in the eighth inning. His swing broke a 5-5 tie and finished a game that changed direction throughout the night.
The streak has transformed Boston’s season. After opening 32-46, the Red Sox have won 19 of their past 21 games and climbed to 51-48. A summer that once appeared lost now has the club chasing both a postseason place and a piece of franchise history.
Durbin delivers after three empty at bats
Durbin stepped in against Tyler Wells with two outs and nobody on in the eighth. He had gone 0-for-3, but the previous failures did not follow him into the box.
Wells fell behind 1-0 and returned with a cutter. Durbin stayed back, lifted it high toward left field and watched it clear the Green Monster for his 10th home run of the season.
The sound inside Fenway changed instantly. Players jumped against the dugout railing as Durbin began his trip around the bases. Willson Contreras was among the teammates who spilled onto the field to greet him.
Durbin later admitted that the moment became a blur. He could not clearly remember what he looked like while circling the bases. That reaction fit the scene better than any polished celebration could have. Boston had spent the night falling behind, answering and refusing to let Baltimore pull away.
Asked after the game whether he wanted Boston to match the club record, Durbin made his ambition clear. “We haven’t really talked about it, but shoot yeah, I want to make history here,” he said.
His blast was another example of Boston’s growing next-man-up identity. Two days earlier, Wilyer Abreu hit a two-out, two-run homer in the seventh inning of a 7-6 comeback win over Tampa Bay. This time, Durbin took the decisive at-bat.
Orioles give Boston too many openings
Baltimore entered Fenway with a seven-game winning streak and enough offense to challenge Boston throughout the night. The Orioles also brought a defense that repeatedly failed them.
Their problems started in the third inning. Jeremiah Jackson fielded Ceddanne Rafaela’s ground ball but threw wildly to first, extending the inning.
Abreu followed with a double into left-center. Gunnar Henderson took the cutoff and fired toward home, but his throw sailed away from the plate. Rafaela scored, and Abreu moved to third before Contreras brought him home with an infield single.
Baltimore recovered at the plate. Christian Encarnacion-Strand homered in the fifth, then drove in another run during a two-run sixth that gave the Orioles a 4-3 lead.
That advantage lasted only a few minutes.
Shane Baz fielded Abreu’s slow roller in the bottom of the sixth and threw the ball past first base. Abreu reached second on the error and scored when Contreras drove a double into the gap.
The Orioles moved ahead again in the seventh on O’Neill’s groundout. Boston answered once more when Rafaela singled to left. Taylor Ward’s throw home missed its target as Cheng scored and Rafaela advanced.
Baltimore finished with four errors. Boston kept putting the ball in play and forced the Orioles to complete routine actions under pressure. Too often, they could not.
Cheng saves the streak in the ninth
Durbin’s home run gave Boston the lead, but it did not remove the danger.
Aroldis Chapman walked Colton Cowser to begin the ninth. With two outs, Henderson drove his third double of the game off the Green Monster, placing runners on second and third.
O’Neill came to the plate with a chance to end Boston’s streak against his former club. He made firm contact and sent a liner toward an open patch of grass on the left side.
Cheng closed the space before the ball could drop.
The shortstop’s running catch ended the game and gave Chapman his 22nd save. Garrett Whitlock earned the victory after working a scoreless eighth inning. Boston had surrendered three separate leads, but its bullpen kept every deficit within one run and gave the offense time to respond.
One more win would match the 1946 Red Sox
The 1946 Red Sox won 15 consecutive games on their way to the American League pennant. Eighty years later, that record is finally under direct threat.
Boston’s current streak is already the longest in the majors this season and the second longest in franchise history. The Red Sox have won close games, completed large comebacks and received decisive contributions from different parts of the roster.
Monday’s victory contained all of those qualities. Contreras finished with three hits. Abreu kept pressure on Baltimore’s defense. Whitlock steadied the game, Durbin changed it and Cheng protected it.
This was not a clean win. Boston fell behind three times and needed one final defensive play with two runners in scoring position.
During a 14-game streak, however, style matters less than execution. The Red Sox made the last big swing and the last difficult play. Now only one victory separates them from the 1946 club.
READ MORE: Red Sox cap perfect nine game road trip with thrilling comeback to ignite playoff hopes
FAQS
Q1. How many consecutive games have the Red Sox won?
Boston has won 14 straight games. The streak is the longest in MLB this season and the second longest in Red Sox history.
Q2. What did Caleb Durbin do against the Orioles?
Durbin hit a two-out, go-ahead home run in the eighth inning. It was his 10th homer of the season and gave Boston a 6-5 lead.
Q3. What is the Red Sox franchise record for consecutive wins?
The record is 15 straight victories, set by the 1946 Red Sox during their American League pennant season.
Q4. Who made the final catch for the Red Sox?
Tsung-Che Cheng caught Tyler O’Neill’s ninth-inning line drive. The play stranded runners on second and third and preserved Boston’s win.
Q5. What was Boston’s record after beating Baltimore?
The Red Sox improved to 51-48 after starting the season 32-46. They had won 19 of their previous 21 games.
I live for the roar of the crowd, the rush of a new city, and the kind of moments that turn into lifelong memories. Sports keep me energized, travel keeps me grounded, and every journey gives me a fresh story to tell.
