Down two runs in the ninth inning at Citi Field, the Boston Red Sox were three outs from ending a perfect road trip with their first loss in nearly two weeks. Francisco Lindor then mishandled a potential game-ending double-play ball, and Boston turned one opening into a full escape.
Ceddanne Rafaela started the inning with a single. Lindor’s error kept Romy Gonzalez aboard before Caleb Durbin walked to load the bases. Andruw Monasterio drew another walk to force home Boston’s first run. Jarren Duran followed by dropping a game-tying single in front of a diving Carson Benge in right field.
The Red Sox completed the comeback in the 10th. Connor Wong bunted automatic runner Masataka Yoshida to third, setting up Anthony Seigler’s go-ahead sacrifice fly. Garrett Whitlock retired the Mets in order to close a 3-2 victory, finish a 9-0 road trip and move Boston within a half-game of the final American League wild-card spot.
Boston makes Lindor’s error hurt
Mets rookie Zach Thornton controlled the game for seven innings, allowing two hits while striking out five. Francisco Lindor supplied the offense with an RBI double in the first and a solo home run in the sixth. Luke Weaver then worked a clean eighth, sending New York into the ninth with a 2-0 lead.
Rafaela changed the mood with a leadoff single against Devin Williams. After Wilyer Abreu popped out, Gonzalez hit a hard ground ball toward shortstop. Lindor had a chance to start the double play that would have ended the afternoon. Instead, the ball skipped away and both runners reached safely.
Boston still had to punish the mistake. Durbin worked a walk without chasing Williams outside the zone. Monasterio did the same, taking ball four with the bases loaded. Duran then reached for an 0-1 pitch and sent it into shallow right, where Benge came up just short on a diving attempt.
It was not pretty, but it did not need to be. Boston kept the inning moving, refused to give away at-bats and forced the Mets to record every out. That patient, station-to-station sequence has become part of the blueprint for the club’s sudden revival.
The 10th inning was cleaner. Wong placed his bunt exactly where it needed to go, moving Yoshida to third. Seigler needed only three pitches to lift a fly ball deep enough to score the deciding run against Brooks Raley. Aroldis Chapman earned the win before Whitlock secured his second save with a perfect bottom half.
Seigler summed up the belief behind the comeback after delivering the decisive run.
“You can never count us out, whether that be in a playoff run or in a game.”
A travel nightmare becomes part of the story
Sweeping the final leg required more than clutch hitting. The Red Sox first had to survive a trip from Chicago that stretched across almost 24 hours.
The Associated Press reported that Boston’s charter plane suffered two separate mechanical problems after Thursday’s 2-1 win over the White Sox. One issue forced the players to leave the aircraft and return to their hotel. A second delay Friday left them sitting on the plane for several more hours before they could finally depart.
Boston did not land at LaGuardia Airport until after 4 p.m. Friday. Team personnel reached Citi Field fewer than three hours before the scheduled first pitch, while the equipment arrived even later. First pitch was pushed back from 7:15 to 7:51 p.m.
The Red Sox refused to let the disruption break their rhythm. They won the opener 6-2 behind six strong innings from Sonny Gray, three hits from Wilyer Abreu and a two-run homer from Seigler. Five pitchers then combined for a three-hit shutout Saturday as Boston won 4-0.
By the weekend, players were wearing shirts joking about their improvised travel schedule. Whitlock later said the ordeal would remain a fun team story, a sign that the group had converted a miserable journey into another source of momentum rather than an excuse.
The perfect trip changes Boston’s season
MLB’s official Red Sox coverage traced the franchise’s only previous perfect road trip of at least nine games to July 29 through Aug. 7, 1977. That team swept the California Angels, won twice in Seattle and took four games in Oakland.
This version of the Red Sox swept the Los Angeles Angels and Chicago White Sox before taking all three games from the Mets. Boston outscored New York 13-4 and completed its first 9-0 trip in 49 years.
The streak did more than create a historical footnote. Boston has won 14 of its past 16 games and 17 of 22, climbing from last place in the American League to the edge of the postseason field. Those nine consecutive victories represent the club’s longest winning streak since a 10-game run in July 2025.
Zoom out from Sunday’s extra-inning escape, and the turnaround is even sharper. The Associated Press reported that Boston’s pitching staff produced a 2.53 ERA during its latest 16-game surge. Its offense averaged 4.9 runs per game over that stretch after managing only 3.9 through the first 78 contests.
Interim manager Chad Tracy inherited a team that had already fired Alex Cora following a 10-17 start. Boston remained uneven through much of May and June, including a 10-19 stretch that carried into late June. The Red Sox have since gone 14-2, finding steadier pitching and enough offense to turn close games in their favor.
Fenway is the test that matters next
Now the Red Sox must bring that road-warrior mentality home.
Boston entered the All-Star break with a major league-worst 17-27 record at Fenway Park. The contrast is difficult to ignore. A club that just handled three cities, two aircraft problems and a ninth-inning deficit has repeatedly failed to control games in its own ballpark.
One fan captured the concern in five words: “Now please win at home.”
The schedule will provide an immediate answer. Boston opens the second half Friday against the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays. That series will test whether the nine-game streak was a brilliant burst or the beginning of a lasting change.
The Red Sox do not need another perfect stretch. They need the same patient at-bats, clean pitching and situational execution at Fenway. Stringing together ninth-inning walks and well-placed sacrifice bunts has pulled them back into the race.
A team that appeared buried only three weeks ago now has a clear path toward October. The next challenge is proving that this version of Boston can travel home.
READ MORE: Aaron Judge’s injury opened the door, but Ceddanne Rafaela kicked it down
FAQS
Q1. How many games did the Red Sox win on their road trip?
Boston went 9-0, sweeping the Angels, White Sox and Mets across three cities.
Q2. When was Boston’s previous perfect nine-game road trip?
The Red Sox last completed a perfect road trip of at least nine games in 1977.
Q3. How did the Red Sox beat the Mets in the series finale?
Boston scored twice in the ninth inning and won 3-2 on Anthony Seigler’s sacrifice fly in the 10th.
Q4. Where are the Red Sox in the wild-card race?
Boston entered the break half a game behind the final American League wild-card position.
Q5. Who do the Red Sox play after the All-Star break?
Boston begins the second half at Fenway Park against the Tampa Bay Rays.
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.
