Tyler O’Neill hit two of Boston’s four home runs, and fellow Canadian Nick Pivetta pitched seven innings as the Red Sox defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 7-3 on Monday night. This victory marked Boston’s sixth win in their last eight games.
Just a day after setting a team record with nine stolen bases, the Red Sox relied on their power hitting to secure the win, hitting four home runs off Yusei Kikuchi, who had a tough outing.
While Boston didn’t attempt any steals in this game, Romy Gonzalez was caught trying to steal twice. Gonzalez was involved in a rundown and tagged out at third base in the fourth inning. In the eighth inning, Toronto successfully used video replay to overturn a safe call on Boston’s attempted double steal.
Pivetta (4-4) allowed three runs on nine hits, walking one batter and striking out four.
“It’s always special for me to pitch in my home country,” Pivetta commented. “Having my mom and aunt here today was really great. I’m glad we could get the win and have a good day.”
Both O’Neill and Pivetta hail from British Columbia, a province in western Canada.
“It’s always enjoyable to return home and experience the fresh northern air, even if it’s just for a short while,” O’Neill remarked.
Boston’s offense was led by solo home runs early in the game. O’Neill and Rafael Devers hit consecutive home runs with two outs in the first inning.
“We came out strong offensively,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “Those two homers gave us a good start.”
Ceddanne Rafaela started the third inning with a home run, followed by O’Neill’s second home run of the game later in the inning.
O’Neill now has 13 home runs and 14 home runs this season, marking his second multi-homer game of the year and the seventh of his career.
“It’s a stronger lineup when he’s playing,” Cora noted.
