Kutter Crawford took a perfect game into the sixth inning, and Connor Wong led a 12-hit attack with a three-run homer as the Boston Red Sox defeated the struggling Texas Rangers 9-4 on Tuesday night.
Rob Refsnyder and Nick Sogard each had two RBIs, helping the Red Sox hand Texas its third straight loss and its sixth defeat in seven games. Crawford retired the first 16 batters he faced and received enough offensive support to secure the win for Boston.
“I felt pretty good obviously,” said Crawford, who had a perfect game longer than any Boston pitcher since Rick Porcello was perfect through 5 1/3 innings at Oakland on Sept. 3, 2016.
“The first five, I was kind of on cruise control. I was able to execute some pitches and got some quick outs. They were aggressive and I was able to take advantage of that.”
The defending World Series champion Rangers fell to a season-worst 10 games under .500 at 55-65. Texas manager Bruce Bochy was ejected in the middle of the sixth inning after arguing a called third strike that ended a four-run rally, which brought the Rangers back into the game.
Boston won for only the second time in six games, despite some shaky relief pitching after Crawford was taken out in the sixth.
Crawford (8-9) pitched 5 1/3 innings before the Rangers scored. Carson Kelly ended Crawford’s perfect game and no-hit bid with a single to left field, starting Texas’ first rally.
Leody Taveras followed with a single up the middle, and Marcus Semien broke up the shutout with a double to left, driving in Kelly for the Rangers’ first run.
“In the sixth, I ran into some trouble. But the offense did a great job in scoring a bunch of runs again,” Crawford said. “… When I take the mound, every start that’s kind of what I’m shooting for.”
Crawford was taken out of the game after Semien’s double and received a warm cheer from the Fenway Park crowd.
The fans weren’t as pleased when reliever Cam Booser allowed an RBI single to Josh Smith and then walked Adolis García and Nathaniel Lowe with the bases loaded. Booser left the game to boos, as Boston’s lead was reduced to 6-4.
Boston manager Alex Cora said the Rangers proved how quickly they can change a game. “They’re good hitters,” Cora said.
The Red Sox scored five runs in the fifth inning. They loaded the bases with one out on a single by Ceddanne Rafaela, a double by David Hamilton, and a walk by Masataka Yoshida.
Refsnyder, who had the game-winning hit in Boston’s 6-5, 10-inning win on Monday, hit a single up the middle that drove in two runs and gave Boston a 3-0 lead. Two batters later, Wong hit a three-run homer to left field, making it 6-0 and ending José Ureña’s day.
Wong wasn’t sure if his hit would be high enough to clear Fenway’s Green Monster, but it was his 11th home run of the season and helped the Red Sox reach their 50th game with at least 10 hits.
Ureña pitched 4 ⅔ innings, giving up six earned runs on seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
Bochy argued with home-plate umpire Erich Bacchus and crew chief Laz Diaz after Wyatt Langford was called out looking at strike three on a pitch from reliever Lucas Sims.
Langford thought the pitch was low and outside and immediately looked toward Bacchus. Bochy came out to argue further, leading to Bacchus ejecting the Texas manager.
Boston scored three more runs in the eighth inning after Dominic Smith’s blooper single to shallow right fell in with three Texas players converging but unable to catch it, loading the bases with no outs. Nick Sogard then hit a single to right, scoring Wong and Wilyer Abreu.
