Romy Gonzalez hit a single that brought in the winning run in the twelfth inning, helping the Boston Red Sox come from behind to defeat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-4 on Tuesday night.
Gonzalez’s hit to shallow right field, off reliever Manuel Rodríguez, came after Tyler O’Neill was intentionally walked to start the inning. This move avoided a potential double play, allowing Connor Wong to easily score the game-winning run after several chaotic extra innings.
“It’s a big deal. Winning a game in the big leagues with a walk-off hit is incredible,” Gonzalez expressed, surrounded by celebrating teammates after reaching first base.
Cedanne Rafaela contributed with a home run for Boston in the fifth inning and made up for a defensive error in the 11th by executing a sacrifice bunt that helped the team. Rafaela admitted feeling relieved after making a difference offensively following his earlier mistake.
“I made the error already,” Rafaela recounted his mindset going into the 11th inning. “I just needed to do something to bring that run in.”
His bunt advanced David Hamilton, who started the inning on second base, to third and allowed him to score easily when Rodríguez fielded a grounder up the middle.
“The young player made a mistake but immediately bounced back,” Boston manager Alex Cora praised. “He finished the game strong and played hard till the end.”
The win ended Boston’s six-game losing streak to the Rays at home. Brennan Bernardino earned the win, while Rodríguez took the loss.
The Rays faced a baserunning blunder in the 11th inning when Ben Rortvedt, who began on second base, got caught in a rundown between third and home. Despite the mishap, Randy Arozarena managed to score on Rafaela’s error.
