Brayan Bello struck out a career-high 11 batters, including his first 10 outs, all by strikeouts. Wilyer Abreu and Dominic Smith hit back-to-back home runs in an explosive second inning, helping the Boston Red Sox defeat the Oakland Athletics 12-9 on Tuesday night.
Despite being sidelined from the All-Star Game due to a shoulder injury, Rafael Devers contributed with two hits, a walk, three RBIs, and two runs scored. The win marked the Red Sox’s seventh victory in eight games, pushing them to a season-best 10 games above .500.
“We talk about staying hungry,” manager Alex Cora remarked. “A few weeks ago, we saw an opportunity, but now it feels like that opportunity has grown. We’re playing strong baseball, and we’ll see where it takes us.”
Bello (9-5) achieved a rare feat, becoming only the third MLB pitcher since 1961 to record his first 10 outs via strikeouts.
Despite early struggles in the first inning, allowing two runs on three hits and a wild pitch, Bello maintained dominance with strikeouts. He struck out three more batters in the second inning and continued his streak with a strikeout-filled third inning.
Bello finally got a groundout in the fourth inning after striking out Lawrence Butler for the first out. By then, the Red Sox had built an 11-2 lead. However, Bello gave up three more runs in the sixth inning, including a home run by Max Schuemann, finishing with five runs allowed on nine hits and two walks.
Oakland rallied with runs in the seventh and ninth innings, with Zack Gelof hitting a three-run homer in the ninth. Trey Wingcenter, making his MLB debut, secured the final out to seal the Red Sox’s victory.
