Sox champion big win
Only April, but . . .
From the larger-thanusual crowd gathered for batting practice, to Craig Kimbrel’s 99-mph fastball to strike out the side in the ninth inning, yesterday didn’t look or feel like a typical late-April game at Fenway Park.
There was pomp and circumstance in the beginning, a standing ovation in the middle and Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez pumping his fist at the end. The defending world champions were in town, and the Red Sox beat them, hanging on for an electric 5-4 win against the Chicago Cubs.
“It was like a World Series game, you know?” Vazquez said. “They have a great team and great hitters, great players. We do, too.
“Hope to see them in the World Series.”
There was a noticeable pregame buzz, with Cubs and Red Sox jerseys crowding the local bars and streaming through the turnstiles. The first inning was a highlight reel of offensive ability, and the game paused after the second for a video tribute to former Red Sox pitchers Koji Uehara, John Lackey and Jon Lester, all now with the Cubs.
Eventually, it was business as usual, except for the unexpected Sox hero.
With the game on the line in the eighth inning, it was reliever Fernando Abad who struck out back-toback hitters, finishing with Kyle Schwarber to leave the tying and go-ahead runs stranded.
This was Abad’s first high-leverage spot of the year, and it came just hours after the Red Sox had elected to keep him and option fellow lefty Robbie Ross Jr. to Triple A. Abad celebrated like it was a must-win playoff game, and he’d earned the exuberance with the key outs that made a huge first inning stand up.
“We did a pretty darn good job with men in scoring position, making big pitches to keep a big inning from happening,” manager John Farrell said. “But Fernando’s two strikeouts were key, and then Kimbrel has been (himself). He’s been overpowering. Great stuff.”
The offense had been in a rut that was beginning to look more like a deep hole. The Sox had been shut out three times in the past seven games and scored more than one run only once in that stretch. Little surprise they were losers of 5-of-7.
Getting out of that funk required a bit of a throwback to last season when the Red Sox were among the best in baseball scoring in the first inning. This year, the Sox had scored just seven first-inning runs, but they nearly doubled that number against Jake Arrieta.
The Cubs already had a Kris Bryant home run on the scoreboard when Andrew Benintendi got the Red Sox started with a solo shot into the visitors bullpen. It was Benintendi’s first homer since Opening Day, and it started a streak of seven consecutive Red Sox reaching base.
The parade around the bases ended with Vazquez’ RBI single, and he held his fist up high as he ran down the first base line. Five runs came across in the first, tied for the Sox’ highest-scoring inning of the season. They hadn’t score that much in one frame since their third game.
“Guys had some rhythm,” Dustin Pedroia said. “We found some holes, had some good at-bats in a row.”
All that offense quickly faded into missed opportunities, which left the Red Sox crossing their fingers each time the bullpen door opened.
The Sox loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth, but Benintendi struck out and Mookie Betts lined out hard to third base, where Vazquez was doubled off. Three straight reached base again in the fifth, but Hanley Ramirez was caught stealing and Cubs defensive wizard Javier Baez turned a nifty double play at second base. Two more hits in the sixth preceded another double play.
By the time fifth starter Drew Pomeranz (2-1) handed the game to the bullpen — he’d delivered another solid start, allowing two runs through six innings — the biggest challenge was bridging the gap to Kimbrel with suspended set-up man Matt Barnes unavailable.
A wild pitch and backto-back two-out singles off Joe Kelly pulled the Cubs within a run in the seventh, and they nearly pulled even in the eighth against Heath Hembree, but Abad got the key outs. Kimbrel struck out Bryant and Anthony Rizzo to open the ninth, allowed a two-out double to Ben Zobrist, then fanned Addison Russell for his eighth save.
“The build-up to this weekend speaks for itself,” Farrell said. “Given the way that game went, they’re chipping away, getting back into this ballgame. Two strikeouts (from Abad). (Kimbrel)’s facing the heart of that order, which is explosive. Yeah, it’s a great atmosphere for being in late April.”
If this was a preview of October, it’s going to be worth the wait.