A breakthrough followed.

Ceddanne Rafaela, who was 4 for 5 with a double, two runs scored, and an RBI, singled leading off the seventh inning before Jarren Duran cracked a home run to right field off Garrett Cleavinger.

The Sox then sent 13 men to the plate in a seven-run eighth inning.

“I don’t just want to get there. I want us to play well when we do get there,” said Alex Bregman, who homered and drew two walks. “I think what we went through over the last week might be good for us.”

At 84-70, the Sox are two games behind the Yankees for the first wild card in the American League with eight games left. They are tied with the Astros.

The Guardians won their eighth straight and are 1½ games behind.

With the caveat that Steinbrenner Field has been a hitter’s paradise this season, the Sox needed a game like this after struggling to score runs over the previous week.

Ceddanne Rafaela hits an RBI single off the Rays’ Cole Wilcox in the eighth inning.Chris O’Meara/Associated Press

“I think there were good signs the last few days at home [but] we didn’t cash in,” manager Alex Cora said. “Ceddanne put good at-bats. Alex walked a few times. Tonight we did the job.”

Duran lit the fuse. He came to the plate in the seventh inning with Rafaela on first and Cleavinger on the mound.

The lefthander has been Tampa Bay’s most effective setup man this season. But he left a sinker over the inner half of the plate and Duran hit it 385 feet.

The ball landed on the roof of a section of seats called The Victory Level.

“Honestly, it felt like a 20-pound weight was off my shoulders. I feel like I’ve been just trying to do so much,” said Duran, who had only four RBIs this month.

The eighth inning was a nightmare for the Rays.

Romy Gonzalez doubled and scored on a single by Nate Eaton. After Nathaniel Lowe walked, Rafaela singled in a run. Duran singled to load the bases.

Runs then scored on an error, a bases-loaded walk to Masataka Yoshida, another error, and a hit by pitch. It was a mess for the Rays and nirvana for the Red Sox.

The 11 runs were the most for the Red Sox since an 11-7 victory against Cleveland on Sept. 2. That was the game when Roman Anthony suffered a strained left oblique and had to be placed on the injured list.

The big inning allowed the Sox to use Zack Kelly and Chris Murphy to finish up the game, letting Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman get what should prove to be a beneficial day off.

Murphy walked two with an eight-run lead in the ninth, then allowed a grand slam by Everson Pereira with two outs. Two singles followed and suddenly the tying run was on deck.

As Chapman warmed up, Murphy struck out Josh Lowe to finally end the game.

The Sox are 22-9 in games Crochet (17-5) has started this season.

He had a rough first inning. Yandy Diaz doubled to left field and scored on a two-out single by catcher Nick Fortes.

The Sox tied the game in the second against Drew Rasmussen thanks to the speed of Eaton, who singled, then came all the way around on a single to center by Lowe.

Eaton was running on the pitch and easily went to third. Third-base coach Kyle Hudson took a chance and waved him around. Pereira made a one-hop throw to the plate but Eaton’s headfirst slide evaded the tag.

The Rays came back with a home run to right field by rookie Carson Williams in the bottom of the inning. Crochet left a cutter over the plate that Williams lined 331 feet to right field.

Red Sox starter Garrett Crochet allowed a run in each of the first three innings, but settled down to record his 17th win of the season.Chris O’Meara/Associated Press

It would not have been a home run in any other park but cozy Steinbrenner Field.

“Just tip your cap and move on,” Crochet said.

Bregman made it 2-2 with a home run to left field in the third. It was his second in 33 games.

Crochet gave the lead back when Diaz homered to right leading off the bottom of the inning. But he held it there.

Crochet was watching from the dugout as the game turned.

“It was sick,” he said. “I think we’re capable of doing that at any given moment, especially when we’re putting the ball in play and making the other team play catch.

“It’s just good baseball and it’s a fun win to be a part of.”

Peter Abraham can be reached at peter.abraham@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at peteabeglobe.bsky.social‬.