BOSTON — Instant reactions from the Red Sox’ 4-3 win over the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park:
1) It’s back to the postseason for the first time since 2021 for the Red Sox. After falling behind early, the Red Sox had clawed back in the game with solo runs in both the seventh and eighth. In the eighth, after pinch-runner Nate Eaton stole second and took third on a throwing error, Jarren Duran’s single to center deliver him to knot the game at 3-3. Aroldis Chapman stranded the potential go-ahead run at third in the top of the ninth before Ceddanne Rafaela doubled home Romy Gonzalez in the bottom of the inning for the winning run.
2) Starter Kyle Harrison battled some control issues in the early going, walking two of the first four hitters he faced. He then worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam. He wasn’t as fortunate in the fourth when a leadoff walk paced the way for a three-run inning. Harrison has long had issues with throwing strikes. In his first start last weekend in Tampa, that wasn’t an issue. And when he can command, he can get lots of swing-and-miss, with six strikeouts in the first three innings. But he needs to show more consistency.
3) There’s nobody hotter in the Red Sox lineup now than Masataka Yoshida. He’s hit in seven straight games, during which he’s collected 13 hits. He has multiple hits in five of those, including Friday night when he singled to lead off the second, singled again in the fourth to deliver Alex Bregman (ground rule double) with the first Red Sox run of the night and adding another single to lead off the seventh.
4) Boston’s bullpen did a nice job of keeping the game within reach when Harrison was lifted after recording just nine outs. An aggressive Alex Cora first went to Justin Slaten, who got two quick outs, then to Steven Matz for three more outs and Greg Weissert — all before the sixth inning. In all the three combined to record nine big outs in the middle innings. Problem was, the offense didn’t take advantage of the relievers keeping the Tigers within striking distance.
5) The lineup could do little against Detroit starter, Casey Mize, mustering just four hits through the first six innings. The Sox were seemingly passive early in the count, allowing Mize to consistently get ahead and enabling him to control the at-bats. The Sox struck a few balls well — Alex Bregman smoked a ground-rule double to the triangle, Trevor Story had a hard-hit ball to the warning track in right and Romy Gonzalez lined a bullet to first baseman Spener Torkelson. But in general, there was a lot of swing-and-miss (eight strikeouts through the first six), and not enough good outcomes.
6) First baseman Nathanial Lowe drove in the first two Red Sox runs — the first with a two-out single in the second and the second with a sacrifice fly to center in the seventh. Lowe has been through the late-season wars before; he was part of the 2023 Texas Rangers team that stumbled down the stretch, losing the AL West on the final day of the season. But those Rangers then got hot and won the World Series, defeating Arizona. Before Friday’s game, Lowe talked about that experience and how it helped prepare him for games like this.
7) The Tigers made the unusual choice of using their challenge in the bottom of the first inning, arguing that right fielder Riley Greene held onto a foul ball that he caught at he collided with the right field wall bear the foul pole. Replays showed that Greene didn’t maintain possession of the ball after hitting the wall and getting entangled with some spectators in the area. Either way, two hitters into the game, it seemed an odd choice on which to spend the Tigers’ lone challenge.
8) The Red Sox and Tigers will play the middle game of their weekend series Saturday afternoon at 4:10 p.m. The Red Sox will send rookie LHP Connelly Early to the mound, while the Tigers have not yet announced a starter for the game.
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