BOSTON --- If this was a harbinger of things to come, it could be a fun season at Fenway Park.
Those in the chilled sellout crowd who stayed to the finish were treated to some Opening Day magic, as the Red Sox rallied late and finished off Tampa Bay in extra innings.
Hanley Ramirez drove an RBI single to deep right in the bottom of the 12th and Boston slipped past the Rays, 3-2, for the first walkoff victory in a home opener in 20 years.
Bobby Poyner worked two [...]
BOSTON --- If this was a harbinger of things to come, it could be a fun season at Fenway Park.
Those in the chilled sellout crowd who stayed to the finish were treated to some Opening Day magic, as the Red Sox rallied late and finished off Tampa Bay in extra innings.
Hanley Ramirez drove an RBI single to deep right in the bottom of the 12th and Boston slipped past the Rays, 3-2, for the first walkoff victory in a home opener in 20 years.
Bobby Poyner worked two scoreless innings in relief to earn the victory, as Boston’s bullpen held firm over the final four frames. Alex Colome blew the save in the ninth and Andrew Kittredge lost it when Ryan Yarbrough allowed the inherited runner to score in the 12th.
The Red Sox looked intent on wasting a second straight brilliant outing from David Price until the bottom of the ninth. Hanley Ramirez dropped an RBI single into center and Xander Bogaerts was down to his final strike before lacing a two-out RBI double off the Green Monster, tying the game at 2-2. Jackie Bradley Jr. missed a walkoff infield single to second by an eyelash, ruled out after the initial call that was upheld upon video review.
Tampa Bay was first to break through in the eighth, getting to the Boston bullpen as it did a week ago at Tropicana Field. Pinch hitter Mallex Smith drew a leadoff walk and Matt Duffy crushed a Carson Smith fastball through the stiff breeze to dead center, a two-run homer onto the dark tarp covering two sections of bleachers to make it 2-0.
The Rays couldn’t get anything going against Price through the first seven frames. The left-hander allowed just three hits and struck out five, blanking Tampa Bay for the same 21 outs he recorded in Friday’s 1-0 shutout.