It seemed possible that Monday’s pitching showdown would go down in history.
One of baseball’s top pitchers and a strong candidate for the AL Cy Young Award, Garrett Crochet, was on one side. Chase Burns, a top-10 baseball prospect whose fastball reaches triple digits and who just struck out eight Yankees in his Major League debut last week, was on the opposing side.
Burns might become a fantastic pitcher in the future, but Monday wasn’t his day.
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The Red Sox chased the 22-year-old after he had only recorded one out, ambushing the Cincinnati Reds rookie for seven runs in the bottom of the first. With Wilyer Abreu hitting a grand slam and an inside-the-park home run in Boston’s 13–6 victory, the team continued to score runs.
In the bottom of the first, Boston’s batters got to work right away, but things might have turned out quite differently if the Reds hadn’t made a defensive blunder.
Roman Anthony grounded a ground ball to second that could have been a double play after Jarren Duran led off with a walk. But Duran took third and eventually scored on Abraham Toro’s ensuing RBI single when Reds second baseman Matt McLain threw the ball over shortstop Elly de la Cruz’s head for an error.
The Red Sox were off to the races after that.
Trevor Story opened the scoring with a three-run home run to straightaway center field after Burns recorded his first out on a scorching grounder that went right to the second baseman, and Carlos Narvaez slapped an RBI double off the wall.
Ceddanne Rafaela worked a nine-pitch walk, David Hamilton brought him in with an RBI single, and Marcelo Mayer doubled next. The former Red Sox captain removed his gifted right-hander because Reds manager Terry Francona had had enough.
The Red Sox ended up ahead 7-0 when Roman Anthony’s subsequent RBI single off southpaw Brent Suter finished the surge. Burns’ ultimate line: no strikeouts, two walks, five hits, seven runs, five earned, and 0.1 innings pitched. Of his 33 pitches, 22 were struck.
The child has nice things. After the game, Red Sox manager Alex Cora stated, “We covered some pitches that he actually made.” You must acknowledge the crime.
The seven-run first inning was Boston’s most spectacular game-opening inning since the Red Sox’s eight-run first inning on July 19, 2021, when they defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 13–4.
The Reds began hitting Crochet hard in the fourth inning after he had retired the first nine batters he faced. In the fourth, Crochet was harmed by a Trevor Story error that ultimately resulted in an RBI single by McLain to make it 7-4. Cincinnati scored three runs in the fourth, including two runs on a triple to deep center by Austin Hays.
In the fifth inning, Abreu led off the inning with a tremendous fly ball off the deepest portion of the center field barrier, giving the Red Sox a dramatic run back. Abreu was able to round the bases for an inside-the-park home run when the ball crashed off the top of the wall and into no-man’s land.
Through translator Carlos Villoria Ben tez, Abreu stated that he has never hit an inside-the-park homer before and that it’s not something that happens often. For me, it was very unique.
It was the Red Sox’s first home run inside the park since Eduardo Nunez’s versus Tampa Bay on March 29, 2018. You have to go all the way back to Jacoby Ellsbury on September 19, 2011, for the final Red Sox player to hit a home run at Fenway Park.
In the dugout, Abreu’s teammates were energized by the play.
Story remarked, “I think that’s one of the most thrilling plays in the game, and I’m envious because I haven’t had one yet.” At first, he was not in a rush and made it with ease. It was fantastic, he deserved it, and the grand slam, which came next, was even better.
The left-hander finished the inning to give him seven consecutive starts of at least six innings, but Crochet ended up giving up a single drive to Hays in the top of the sixth to make it 8-5 and tie his season-high in runs allowed. With seven hits, a walk, and nine strikeouts, he finished with five runs (four earned).
Cora stated, “I’ve seen that guy the last few years against us, and he’s been money. They put the at bats, relentless, and Hays is having an outstanding season.” They didn’t stop playing, and they have a strong offense and team.
Despite the lackluster performance, Crochet had enough breathing room to win his first game at Fenway Park as a Red Sox player thanks to the early offensive assault.
Story stated, “He has been nails for us all year, and we haven’t given him much support, so we definitely owed him this one.” But against a tough opponent, it was good to string several at bats like that tonight.
In the bottom of the sixth, Jarren Duran hit a solo home run to increase Boston’s advantage back to four. Abreu’s grand homer in the bottom of the eighth inning put the game out of reach after Jordan Hicks, a newly activated right-hander who was one of the pitchers acquired in the Rafael Devers trade, pitched a spotless eighth inning in his Red Sox debut.
In addition to being the first grand slam of his career, Abreu became the eighth Red Sox player to smash both a conventional and an inside-the-park homer in the same game. The last of them was Pokey Reese on May 8, 2004. On July 4, 1939, Jim Tabor became the final Red Sox player to smash a grand slam and an inside-the-parker.
McLain’s RBI single off Jorge Alcala gave Cincinnati a run in the top of the ninth. With the victory, the Red Sox move up to 42-44 and will try to seal the series on Tuesday.
Since his stint as Red Sox manager ended, Terry Francona has returned to Fenway Park numerous times, but it didn’t seem possible that he would be back in the dugout just a short while ago. However, Francona stepped out of retirement this past winter to take over as Reds manager after taking a year off to concentrate on his health.
Prior to Monday’s game, Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who spent parts of four seasons with Francona from 2005 to 2008, stated that he was thrilled to see his former captain return to the field but was shocked to learn of his return.
His return to the field makes me happy. “Health was my biggest concern, and he’s healthy,” Cora added. People like that on the pitch, in my opinion, improve the game, and I’m glad he’s working well with them.
Francona is very close to becoming the 13th manager in MLB history to reach 2,000 victories, even though he won’t reach the milestone in Boston. After Monday’s defeat, Francona’s record as a major league manager is 1,994-1,713.
The 50th anniversary of the two teams’ 1975 World Series meeting, which Cincinnati won in seven games, coincides with the Reds’ visit to Fenway Park. Carlton Fisk’s famous walk-off home run off the left field foul pole in Game 6 of the 1975 Fall Classic forced the game-deciding seventh game, making it one of the most memorable in baseball history.
As part of the pregame festivities for the home opener in April, the Red Sox paid tribute to the team’s anniversary in 1975. Jim Rice, Dwight Evans, and Fisk were among the club members present on Monday.
