We knew the Red Sox were eventually going to outstay their welcome in Miami. We just didn’t expect them to be so complicit in the eviction.
In a game that had all the excitement of a trip to the dentist, Boston already appeared to be in a New York State of Mind and could not have cared less about the game it still had to play in Florida. From the start, it was evident that the Sox could not match the “Gusto” Miami brought to the table. Which, to be honest, besides the starting pitcher, wasn’t exactly overflowing on the Marlins’ side either.
Boston went down in order in the top of the first, and then Miami jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead thanks to the generosity of the Sox defense. Sonny Gray allowed a leadoff single to start the inning and then induced a chopper to Nick Sogard, who was playing first base for Willson Contreras on his day off. Sogard touched first and whirled to throw to second in an attempt to complete the more unconventional 3-6 tag double play. Unfortunately, Sogard’s throw sailed inside the baseline, past Monasterio, and into left field, allowing the runner to advance to third. The next hitter, Heriberto Hernandez, singled him home. And thus ended the game for the Red Sox.
If only we had known that at the time, it could have saved many members of Red Sox Nation a very agonizing evening.
In the bottom of the second, Connor Wong delivered his own hostess gift to the Marlins when his throw to second on an attempted steal by Otto Lopez bounced off Lopez’s dome and into left-center field. Ceddanne Rafaela, who was charging in to back up the throw, had to quickly change course and dive to his right like a shortstop in the hole just to keep the ball from rolling all the way to the wall. That gave Lopez the opening he needed to fly past the third-base coach and head for home. Rafaela quickly got to his feet and unleashed an excellent throw, but it arrived just a few beats late, and Miami was up 2-0.
Two innings.
Two errors.
Two years shaved off the lives of many a Red Sox diehard.
From there, it was mostly pleasantries and handshakes as the Red Sox said goodbye to their hosts and waited for their Uber to pull up at the curb for the ride to the airport. Boston managed only five hits on the night, and if it weren’t for a Monasterio single in the ninth, they would have finished with as many errors as hits.
Sonny Shade of Gray
Sonny Gray pitched well and deserved a better fate on Wednesday night.
Although he didn’t have his usual pinpoint command, he managed to scatter seven hits over five innings. If a few throws from Boston infielders had actually landed in the gloves of their intended recipients, it is very possible Gray would have shut the Marlins out over those five innings.
Overall, his performance was fine. There really isn’t much negative to say about it. And on this particular night, that made him something of a rarity.
Live and in Person: The Early May 2026 Red Sox...For One Night Only, I Hope!
Five hits.
Three walks.
No runs.
But on the bright side, the team only struck out four times on Wednesday!
Four errors on the night, two each by Wong and Sogard, and suddenly the ghost of early May began to rear its ugly head in Miami.
Unlike that dreaded stretch, however, there were still a few positives that provided hope that this was merely a blip on the radar rather than a complete regression to the mean. As a team, Boston struck out only four times, and Ceddanne Rafaela made two incredibly athletic plays in center field that reminded us just how gifted Major League Baseball players truly are.
So yes, the game was ugly. But hopefully it was just one ugly game.
A Bronx Tale
As the Red Sox enjoy their day off before renewing hostilities with their archrivals in the Bronx, Craig Breslow and the front office have several important decisions to make.
Three players are on their way back from injury, including the “Face of the Franchise” and the “Bane of the Franchise.”
The team has been firing on all cylinders for more than two and a half months, and now the question becomes whether bringing those players back will help because of their talent, hurt because of how they fit, or negatively affect the chemistry that has developed during this remarkable run.
And then, of course, there is Trevor Story.
This could become one of the most important decisions of the season because the Red Sox are sitting 2.5 games behind the Yankees for the top Wild Card spot and the home-field advantage that would come with it in a three-game series.
Here’s hoping whatever black magic has been working in Boston’s favor over the last few months survives the trip to the Bronx.
Image courtesy of https://www.mlb.com/marlins/video/brady-house-called-out-on-strikes-dfzmzo
Nicely written.