Sox Escape the A’s in 10 — Baseball’s Version of Falling Down the Stairs and Sticking the Landing
A walk-off in extras that felt less like strategy and more like dumb luck wrapped in duct tape.
The Final Score: Sox 5, A’s 4 — A Win Only a Mother Could Love
Your Boston Red Sox managed to beat the Oakland A’s in 10 innings, 5–4, and if you watched it, congratulations: you now qualify for hazard pay. This wasn’t so much a victory as it was a crime scene where both teams left fingerprints, and somehow Boston stumbled out with the wallet.
The Sox are now 83–69, still dangling on the Wild Card ladder like a drunk guy hanging Christmas lights. Oakland, meanwhile, falls to 56–96, which is basically what happens when you build a roster out of Craigslist ads and expired protein shakes.
The Pitching: Giolito Gave Us “Meh,” the Bullpen Gave Us Hives
Lucas Giolito: Five innings, a couple runs, a fastball that looked allergic to the strike zone, but hey — he kept Boston in it. By “kept us in it,” I mean he only lit a small kitchen fire instead of burning the whole house down.
Mason Barnett (A’s rookie): Looked like he was pitching in a Home Depot parking lot. The Sox got nine hits off him but somehow treated them like coupons that had already expired.
The bullpen? Justin Wilson walked a tightrope, fell off, bounced off the net, and still expected applause. Darell Hernaiz laced a two-run single off him in the fifth that made Fenway sound like a funeral.
Offensive “Highlights” (Using That Word Generously)
Masataka Yoshida knocked in a run in the first inning, reminding us he still exists.
Rob Refsnyder hit a solo homer in the second — yes, Rob Refsnyder. If you had that on your bingo card, congratulations, you’re a liar.
Trevor Story tied the game in the sixth with an RBI single and then, for good measure, got caught stealing for the first time this season. Story going 31-for-31 in steals was fun while it lasted. Tonight, he looked like a guy running for the last train and tripping on the platform.
And then came the pièce de résistance: Nick Sogard’s walk-off infield chopper. Not a line drive, not a majestic bomb, just a half-hearted worm burner. Nate Eaton belly-flopped home like a guy trying to win a Slip ’N Slide contest, and suddenly Fenway was in full champagne mode.
Missed Chances, aka the Sox Brand
The Sox went 3-for-17 with runners in scoring position. That’s not an offense; that’s a group therapy session. Bases loaded in the fifth? One measly run. Watching this team hit with RISP is like watching someone try to start a lawnmower with a wet shoelace — all effort, no spark.
Turning Points (and Stomach Turns)
Fifth Inning: A’s walk in a run, then Hernaiz slaps a two-run single to make it 4-2. Fenway collectively started Googling “NFL Sunday ticket.”
Sixth Inning: Sox tie it 4-4 thanks to Story and Yoshida, then immediately go silent like they accidentally sat on the TV remote.
Tenth Inning: The game ends not with a bang but with a chopper and a prayer. Eaton slides in safe, Sogard gets mobbed, and Boston celebrates like they just cured polio.
Season Context: Wins That Feel Like Hangovers
This was Boston’s 11th walk-off win of the season, which sounds heroic until you realize it’s basically code for “we blew it nine innings straight and got lucky in extras.” The Sox are now 21-26 in one-run games, which is the statistical equivalent of saying: “We like to make things as hard as humanly possible.”
The Wild Card race is tighter than a TSA line at Thanksgiving. Drop this one and you’re limping into irrelevance. Win it? You’re still technically in it, though every game feels like Russian roulette with Nerf darts.
What Still Stinks (Spoiler: A Lot)
Clutch hitting: You can’t keep going 3-for-17 with men on base unless you’re actively trying to sabotage yourself.
Bullpen stability: Tonight’s parade of relievers was less “bridge to the closer” and more “rickety rope bridge over a canyon.”
Mental toughness: Oakland is a glorified Triple-A team. If you’re sweating bullets against them at Fenway, good luck when you face anyone with an actual payroll.
The Bottom Line
The Red Sox didn’t so much beat the A’s as they survived them. A win’s a win, sure — but if you’re popping champagne over Nick Sogard dribbling one to short, maybe lower your expectations.
The Sox live to fight another day in the Wild Card race, but if this is the brand of baseball they’re rolling out? Get the defibrillator ready. It’s gonna be a bumpy couple of weeks.