Sox Steal One in Tampa: Ninth-Inning Chaos Saves Boston from Itself
Because nothing says playoff push like leaning on the other team’s errors and a panic attack rally in the ninth.
Your Boston Red Sox are now 85–70 after beating the Tampa Bay Rays 6–3 last night. Yes, it was technically a win, but let’s not sugarcoat it: this wasn’t dominance, this wasn’t clean baseball—this was Boston throwing spaghetti at the wall and realizing the Rays had left the kitchen door open.
The Sox are two games behind the Yankees in the wild card and about a half-mile ahead of the Guardians and Astros, who keep tripping over themselves. In other words, we’re still in the race, but every game feels like watching your uncle balance on a bar stool after six beers: he’s technically upright, but everyone knows the fall is coming.
Game Recap: The Baseball Equivalent of a Car Alarm
Kyle Harrison started for Boston, and for once the rookie didn’t look like he was trapped in a bad dream. Six innings, one earned run, nine strikeouts, and only minor signs of indigestion. That should’ve been enough. But this is the Red Sox—we can’t just win a normal game.
The Rays tied it late, because the Boston bullpen’s favorite trick is making sure no lead feels safe. By the seventh, Tampa had evened things up, and Sox fans had already begun writing the eulogy for September.
Then came the ninth inning. Picture this: Rays infielder Junior Caminero, apparently allergic to fielding ground balls, boots a play that should’ve ended the inning. Ceddanne Rafaela reaches, Trevor Story smokes the go-ahead single, Masataka Yoshida adds an insurance knock, Romy González piles on, and suddenly the Sox look like a playoff team again.
The reality? It was the Rays handing out party favors. Caminero’s two errors were the equivalent of leaving your house keys under the doormat. Boston just had to bother bending over to pick them up.
Aroldis Chapman shut it down for his 31st save. Not without drama, of course, but at least he didn’t light himself on fire this time.
Final: Red Sox 6, Rays 3.
The Heroes (and the Clowns)
Trevor Story: His ninth-inning single was the equivalent of slapping a defibrillator on Boston’s playoff hopes. Finally did something to remind us why he gets paid actual money.
Ceddanne Rafaela: Four hits, because apparently someone decided to play like a professional hitter while everyone else was working on their “swing hard, miss harder” routine.
Kyle Harrison: Six innings, one earned run. If this is a preview of 2026, sign me up. If it’s a one-off, thanks for the memory.
Masataka Yoshida & Romy González: Insurance runs are like gas station sushi—you don’t think you’ll need them, but you’re glad they’re there when everything goes sideways.
Junior Caminero (Rays): Two errors in one game. Without him, the Sox probably lose. Rays fans might want to send him a bus ticket to Durham.
Postgame Spin Zone
Alex Cora: Called the rally “huge for us.” Translation: “Thank God for Caminero’s stone hands.”
Trevor Story: Said he “just wanted to put a good swing on it.” Which is code for “Please stop booing me, I swear I can still play.”
The Rays: Offered the baseball version of an apology card—“Sorry for dropping the ball, here’s the game.”
Opponent Misfires
Junior Caminero’s errors: If the Rays make the postseason, it’ll be despite him. His glove was basically a sieve.
Rays bullpen: Handed out walks like Halloween candy in the ninth.
Their offense: Managed three runs in a game where Boston’s relievers looked like they were throwing blindfolded. Not exactly inspiring.
Momentum Check: Hope or Hallucination?
Boston has now won eight straight against Tampa Bay. That’s not dominance—that’s witchcraft. The Sox own the Rays right now, which is hilarious considering Tampa usually eats Boston alive.
The playoff math still looks ugly. Two games back of the Yankees for the top wild card, one game cushion over the Guardians and Astros. Every night is basically sudden death.
Momentum? Maybe. But this team has more mood swings than a teenager in a Wi-Fi outage. One night they look unstoppable, the next night they’re losing 4-2 to a pitcher with an ERA over six.
Looking Ahead
More Rays. More heartburn. The Sox need another start like Harrison’s and less “oh God, please don’t blow it” from the bullpen. The offense can’t keep relying on errors and ninth-inning charity.
But hey, if September baseball is supposed to be stressful, Boston is nailing it.
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