Sox Steal the Snake Pit: Boston Turns Bloops, Blunders, and a Bello Wild Pitch into a 7–4 Heist

A tie game, a lawn-dart wild pitch, and Lawlar’s throw to nowhere — all part of Boston’s late-night magic trick.

Game recap

For six innings, Boston poked at the Diamondbacks like a cat staring at a cucumber. Then the circus rolled in.

Arizona struck first in the 2nd when Alexander shot a single to center to plate Moreno for a 1–0 lead. The Sox answered in the 4th: Trevor Story yanked a single to right to score Alex Bregman, knotting it 1–1, and giving us a brief moment where the bats looked awake. That serenity lasted about four seconds, because later in the 4th Corbin Carroll trotted home on a Brayan Bello wild pitch — a true Fenway-faithful classic: the “oopsie curve” that makes catchers practice their sighs.

The D-backs padded it in the 6th, Moreno doubling to right to drive in Carroll for 3–1. If you sensed a desert nap incoming, you weren’t alone.

Then the 7th shoved the door open. Story scored on a David Hamilton single up the middle to make it 3–2, Lowe hustling to third. Moments later, Arizona gift-wrapped the inning with a two-error pratfall from third baseman Jordan Lawlar. Lowe scored on the first misfire, Hamilton on the second, Connor Wong credited with existing long enough to be safe at first and then second as the ball toured the infield like it had a passport. Sox suddenly up 4–3, and the Snakes shedding their skin in public. Of course, Lawlar tried to atone in the bottom half, sneaking an RBI single to left to tie it 4–4. Because nothing is ever easy.

The 8th brought the haymaker. Nick Sogard tomahawked a double to center, scoring Eaton and González for a 6–4 lead — the swing that finally made the desert air feel Boston-friendly. In the 9th, Carlos Narváez added cushion with a single to right to score Sogard, 7–4, and the Sox handed the bullpen a lead big enough to not immediately set on fire. Small victories, big sighs.

Turning points? Three of them, and all loud:

• Story’s RBI in the 4th to stop the early bleeding.

• Lawlar’s double-error meltdown in the 7th that put Boston in front.

• Sogard’s two-run double in the 8th that slammed the door and locked it.

Player highlights

• Nick Sogard: Two-run double in the 8th, added a run scored in the 9th. Clutch with a capital “about time.”

• David Hamilton: RBI single in the 7th to ignite the comeback; scored on Arizona’s fielding seminar titled “Don’t Do This.”

• Trevor Story: RBI single in the 4th to tie it; crossed the plate to start the 7th-inning rally. Looked like the adult in the room all night.

• Carlos Narváez: 9th-inning RBI knock to right to ice it. Insurance policies are boring until you need them.

• Brayan Bello: Mixed bag, but survived the early innings and kept it within striking distance despite the wild pitch that belongs in a blooper reel.

Honorable mentions for simply not detonating: the late relievers, who turned a tightrope into a sidewalk.

Statistical breakdown

Quotes and commentary

• Alex Cora, postgame, paraphrased with love: “We stayed on the ball and executed late.” Which is technically accurate if you start the game in the 7th inning.

• Trevor Story, on the 7th-inning pivot: “We kept pressure on them.” And by “we,” he means Lawlar’s throwing arm helped immeasurably.

• Clubhouse vibe: Relief with a side of “let’s not need a pratfall every night.”

If you’re keeping score at home: Manager insists the bullpen wasn’t the problem, which is true if you ignore the parts where it usually is.

Opponent misfires

• Lawlar’s two-error sequence in the 7th: That’s the ballgame right there. One error is youthful. Two on the same play is interpretive dance.

• Outfield routes on Sogard’s 8th-inning double: Center-cut gapper turned track meet, both runners score standing. Not a great look in a leverage spot.

• Run prevention, broadly: A wild pitch for Boston, sure — but Arizona followed with “hold my glove” energy and outdid the chaos.

Arizona had their swings — Moreno’s rope to right in the 6th, Lawlar’s game-tying knock in the 7th — but they kicked away the high-leverage frames when it mattered most.

Red Sox momentum check

Boston pulls a late win that smells like momentum and tastes like antacids. The Sox are still in the thick of the Wild Card elbow fight, more rugby scrum than race. The encouraging part: they manufactured runs without the long ball, answered immediately after getting tied, and the bullpen didn’t reenact a grease fire. The discouraging part: it took a defensive faceplant to break it open, and Bello’s margin for error was a coin flip all night.

Is it a turning point? Maybe. Or maybe it’s Boston’s favorite magic trick: making you believe for 24 hours.

Future outlook

Next up is a series that will test whether this was a spark or just desert mirage. The blueprint’s clear:

• Get to the middle innings within arm’s reach.

• Make contact and pressure defenses. Teams keep gifting outs; accept them with a thank-you note.

• Shorten the game with the right arms. No hero ball, just strike one and ground balls.

Skeptical optimism engaged. If the Sox replicate the 7th-to-9th inning at-bats and keep the defense from auditioning for America’s Funniest Home Videos, they can stack wins. If not, we’ll be back here, typing “wild pitch” with a thousand-yard stare.

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