In a wild and crazy game, the Red Sox blew a five-run lead before storming back and taking the lead for good in the top of the 10th, holding on for a 9-8 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
Travis Shaw singled home automatic runner Alex Verdugo for the winning run. Shaw earlier hit a three-run homer as part of a seven-run second inning.
Josh Taylor held on in the 10th to record his first major league save.
Connor Seabold made his major league debut but lasted only three innings. In the fourth, two walks and some sloppy play at third by Rafael Devers helped the White Sox to five unearned runs against Garrett Richards.
WHO: Red Sox (80-63) vs. Chicago White Sox (81-60)
WHEN: 7:10 p.m.
WHERE: Guaranteed Rate Field
SEASON SERIES TO DATE: CHI 3-2
SERIES TO DATE: CHI 1-0
STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Connor Seabold (MLB debut) vs. RHP Dylan Cease (11-7, 3.8 )
TV/RADIO: NESN; WEEI-FM 93.7
LINEUPS
RED SOX
Hernandez 2B
Schwarber LF
Bogaerts SS
Devers 3B
Renfroe RF
Verdugo CF
Dalbec 1B
Shaw DH
Vazquez C
WHITE SOX
Robert CF
Moncada 3B
Abreu 1B
Jimenez DH
Grandal C
Garcia SS
Gonzalez LF
Goodwin RF
Hernandez 2B
IN-GAME OBSERVATION
T10: Shaw, who had the huge three-run homer earlier in the game, slams a run-scoring single to RF, scoring Verdugo from third. This is Shaw's second four-RBI game since joining the Sox.
T8: Sac fly for Kike Hernandez, and the game is tied.
T8: Better, harder contact against Craig Kimbrel tonight. First, Travis Shaw with a hard lineout to RF and now Christian Vazquez with a booming double to CF, putting the potential tying run in scoring position.
B6: Verdugo, whose struggles in CF were well-documented at Fenway last weekend, takes a homer away from Brian Goodwin with a leaping grab at the fence.
T6: Former Red Sox farmhand Michael Kopech, dealt away in the Chris Sale deal, has been overpowering, with five strikeouts in two innings and a fastball that routinely hits triple digits.
B5: Two innings ago, Yasmani Grandal thought he had homered to left, only to have the ball go foul for about a foot or two. This time, he went deep to right and it was plenty fair. Ryan Brasier hangs a slider and pays for it big-time, and the White Sox lead again.
B4: Imagine if Abreu had done anything tonight. The RBI leader in the American League is 0-for-3 with two double plays and a groundout, stranding four.
B4: Poor inning from Garrett Richards, who, in between a couple of flubs by Rafael Devers, walks two -- the second forcing a run in -- and then a bases-clearing double to left by Luis Robert and suddenly, what had been a five-run lead is now down to one.
B4: That's it for Seabold, who goes just three innings and 43 pitches in his debut. Garrett Richards on.
B3: For the second time in the first three innings, Seabold gets out of a jam by getting Jose Abreu to hit into a 6-4-3 double play.
T3: After another run-scoring single from Bobby Dalbec, Travis Shaw blows it open by cranking a four-seamer way out to RF for a three-run shot. Cease is out.
T3: Alex Verdugo rips a line drive single to left-center, scoring two and the Red Sox have their first lead.
T3: Cease has completely lost the strike zone, with three straight walks, forcing in a run. He's walked a season-high five already, and we're only in the third inning.
B2: Connor Seabold tries to double up on a changeup to Leury Garcia, but the second one cuts back over the plate and Seabold golfs it way out to RF fort a two-run shot.
T2: Through two innings, the Red Sox are having trouble just making contact against Dylan Cease. Of the six outs so far, five have come via strikeouts.
WHAT'S UP: The Red Sox are 5-4 in September... They are 1-4 in their last 5 games, following a 4-game winning streak...They are 11-9 in their last 20 games. The Red Sox have played more games than any other team in the majors (143)...They finish the season by playing only 20 games in 25 days from 9/9-10/3 (off on 9/9, 9/16, 9/20, 9/23, and 9/27). The Sox have 19 games remaining in the regular season (11 road, 8 home)...Their best 19-game stretch of the season was 14-5 (6/14-7/4 and 6/15-7/5). 10 of the Sox’ remaining games are against teams that entered today with at least a .500 record (CWS2, SEA-3, NYM-2, NYY-3)....The Red Sox are 6-15 in their last 21 road games, but 4-4 in their last 8...They are 5-0-1 in their last 6 series at Guaranteed Rate Field (2014-19). The Sox have averaged 5.7 runs per game at home (1st in AL), compared to 4.3 on the road (10th in AL). ...The Red Sox have used 54 players this season, their 4th-most in franchise history...They used 56 players in 2012, and 55 in 1996 and 2014. The Sox have used 31 pitchers, their most in franchise history...That does not include 4 position players who have pitched (Araúz, Arroyo, Gonzalez, Plawecki). 8 players have made their MLB debut with the Red Sox this season (Bazardo, Crawford, Duran, Espinal, López, Sawamura, Whitlock, and Wong). ....The Red Sox have 40 come-from-behind wins, 2nd-most in the majors behind the Rays (43)...In 6 of their last 7 wins (including each of their last 3), the Sox were tied or trailing when they came to bat in the 7th inning. The Sox are 25-16 (.610) in 1-run games, MLB’s fifth-best record... Since 7/31 (min. 100 PA), Bobby Dalbec leads the majors in SLG (.787), OPS (1.198), and wRC+ (211)...In those 33 games, he has hit .330 (31-for94) with 11 HR, 32 RBI, and a .411 OBP. Dalbec has 7 HR and 18 RBI in his last 13 games (beginning 8/26)...Each of his last 5 hits has gone for extra bases (2B, HR, HR, HR, 3B). Dalbec is 1 of 11 Sox rookies ever to hit 21+ HR in a season (only 8 have hit more than 21).....The Red Sox lead the majors in doubles (293) and XBH (503) and rank 4th in runs per game (5.04), 3rd in AVG (.261), 2nd in SLG (.447), and 3rd in OPS (.774). The Sox rank 4th in the AL with 190 HR...Their HR have averaged a projected distance of 405 feet (T-3rd in MLB). The Sox lead MLB with 35 HR with at least 2 runners on base (32 three-run, 3 grand slams). The Sox have hit 4+ HR in a game 13 times, tied for the most in MLB this season and the 2nd-most of any season in franchise history (15 times in 1977)....The Red Sox feature 6 players who have hit 20+ HR this season: Rafael Devers (33), Kyle Schwarber (29), Hunter Renfroe (27), J.D. Martinez (25), Bobby Dalbec (21), and Xander Bogaerts (20). The Sox are the only team featuring as many as 5 players with 50+ XBH (17 teams have 0 or 1). A.L....The Red Sox lead the majors in 2-strike RBI (292), 44 more than any other team. With 2 strikes, the Sox also lead MLB in XBH (177) and lead the AL in HR (74)...They have hit an MLB-best 18 HR in 0-2 counts, 5 more than any other AL team. The Sox rank 2nd in MLB in runs scored with 2 outs (297), 1 fewer than the Rays (298)...With RISP & 2 outs, the Sox lead the majors in AVG (.264) and OPS (.836)...From the No. 9 spot in the batting order, the Red Sox lead the majors in HR (17) and XBH (45). The Sox have hit more than 17 HR from the No. 9 spot in the order only twice: 2003 (24) and 2011 (18)... They also hit 17 in 1999. .....Red Sox outfielders lead MLB with 39 assists, their most in a season since 1992 (also 39)... They last had 40+ outfield assists in 1987 (47). Hunter Renfroe leads MLB with 16 OF assists, the most in RF by a Red Sox in the expansion era (1961-present)... According to Elias, the only other Red Sox with 15 assists in RF since 1961 is Dwight Evans (3 times).
NOTES:
* As expected, the Red Sox will turn to Connor Seabold to make the start tonight. It will be his major league debut, making him the second starting pitcher to make his major league debut in the last seven days. (Kutter Crawford did so last Sunday). Seabold was 2-3 with a 3.67 ERA in eight starts for Worcester this year. Said Alex Cora of Seabold: "The changeup plays and he pays attention to details. I've been watching video and he's been throwing the ball well. (We just him to) just give us as many outs as possible. Obviously, it's a tough lineup, but we're confident he can give us plenty of outs and get us to the next level.'' To make room for Seabold, the Sox sent RHP Brad Peacock to the taxi squad.
* For the second straight night, J.D. Martinez was a last-minute scratch with back spasms.
* Nick Pivetta will be activated Sunday and make the start Sunday afternoon.
* The Sox have sent Matt Barnes to Worcester, where he will pitch Sunday in the first of two rehab appearances. He's not likely to rejoin the team until next weekend, when they return from Seattle to begin their final homestand of the season. Meanwhile, Martin Perez is expected to make his second rehab appearance for Worcester Sunday and could join the Sox in Seattle Monday.
* Hirokazu Sawamura, who threw a bullpen Friday in Chicago, still has some medical protocols to go through before he can be activated. "Nothing to be alarmed about, just part of the process.
* Cora said that Christian Arroyo, Jarren Duran and Yairo Munoz are improving, but aren't ready to be activated.
* Danny Santana was placed on the COVID-IL list for the second time Saturday afternoon. His spot on the roster was taken by Jack Lopez.