Red Sox’ Nick Sogard collects first career walk-off RBI in extra inning thriller at Fenway Park

On Wednesday night, the Fenway lights burned a little brighter, and the air felt heavier with the urgency of September to win games. Boston desperately needed a win, especially after the Guardians, one of the teams looking up at them in the American League wild card, secured a win of their own earlier in the night.

With their backs against the wall, the Sox clawed their way back to a stirring 5-4 win over the Athletics in 10 innings. It was loud, messy, nerve-wracking baseball — and it ended with the Red Sox walking off the field to cheers from the Fenway Faithful and, most importantly, keeping distance between themselves and the Guardians and Rangers in the hunt for a wild card berth.

The win was the Red Sox’ 11th walk-off victory of the season.

For much of the evening, Boston looked destined for another frustrating loss to the lowly Athletics. The Red Sox had other ideas, and in the 10th inning, Alex Cora called upon Nick Sogard to come off the bench and pinch hit for the slumping Ceddanne Rafaela.

“It definitely wasn’t pretty, but I’m glad to have gotten it done,” Sogard said.

With the runners on second and third and one out, Athletics reliever Michael Kelly threw a 1-1 slider that Sogard hit on the ground to second baseman Zack Gelof, who fired the ball to home, but his throw wasn’t enough to get the speedy Nate Eaton, who slid ahead of the tag from third base, securing the Sox’ win.

The heroics of the inning were set up thanks to the Athletics intentionally walking Nathaniel Lowe to open the frame to set up the potential double play. Carlos Narvaez came to the plate, already having hit into a double play earlier in the night, and dropped a beauty of a bunt to the third baseman, moving the runners ahead one base.

The late-inning heroics sent Sox fans home elated, but it didn’t look like they would get to that point as the game unfolded. Lucas Giolito's night was a grind the moment he threw his first pitch. The right-hander was unable to command his stuff, and his fastball was a few ticks slower than normal. He also worked around traffic all night and was able to limit the damage for the most part.

In the second inning, the Athletics’ Darrell Hernaiz added a sacrifice fly to right field to score Carlos Cortes to tie the game at 1-1. The A’s plated three runs in the fifth inning to put them up 4-2 at the time. Justin Wilson was ineffective in relief of Giolito, allowing a hit, walking in a run, and getting a strikeout. Hernaiz singled up the middle; after the ball deflected off Romy Gonzalez, it kicked into left field, and two runs scored.

Giolito allowed four runs on five hits and five walks while striking out five in 4 1/3 innings. In the process, he reached the 140-inning mark, turning his $14 million team option into a $19 million mutual option, which the veteran will most likely decline and become a free agent in the winter. If that happens, the Sox will be on the hook for a $1.5 million buyout.

After the game, Giolito expressed frustrations about his start.

“You can’t walk five,” Giolito said afterward. “That’s just not acceptable.”

Masataka Yoshida was in the cleanup spot for Boston, and he singled to right field for the first Red Sox run of the night in the first inning. Rob Refsnyder gave the Sox a 2-1 lead in the second inning with a solo homer off the pole in left field. The 357-foot blast was Refsnyder’s ninth homer of the season. In the fifth inning, Yoshida, not known for his running prowess, hustled out an infield single with the bases loaded to cut the A’s lead to one run, 4-3. Boston had a chance to do damage in the inning, but slumping Alex Bregman popped out to shortstop for the first out. After Yoshida’s RBI single, Gonzalez and Refsnyder both struck out.

Trevor Story tied the game 4-4 with an RBI single in the sixth inning. He would steal second to improve to 31-for-31 in stolen base attempts. But Story was thrown out, trying to steal second in the eighth—his first caught stealing since Sept. 28, 2024.. It’s the longest streak to begin a season by an AL player since the caught stealing stat began being recorded in 1920.

Despite looking completely lost at the plate, Rafaela did make a running catch in the first inning, crashing to the bullpen. Rafaela entered with 20 defensive runs saved over 1,069 1/3 innings in center field this season.

The Red Sox and Athletics will play the final game of their three-game series on Wednesday at 1:35 p.m. A's righty J.T. Ginn (3-6, 4.69 ERA) will start and opposite right-hander Brayan Bello (11-7, 3.25 ERA).