It looked early like the Red Sox might have a long afternoon ahead of them.
Jake Bennett was hit hard in his return from a nine-day break, the Giants jumped out to a three-run lead by the second inning, and Boston was staring at the possibility of letting a very winnable series finale slip away.
Instead, the Red Sox did what they’ve done so often during their second-half surge, they punched back.
Boston erased the early deficit with five unanswered runs, Bennett settled in to retire 18 of the final 21 hitters he faced and the Red Sox survived an ugly defensive sequence late to beat the Giants, 5-4, Sunday afternoon at Fenway Park.
The win completed a three-game sweep and capped an impressive 5-1 homestand for the Red Sox, who improved to 71-59 and an MLB-best 25-11 since the All-Star break.
Considering where they were a week ago, it was quite the response. Boston returned home after going 2-5 through Toronto and Pittsburgh, a road trip that temporarily cooled one of baseball’s hottest teams. Six games later, the Red Sox are back to 12 games over .500 and rolling again.
Nick Sogard was once again right in the middle of it. After hitting his first major league homer Wednesday and delivering the game-tying double in Saturday’s ninth-inning comeback, Sogard started Boston’s rally Sunday with another home run.
San Francisco had taken a 3-0 lead when Jonah Cox homered to begin the second. Sogard answered in the bottom half, turning around a pitch from rookie Matt Wilkinson and sending it out to right to get Boston on the board.
NICK SOGARD JUST CAN’T STOP BALLING OUT!
— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) August 23, 2026
HIS 2ND HOMER OF THE HOMESTAND AND HIS BIG LEAGUE CAREER! pic.twitter.com/GSxAsVXwQa
Sogard wasn’t finished; he ripped a 104-mph double off the Green Monster to begin the fourth, sparking the three-run rally that ultimately put Boston ahead for good. He finished 2-for-4 and continues to give Chad Tracy little reason to take him out of the lineup.
The switch-hitter has provided production from both sides of the plate and has suddenly become an important part of an offense that described itself as “relentless” after Saturday’s comeback.
Jahmai Jones tripled to deep center in the third and scored on Ceddanne Rafaela’s single to pull Boston within 3-2. Jones continues to crush left-handed pitching in a limited role, hitting .520 (13-for-25) with two homers, four doubles, a triple and a 1.586 OPS since joining the Red Sox.
Wilkinson was making just his second big league start and lasted 3 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits while striking out two. The big left-hander allowed runs in the second, third and fourth innings as Boston steadily chipped away at San Francisco’s early lead.
Giants manager Tony Vitello planned to ride Wilkinson for as long as he remained effective, but the Red Sox eventually forced his hand in the fourth inning.
Sogard opened with his double, and after Wilkinson nearly escaped the inning, Connor Wong sent a towering fly ball toward the Green Monster. Victor Bericoto appeared to make the catch against the wall, but the ball had glanced off the Monster before settling into his glove. Replay overturned the initial call, awarding Wong a game-tying RBI double.
Tracy immediately went to his bench after San Francisco went to its bullpen and brought in