Trevor Story walks it off as Red Sox rally past Mariners in wild 9-8 win

The Red Sox spent Monday night taking leads, giving them away and fighting their way back.

Trevor Story made sure the last lead belonged to Boston.

Story delivered a walk-off single to cap a wild 9-8 victory over the Mariners at Fenway Park, completing a comeback in which the Red Sox scored four runs over the final three innings.

Boston had led 5-3 before Seattle erupted for four runs in the sixth and added another in the seventh to build an 8-5 advantage. The Red Sox chipped away with two runs in the eighth before Roman Anthony sparked the tying rally in the ninth.

Anthony led off the inning with a triple after center fielder Julio Rodríguez misplayed the ball, then scored on Ceddanne Rafaela’s sacrifice fly to left. He also recorded his team-leading 41st multi-hit game of the season.

That forced extra innings and eventually set the stage for Story, who singled home the winning run to complete Boston’s comeback. It was Story’s second big hit late in the game after his wall-ball double helped Boston score twice in the eighth.

“That’s a big moment in a huge win. We were trailing by three,” Chad Tracy said following the game to reporters. “Any player will tell you, if you have a walk-off hit, you feel like you made a massive contribution. No doubt.”

For a Red Sox team coming off an ugly weekend in New York, including consecutive losses in which the Yankees outscored them 25-3, it was quite the response.

Mickey Gasper didn’t waste any time making his return felt, either. Gasper was optioned to Triple-A Worcester on Sunday to make room for Anthony, only to return less than 24 hours later when Willson Contreras was placed on the injured list with a left hamstring strain.

Starting at first base Monday, Gasper launched a solo homer in the bottom of the first, his sixth home run in his last 12 games.

Gasper capped a ridiculous August by hitting .400 (12-for-30) with a 1.671 OPS. According to Elias Sports Bureau, Gasper’s 1.671 OPS ranks as the fifth-highest by a major league hitter in a calendar month since 1898, trailing only Ted Williams (2.314 in September 1957), Barry Bonds (1.828 in April 2004), Carlos Peña (1.754 in August 2005) and Bonds again in August 2003.

As long as Gasper keeps hitting like this, the Red Sox will find somewhere to put him.

Gasper also filled in admirably at first base with Contreras sidelined, particularly in the ninth inning. He made a pair of nice picks to save two throws from Story, helping Alec Gamboa strand the potential winning run at third base and send the game to extra innings.

Jarren Duran added to Boston’s early offense in the second, launching his 19th homer of the season into the right-field seats. Duran is now two shy of his career high of 21, set in 2024. He also has 18 stolen bases, putting him within reach of the second 20-homer, 20-steal season of his career.

The power surge has helped offset what has otherwise been a disappointing offensive season for Duran, whose average remains below .210. Only Contreras and Wilyer Abreu have hit more homers for Boston this season.

The early offense gave Payton Tolle some room to work, but the rookie couldn’t make it hold up.

Tolle allowed a run in the first before Boston moved ahead, then surrendered the tying run in the fifth. He did well to limit the damage after Seattle loaded the bases with nobody out, escaping the inning having allowed only one run.

His luck ran out in the sixth after he issued a leadoff walk and was removed two batters later as the Mariners began a four-run rally that turned a 5-3 Boston lead into a 7-5 deficit.

It marked the third consecutive start in which Tolle failed to complete six innings, an increasingly important issue for a Red Sox bullpen that has carried a significant workload.

That bullpen didn’t provide much relief Monday.

Tyron Guerrero, one of Boston’s most dependable relievers this season, was charged with three runs while recording just one out in the sixth. He faced five batters and retired only one. Erik Miller then surrendered a solo homer to Cal Raleigh in the seventh, extending Seattle’s lead to 8-5. It was the first earned run Miller has allowed since joining Boston at the trade deadline.

But the Red Sox weren’t finished.

Story helped ignite the comeback with his double in the eighth before Anthony continued his impressive return in the ninth. After going 2-for-4 in his first game back Sunday, Anthony reached base three more times Monday. He walked in the third, drove in a run with a double in the fifth and tripled to begin the ninth. Through his first two games back after missing more than three months, Anthony already has two doubles and a triple while consistently reaching base from the leadoff spot.

Story’s walk-off single was the seventh walk-off hit of his career and his first since last August against the Marlins. The veteran shortstop finished 2-for-5 with a double and three RBI, delivering twice during Boston’s late comeback.

Boston is expected to get another reinforcement Tuesday when active rosters expand from 26 to 28 players. Isiah Kiner-Falefa is expected to return after completing a rehab assignment with Worcester for left forearm inflammation.

His ability to play all four infield positions should give Tracy additional flexibility, particularly with Contreras sidelined and Story still working his way back into everyday action.

After a miserable conclusion to their trip through New York, the Red Sox found a much better way to end Monday night at Fenway.

“I was watching these games all summer,” Story said. “It was so fun to watch and now it’s so fun to be a part of it.”

The Mariners have lost five straight games, tied for their second-longest losing streak of the season, and are just 8-15 over their last 23 games since Aug. 6.

Monday also marked Seattle’s seventh walk-off loss of the season, while the Mariners fell to 7-7 in extra-inning games.

Boston and Seattle return Tuesday at 6:45 p.m. for the middle game of the three-game series. The Red Sox have not announced a starter, while right-hander Bryan Woo (9-9, 4.36 ERA) will take the mound for Seattle.