Trevor Story's three-run homer lifts Red Sox past Rangers, 4-3, avoiding sweep

The Red Sox were six outs away from being swept out of Texas with an offense that had done almost nothing for three nights.

Then Trevor Story came home and changed everything for the Red Sox with one swing of the bat. 

Story, who grew up roughly 15 miles from Globe Life Field in Irving, Texas, crushed a go-ahead three-run homer in the eighth inning Thursday night, lifting the Red Sox to a dramatic 4-3 win over the Rangers.

“Good teams find a way to win and we’ve been doing that in the second half and that’s kind of who you become,” Story said after the game. “And you feel that momentum, you feel that vibe around the game and we never give up.”

The victory allowed Boston (83-70) to salvage the finale of a frustrating three-game series and reduced its postseason magic number to three with nine games remaining.

But the biggest swing of Story’s season came moments after a potentially significant injury to Willson Contreras, who was hit on the right hand by a pitch and left the game in considerable pain. Initial X-rays were negative, according to interim manager Chad Tracy.

“He’s got a bruise on the hand and some swelling,” Tracy said. “We’ll take it day-to-day and see how he is. It got him on the top of the hand as he turned through on his right hand.”

Until the eighth, Boston’s offense appeared headed toward another forgettable night.

The Red Sox had scored just six runs over the first 25 innings of the series and entered the eighth Thursday 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position while leaving seven on base.

Wilyer Abreu started the rally by drawing a walk against Jakob Junis. Contreras then checked his swing at a 92.3 mph sinker that struck him on the right hand.

Contreras immediately shook his hand in pain and slowly made his way to first. Once there, with Abreu checking on him, Contreras crouched down as Tracy and the athletic trainer came out to examine him.

“Sore. Painful,” Contreras said, describing his injury. “My hand was numb for like five minutes. That was the reason I came out of the game. I have fractured, before, the same hand. It felt like a fracture. Thankfully, it’s not a fracture on the top of the bone. I’m just frustrated.”

He was removed for pinch-runner Isiah Kiner-Falefa.

Contreras said afterward that the initial pain “felt like a fracture,” making the negative X-rays an encouraging first development. His status remains one to watch closely with the postseason approaching.

“He was trying to pitch inside like everybody else,” Contreras said. “A lot of people might say that I hit on top of the plate but I’m seeing a lot of players who hit on top of the plate that don’t get hit like me. If nobody does anything about it, I’m gonna keep getting hit. That’s the way I see it.”

Contreras is unsure whether he’ll be in the Sox’ lineup on Friday night down in St. Pete. 

“It’s really frustrating because I just came off the IL,” Contreras said. “I missed my 10 days. Sore bones in the hands, it might take two days, might take a week, might take 10 days. We’ll know how I feel after taking this plane to Tampa.”

With Contreras down, the Sox needed someone else in their lineup to step up late in the game. 

All-Star closer Jacob Latz took over and, with one out, got Story into a 2-2 count. Latz dropped a curveball near the bottom of the strike zone, but Story stayed back and unloaded.

His three-run homer left the bat at 108.2 mph and traveled 394 feet into the left-field seats, instantly turning a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 lead.

“A huge swing,” Tracy said. “We obviously needed a win. All the credit to him ... That was a hell of an at-bat against a really good pitcher in a really big spot.”

It was Story’s first home run since returning from the injured list and provided some redemption after he struck out with runners on second and third to end the sixth.