Alex Verdugo led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a home run into the right field bullpen as the Boston Red Sox defeated the visiting Toronto Blue Jays 6-5 on Monday to open a four-game series.
Jarren Duran and Enmanuel Valdez hit homers in the sixth inning and joined Verdugo among Boston’s five players with multiple hits.
The Red Sox totaled 13 hits, ultimately winning the game against Toronto closer Jordan Romano (2-2). It was Boston’s fourth walk-off win of the season.
Reliever Josh Winckowski (2-0) earned the victory despite allowing two runs, one unearned, on errors in the eighth, permitting the Blue Jays to tie the game.
Bo Bichette went 5-for-5, including a three-run homer that gave Toronto a 3-2 lead in the second inning.
Kevin Kiermaier scored two runs for the Blue Jays.
Boston starter Corey Kluber matched his season-high of seven strikeouts and allowed three runs on five hits and four walks across 5 1/3 innings.
After Kluber stranded two runners in the first, the Red Sox took a 2-0 lead before Jose Berrios recorded an out.
Boston’s first four batters reached, with back-to-back doubles by Verdugo and Masataka Yoshida plating the opening run. Yoshida clanked his RBI double high off the Green Monster in left field and scored when Justin Turner lined a base hit inside the right field line.
Boston was held off the scoreboard for the next four innings, despite tagging Berrios for 11 hits and two walks in 5 1/3 innings.
Toronto drew two walks against Kluber in the second, including one by No. 9 hitter Kiermaier with two outs and a runner on first. Bichette made him pay with his seventh homer of the season, a shot to left.
The Boston offense squandered multiple opportunities to erase its 3-2 deficit as Verdugo and Rafael Devers grounded into double plays to end the fourth and fifth, respectively.
Duran led off the sixth with a game-tying homer deep to straightaway center. After Triston Casas drew a one-out walk, Valdez’s first career home run gave Boston a 5-3 lead.
Boston’s Chris Martin worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh.
Shortstop Enrique Hernandez’s two throwing errors helped Toronto erased Boston’s lead an inning later. Hernandez had started the frame by making a diving stop and throw to retire Danny Jansen.
–Field Level Media
