Wilyer Abreu hit a game-winning RBI single in the 10th inning to lift the Boston Red Sox to a come-from-behind, 5-4 win over the visiting St. Louis Cardinals in the first game of a Sunday doubleheader.
Abreu’s deciding knock to left field scored Alex Bregman from second base to win the game for Boston, which opened the series with a home-opening victory in its Friday home opener.
The Red Sox forced extras after drawing four walks — including one to Rafael Devers with the bases loaded to drive in the game-tying run — against St. Louis reliever Ryan Helsley in the ninth. Romy Gonzalez, who went 2-for-2 off the bench, also had an RBI double during the inning.
Boston closer Aroldis Chapman (2-0) earned the victory, striking out two in the 10th.
Before the game was tied, Pedro Pages doubled in back-to-back at-bats to drive in three runs to give the Cardinals a 4-2 lead in the eighth.
Pages entered after starting catcher Ivan Herrera left the game at the conclusion of the top of the third with left knee inflammation.
With St. Louis trailing 2-1 in the sixth, Pages knocked a game-tying double into the right-field corner to plate Thomas Saggese, who knocked a leadoff single through the right side and advanced into scoring position on a Masyn Winn hit two batters later.
A one-out walk and hit by pitch against Red Sox reliever Garrett Whitlock got the Cardinals going in the eighth. Pages then plated the go-ahead runs on a two-run double off the wall in right-center field.
Jordan Walker and Winn both had two hits for St. Louis. Ryan Fernandez (0-1) took the loss.
Red Sox starter Sean Newcomb stranded the bases loaded and worked out of a two-on jam in the second and third, respectively, but the bottom of the St. Louis lineup plated a fourth-inning run on three singles.
Walker led off with an infield single and scored after back-to-back, one-out hits by Victor Scott II and Winn, the latter of which snuck through the right side for the game-opening RBI.
The home team responded quickly with single runs in back-to-back at-bats to take the lead. Refsnyder’s one-out walk got the Boston offense started in the fourth, and he swiped second before a David Hamilton single through the right side made it 1-1.
Devers flipped the score Boston’s way for the first time in the fifth, knocking a one-out solo homer over the Green Monster in left-center.
A Massachusetts native, Newcomb struck out five in 4 2/3 innings in his Red Sox debut at Fenway Park. He allowed just one run, working around six hits and three walks.
St. Louis’ Andre Pallante, who also stranded the bases loaded after back-to-back singles started the Boston second, was pulled after 4 1/3.
–Field Level Media
