The Boston Red Sox walked off the Minnesota Twins 5-4 in 10 innings on Tuesday evening.
Minnesota’s pitching was solid the first nine innings, but fell apart in the 10th frame. Sonny Gray got the start, tossing five innings with seven strikeouts while only giving up one run. Jorge Lopez took the ball for the sixth inning, mowing down the Red sox in order with one strikeout. Caleb Thielbar tossed a clean seventh inning. In the eighth inning Griffin Jax would strike out the side, but gave up the game tying run. Jhoan Duran set down Boston 1-2-3 with two strikeouts in the ninth. In the 10th inning, Jovani Moran gave up three runs, blowing the save and being tagged with the loss.
Rafael Devers began the scoring for Boston with a first inning RBI single, 1-0 Red Sox. In the fifth inning Carlos Correa hit an RBI sacrifice fly for Minnesota, tying the game at 1-1. Max Kepler hit a 395 foot solo home run in the top of the seventh inning, giving the Twins a 2-1 lead. In the eighth inning, Jarren Duran drove in a run on a groundout, tying the game again, this time at 2-2.
Correa gets the job done and we’re tied up!#MNTwins pic.twitter.com/YuIUNe3Izg
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) April 19, 2023
MAD MAX! Kepler goes yard and the #MNtwins take the lead!! pic.twitter.com/nPex9D9kok
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) April 19, 2023
The 10th inning was a scoring frenzy. Minnesota scored two runs on a Byron Buxton sacrifice fly and a Jose Miranda groundout. The Twins lead 4-2.
That’ll work, Buck!#MNTwins pic.twitter.com/MklGHIoi1X
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) April 19, 2023
Little bit more of a cushion! #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/DtNSctyhCq
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) April 19, 2023
Then in the bottom half of the inning, Reese McGuire hit a two RBI single, tying the game at 4-4. Alex Verdugo would come up to the plate for Boston and crack a walk off RBI single, giving the Red Sox the 5-4 victory.
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli met with the media after the game:
“I feel like there were a sequence of things that happened that were unlikely.”
Rocco reacts to the craziness in the late innings of Tuesday’s loss.#MNTwins pic.twitter.com/0nd3Y0AwYS
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) April 19, 2023
Minnesota and Boston will square off again on Tuesday night with first pitch scheduled for 6:10 p.m. Joe Ryan will get the nod for the Twins while Corey Kluber get the start for the Red Sox.
