The Boston Red Sox extended their winning streak to eight games with a dramatic 12-11, 13-inning victory over the Chicago White Sox on Thursday night at Fenway Park. The marathon contest, lasting four hours and 23 minutes, featured multiple comebacks by Boston and marked the first time in the modern era a team scored in five separate innings in the ninth or later.
Caleb Durbin delivered the decisive blow with a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the thirteenth inning, scoring automatic runner Nick Sogard to end the game. The Red Sox trailed by as many as four runs, including a 4-0 deficit in the third inning, but rallied repeatedly. Connor Wong’s home run in the third inning began Boston’s comeback efforts in a game that saw the lead change hands multiple times.
Following this victory, the Red Sox have now won 26 of their last 29 games. Interim manager Chad Tracy, who took over the team in late April when they were 10-17, called the win "at the top of the list" of memorable games.
"This team is a pain in the butt [to play against] and they’re relentless, a bunch of great players, they hustle everywhere,” said backup catcher Jake Rogers, who was acquired at the trade deadline. The Red Sox, now 63-51, are closing in on the AL East leaders, sitting a half-game behind the Yankees for second place and five games back of the Rays for first.
