Post by Admin on May 5, 2023 12:34:56 GMT -5
Masataka Yoshida’s 3-hit game, Rafael Devers’ 150th HR cement sweep of Blue Jays
The Red Sox swept the Blue Jays in a series of 4+ games for the first time since 2002.
(Matt Stone/Boston Herald) By Gabrielle Starr | gstarr@bostonherald.com |
(Matt Stone/Boston Herald) By Gabrielle Starr | gstarr@bostonherald.com |
It was as if the manager foresaw the future like a Jedi Master.
“This guy pitching tonight, he dominated us (last year),” Alex Cora said before the Red Sox faced Kevin Gausman in Thursday evening’s Star Wars Night game. “Hopefully, today we can grind at-bats, get that pitch count up … hopefully, we can get him out of the game early enough and get to the bullpen.”
That’s exactly what Cora’s team did in the series finale of the four-game set and sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Led by Masataka Yoshida, who had three hits by the fourth inning, the home team got to Gausman early and often, and by the bottom of the fourth inning, he was gone, charged with eight earned runs on 10 hits during an 11-5 romp.
LF Masataka Yoshida celebrates his solo HR in the 4th inning during Boston’s win over Toronto on Tuesday night. (Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
Yoshida took the Blue Jays starter deep on the first pitch of his first career at-bat against him, then singled in the second and fourth frames. He extended his hit streak, which already leads the majors, to 14 games, and his multi-hit streak to four.
“He’s a phenom,” Rafael Devers said via translator Daveson Pérez. “Sometimes I watch him and I’m like, how does he do that?”
Gausman needed 25 pitches to get through the first inning, and was up to 61 by the end of the second. Through the first two frames, he allowed six earned runs, more than he’d given up in any 2022 game. It could’ve been even worse; Triston Casas was the first and last batter to come to bat in the second, and when he struck out to end the inning, two players were left on base.
By comparison, Brayan Bello was efficient and controlled early in his fourth start, only allowing one baserunner through three, and one run through four. The 23-year-old righty didn’t issue a walk until the fifth, but that’s when things got dicey. After getting the leadoff man out, he allowed the next four batters to reach and score three runs to cut the lead to 8-4, though only one run was charged to him.
But Bello got through five innings, and exited with only two earned runs on the day. He became the 10th consecutive Red Sox starter to pitch five or more innings, the team’s longest streak since May 2021.
“Good stuff today,” his manager praised. “He gave us five. He’s just a kid, he’s learning … they did a lot of damage last year against him, right? And today was a step in the right direction.”
Brennan Bernardino also deserves attention for how effective he’s been since joining the team. Since the Red Sox claimed him off waivers from the Seattle Mariners in April, and activated him during their series in Milwaukee, he’s made six appearances for the major league club. He’s yet to allow an earned run, and hasn’t allowed a hit in his last three games.
John Schreiber took over with one out seventh, and looked more like his dominant 2022 self than he has all spring. He immediately struck out back-to-back batters, then pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning with a strikeout and double play.
The lineup decided to keep adding on. Raimel Tapia walked, stole his second base of the night, and scored on Justin Turner’s third hit of the game to make it 9-4.
Then, to really put an exclamation point on this game, Devers clobbered a first-pitch home run to make it 11-4. His 11th homer of the season is also the 150th of his career, which moves him into sole possession of 18th most in franchise history. It only took the 26-year-old third baseman 721 games to reach the milestone; according to the team’s media relations. Ted Williams and Jim Rice are the only Red Sox players to reach it faster.
“To get 150 at that age is unreal,” Cora said. “It’s unreal, and the joy he’s playing with, you know, it’s fun. He stops by the office every night like, ‘We’re good. We’re good.’ ”
“I’m super proud of that new milestone,” Devers said (via Pérez), adding that it “feels good to know” that the lineup can pick him up when he’s struggling.
“I’ve been saying from the beginning, we have a good team,” the third baseman reiterated. “Dugie (Alex Verdugo) didn’t even play today,” he said, to emphasize how impressive the 11-run, 16-hit barrage was.
“I’m super proud of that new milestone,” Devers said (via Pérez), adding that it “feels good to know” that the lineup can pick him up when he’s struggling.
“I’ve been saying from the beginning, we have a good team,” the third baseman reiterated. “Dugie (Alex Verdugo) didn’t even play today,” he said, to emphasize how impressive the 11-run, 16-hit barrage was.
Last year, the Red Sox only won three of 19 games against the Blue Jays, and lost the last nine matchups. In one particularly hard-to-watch contest, they gave up a franchise record 28 runs. All in all, the Toronto outscored Boston 125-55.
By the fourth inning, this version of the Red Sox had double-digit hits for the fourth time in the series. Raimel Tapia, Turner and Jarren Duran combined for five stolen bases, a total not reached since Sept. 12, 2020.
In this four-game sweep, the Red Sox collected at least 13 hits and plated six or more runs in every game, outscoring the Blue Jays 32-19. They own the American League’s longest active winning streak, tied for the longest in the majors.
On April 30, the Red Sox were at the bottom of the division standings. Four days later, they’re in third.
At spring training, David Ortiz said he likes when people see the Red Sox as underdogs.
“Not many people pay attention to you, they focus on the big dog,” he said. “And that’s when the underdog shows up.”
