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Archives for July 12, 2026

Nine Lives

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FLUSHING – (Wire Service Report) – Anthony Siegler had the tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the 10th inning Sunday for the visiting Boston Red Sox, who won their ninth straight game by edging the New York Mets 3-2 in the finale of a three-game interleague series.

The Red Sox forced extras in the ninth, when Andrew Monasterio had a bases-loaded walk and Jarren Duran had an RBI single. Connor Wong led off the 10th by sacrificing Masataka Yoshida to third before Siegler followed with a fly ball three pitches later against Brooks Raley (4-4).

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Monasterio, Duran, Connor Wong and Cedanne Rafaela had one hit each for the Red Sox, whose winning streak is their longest since a 10-game run last July.

This winning streak has been built entirely on the road by the Red Sox, who swept three-game sets from the Los Angeles Angels and Chicago White Sox before never trailing the Mets Friday or Saturday.

Aroldis Chapman (1-3) worked around Jared Young’s one-out single in the ninth and Garrett Whitlock notched his second save by retiring all three batters in the 10th.

Francisco Lindor had a run-scoring double in the first and homered in the sixth before his one-out error extended the ninth inning for the Mets, who fell to 4-7 this month.

Red Sox starter Peyton Tolle allowed one run on three hits and one walk while striking out seven over 3 2/3 innings.

Mets rookie Zach Thornton, pitching in the majors for the first time since June 26, gave up two hits and walked two while striking out five over seven innings. Thornton didn’t allow a hit until Monasterio doubled to left field with one out in the fifth.

Luke Weaver threw a 1-2-3 eighth before Rafaela began the Red Sox’s comeback by singling to lead off the ninth against closer Devin Williams, who got Wilyer Abreu to pop out before Romy Gonzalez grounded to short.

 

Every Sinner has a Future

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LONDON – (Wire Service Report) – Italy’s Jannik Sinner found another Wimbledon title waiting on the other side of disappointment in Paris.

The world No. 1 successfully defended his championship at the All England Club on Sunday, rallying past Germany’s Alexander Zverev 6-7 (7), 7-6 (2), 6-3, 6-4 on Centre Court. Sinner’s fifth Grand Slam title came in his first tournament since a second-round collapse at the French Open ended his 30-match winning streak.

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It marked the second straight year the Italian star responded to a painful Roland Garros exit by lifting the trophy in London. Last year, Sinner arrived at Wimbledon after letting three championship points slip away against Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in the French Open final.

“There is no better place to play tennis,” Sinner said afterward. “You can feel the nerves Sunday morning waking up and it is a very special day and you never know how many times you will be able to come back on Sunday, so I never take things for granted.”

Zverev gave Sinner little room early Sunday. The German repeatedly leaned on his serve and captured a tight opening-set tiebreaker, ending a run of 14 consecutive sets lost to Sinner.

Sinner answered by taking control of the second tiebreaker. The first break point for either player did not arrive until the third set, more than 2 1/2 hours into the match.

That game also raised the biggest concern of the final. Zverev slipped behind the baseline while trying to change direction on a Sinner drop shot and grabbed his right knee. He kept playing after Sinner crossed the net to help him up, but soon missed a forehand, losing the first break of the match and falling behind 5-3.

Sinner served out the third set, then struck again in the fourth. He held the advantage until match point, when a forehand winner down the line ended the contest and sent him onto his back on the grass in celebration.

“It has been an amazing final once again and it always takes two players and Sascha (Zverev’s nickname) and I tried to give everything we had,” Sinner said. “I am very happy about the win, but also the level that we both played.”

Sinner had a 58-49 edge in winners and committed just 25 unforced errors to Zverev’s 45.

The victory extended Sinner’s winning streak against Zverev to 10 matches and made him the 10th man in the Open Era to successfully defend the Wimbledon singles title.

“I’m very happy that I’m trying to do my best every day,” Sinner said. “Sometimes you have a tournament with a good outcome, and sometimes you just don’t.

“There is no failure if you don’t win a Grand Slam. Now I have five in my whole life. We talk about five Grand Slams, but that’s five days out of so many other days. These are very, very rare days.

“You just want to enjoy it. Today was a very tough day. If I lose, it’s still a great day. Playing a Grand Slam final, it’s so rare and so special.”

Zverev was looking for his second straight major championship. He won the French Open last month.

“At 29 years old, this is the first time that I believe I can actually win this trophy,” Zverev said of the Wimbledon hardware. “… We had a pretty good two months even though we lost this final. An amazing two months.”

–Field Level Media

Nine in a Row? Can It Be True?

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FLUSHING (Wire Service Report) – The last time the Boston Red Sox won nine straight games on the road, it was 1977 and their stars were named Jim Rice, Carl Yastrzemski and Carlton Fisk.

Back in the 2026 playoff hunt going into the All-Star break, Boston will try to not just sweep the weekend series with the New York Mets on Sunday, it will also attempt to polish off a 9-0 road trip. The eight-game win streak started with three-contest sweeps at the Los Angeles Angels and Chicago White Sox before arriving in New York.

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The Red Sox kept rolling Saturday with a 4-0 win as fill-in starter Eduardo Rivera fired 3 2/3 innings and allowed only one hit. Boston interim manager Chad Tracy opted for a bullpen game instead of starting Brayan Bello, and five relievers teamed for a three-hitter, the team’s ninth shutout of the year.

“It feels good, obviously,” Tracy said of the difference between this stretch and most of the season. “You could feel the vibes at times. We were struggling to score and things didn’t feel good. Now we’re doing a fantastic job.”

As is often the case when teams get on a roll, Boston is receiving contributions up and down the roster. Andruw Monasterio and Masataka Yoshida each belted two-run homers on Saturday to support the pitching staff’s efforts.

Each homer scored Chad Durbin, who batted cleanup for the first time this year. Durbin normally bats lower but Tracy didn’t make a big deal of moving him up to a glamour spot in the order.

“Just take your at-bats,” he said. “You get on base and try to make it as good as you can.”

Rookie left-hander Payton Tolle (5-6, 3.14 ERA) attempts to help Boston complete the perfect road trip in the series finale. He’s coming off an 8-1 win Tuesday night at the Chicago White Sox, yielding just two hits and a walk in six scoreless innings while fanning six. This will be his first career outing against the Mets.

New York will turn to Zach Thornton (0-1, 4.35) for his third career start. The rookie lefty last pitched on June 26, receiving a no-decision in a 2-1 home loss to Philadelphia despite allowing only five hits and a run in six innings with a walk and seven strikeouts.

Interim manager Andy Green was impressed with how Thornton did not back down from hitters in his two big league starts.

“Most days, he’s gonna fill up the strike zone and he’s gonna attack,” Green said. “He’s unafraid, he’s gonna give you what he’s got, he’s gonna step on the mound and he’s gonna be aggressive.”

Given how little New York has done with the bats in the first two games, Thornton might need to be outstanding. The Mets have managed just two runs, both on Friday, and went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position on Saturday while stranding nine men.

Offense has been an issue for New York. It ranks 26th in the majors in batting average (.234), 28th in on-base percentage (.304) and 27th in slugging (.381). Injuries to projected mainstays like shortstop Bo Bichette and second baseman Marcus Semien haven’t helped.

Bichette (ankle) was able to serve as a pinch hitter Saturday and drew a walk. He could play Sunday, while Semien (hip) will likely remain out until early August.

–Field Level Media