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Bogaerts, Martinez Lead Sox to 6-5 Win

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BOSTON – Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts went 2-for-4, with a run scored, a home run and  3 RBI to match his season high in RBI with his  2-run homer in the 1st to lead the Red Sox to a 6-5 win over the Seattle Mariners. Bogaerts has homered in three of the last four games and the Sox are 4-4 in their current eight-game home stand.

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J.D. Martinez followed for Boston and hit a solo home run down the right field line in the 3rd inning. to extend the Sox’ lead to 3-1. It was Martinez’ seventh homer of the season, matching his (60-game) 2020 season total.

Boston reliever Hirokazu Sawamura earned his first MLB win after entering in the 4th inning, leading 3-2 with two outs and runners on 1st and 2nd. Sawamura struck out Seattle OF Mitch Haniger to strand both runners. Overall, Sawamura has stranded each of his four inherited runners this season and seven of his nine appearances have been scoreless (1.80 ERA, 2 ER/10.0 IP).

Garrett Whitlock spelled Sawamura and extended a streak of 25 consecutive batters retired before allowing a two-out single to Sam Haggerty in the 6th inning. The string of scoreless innings marks the longest streak by a Red Sox pitcher since Chris Sale retired 25 consecutive batters in June 2019. Whitlock was credited with a hold.

The Mariners allowed six runs after holding opponents to five runs or fewer in each of their previous eight games, including 3 runs or fewer in 7 of those 8 games. Tonight’s 6-5 loss was their 10th one-run game of the season, the most in the majors.

The teams meet again at 1:10pm on Saturday at Fenway Park.

 

Seattle Defeats Boston in 10th Inning

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BOSTON – Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger hit a three-run homer in the 10th inning and the Seattle Mariners rallied to defeat the Boston Red Sox in the first game of a four-game series at Fenway Park.

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The Mariners managed only three hits, including doubles by Ty France and Sam Haggerty, but capitalized despite only one hit through the first nine innings. Mariners right-hander Rafael Montero (2-0) earned the victory after retiring the side in order in the ninth.

Red Sox right-hand pitcher Nick Pivetta didn’t allow a hit until the sixth inning, when France tied the game with a two-run double with two outs. Pivetta went six innings, allowing the two runs on one hit with three walks and four strikeouts. Boston’s Rafael Devers had two hits and a homer.

Boston Takes Key Game vs Phoenix Suns

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BOSTON – Celtics All-Star guard Kemba Walker tied his season-high with 32 points to lead Boston to a key victory over the visiting Phoenix Suns, 99-86, Thursday night at TD Garden. Walker shot 11 of 17 from the field for the Celtics (32-27), who won for the ninth time in their last 11 games. All-Star forward Jayson Tatum had 15 points and 11 rebounds for Boston as he returned from a left ankle injury.

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Boston played without its All-Star forward Jaylen Brown (shoulder), newly acquired forward Evan Fournier (health and safety) and center Robert Williams III (knee).

Veteran Phoenix guard Chris Paul had 22 points with eight rebounds and eight assists to lead the Suns (42-17), who lost for just the third time in their last 16 games. Suns guard Devin Booker had 15 points before fouling out.

The Celtics grabbed their largest lead of the game, 66-45, on a Tatum pull-up jumper with 7:13 left in the third quarter. A 10-2 Suns run prompted a Boston timeout, after which Mikal Bridges and Paul made short buckets to cut Phoenix’s deficit to single digits, 68-59.

Boston ended the period up 77-65. Later in the game, the Suns cut the deficit to nine, 90-81, but could not close the gap any further down the stretch.

Both Brown and Walker will be out tonight when the Celtics face Brooklyn.

 

MLB Legacies Take It to Red Sox

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BOSTON – MLB legacies Cavan Biggio, Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – batting one-two-three – in the Toronto Blue Jays’ order, combined to go 3-for-4 with a run scored and three RBI over the opening two innings of the game to lead Toronto to a 6-3 win over Boston at Fenway Park.

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Toronto snapped their three-game losing streak while the Red Sox dropped to 3-3 on their current home stand but 12-4 overall. Boston remains tied with the Oakland A’s for the best record in the AL (12-7, .632), and trail only the LA Dodgers (14-4, .778) for the best record in MLB.

Biggio and Guerrero are the sons of Baseball Hall of Famers Craig Biggio and 16-year veteran Vladimir Guerrero while Biggio is the son of former MLB outfielder Dante Bichette.

Toronto utilized seven pitchers with Trent Thornton getting the start, his first of the season. Thornton allowed an Alex Verdugo single and a Rafael Devers double over 2.0 scoreless innings to maintain his record of holding opponents scoreless in his last four outings (7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 4 SO).

Blue Jays reliever Ryan Borucki was credited with the win and Anthony Castro earned a save.

Boston Starter Garrett Richards (0-2) took the loss after going 4.2 innings and throwing a season-high 92 pitches. He allowed four runs on four hits and was hurt by six walks.

Boston SS Xander Bogaerts went 1-for-4 with a home run in the 8th inning, his second homer in two nights.

 

 

Boston College Signs with New Balance

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CHESTNUT HILL – (Source: Official Joint News Release) – Boston College athletics signed a 10-year agreement with Boston-based New Balance Athletics to become the Official Footwear and Apparel Provider for the Eagles. The deal will begin on June 1, 2021.

The largest financial footwear and apparel agreement in Boston College athletics history gives New Balance the right to provide uniforms, apparel, and footwear for 30 of BC’s 31 varsity sports. The partnership will also include the opportunity for Boston College student-athletes to be part of an annual internship program at New Balance.

“This partnership will be an absolute game-changer for Boston College athletics and our student-athletes,” said William V. Campbell Director of Athletics Pat Kraft. “This is not just a historic deal in terms of the financial value and amount of apparel for our department. The opportunities for our student-athletes to assist in product design and development of the footwear and apparel they will actually wear and compete in will be transformational.”

As New Balance looks to continue its growth with New Balance Basketball, a key element in this partnership focuses on the innovation and investment in the men’s and women’s basketball programs. New Balance will work closely with both programs to aid in design and product enhancements and is dedicated to their success both on and off the court.

“This progressive collaboration joins two world-class Boston-based teams with strong synergies at our core and enables a broad spectrum of initiatives that will drive innovation, performance and creativity,” says Ray Hilvert, Vice President of Global Team Sports at New Balance. “Boston College athletics is known for its historic commitment to excellence and we look forward to working with Pat Kraft, Father Leahy and the entire Boston College team to build a strong and dynamic relationship that benefits student-athletes and our shared communities.”

The partnership will grant several BC teams access to the new state-of-the-art TRACK@New Balance that is currently under construction. The new sports complex at Boston Landing will feature a 200-meter hydraulically banked track, seating for more than 5,000 spectators, and facilities for training, events, and recovery.

Officially licensed Boston College apparel will be available online this summer on BCEagles.com and New Balance.com in addition to both New Balance Boston retail locations and the Boston College Bookstore.

Boston College cited its longstanding appreciation for New Balance’s history and corporate mission as factors in its decision to seek the agreement. Since 1972, when the company was purchased by Jim Davis, New Balance has grown from six employees manufacturing 30 pairs of shoes per day in a single location to a global brand with more than 7,000 associates worldwide and global annual sales of $3.3 billion in 2020.

Headquartered in Boston, New Balance owns and operates four factories in New England and one in the United Kingdom, and New Balance Foundation– established by Jim and Anne Davis in 1981–has donated more than $110 million in total grants to non-profit organizations to develop high-impact, long-term, sustainable initiatives that enrich the lives of children, their families and their communities.

Red Sox Win 12th of Last 15 Games

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BOSTON – After a day off to rest, Boston shortstop Xander Bogaerts hit a three-run home run to provide Boston starter Eduardo Rodriguez with some run support in his first start at Fenway Park since 2019. That combination gave the Boston Red Sox their second consecutive win and 12 wins in their last 15 games, by way of  a 4-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night.

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Rodriguez (3-0), who missed last season due to COVID-19 complications, allowed two runs on three hits over six innings and struck out six for AL East-leading Boston. The Boston bullpen was strong, as Matt Andriese, Adam Ottavino and Matt Barnes each worked a scoreless inning in relief. Barnes earned his third save.

Toronto Blue Jays starter Hyun Jin Ryu (1-2) pitched five innings, giving up eight hits, four runs and striking out two.

Rodriguez received a warm greeting from the COVID-19 protocol-limited Fenway faithful  crowd of 4,728.

Boston 2B Christian Arroyo and OF/DH J.D. Martinez singled ahead of Bogaerts’ blast to left-center in the bottom of the inning. Red Sox utility man Marwin Gonzalez doubled later in the fourth and 1B Bobby Dalbec drove him in with a triple.

Celtics Fall Short Against Bulls

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BOSTON – Boston’s All-Star forward Jayson Tatum recorded 14 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in his first career triple-double for the Celtics, but the club’s six-game winning streak came to an end as the visiting Chicago Bulls outlasted the shorthanded Boston Celtics, 102-96, on Monday night at TD Garden.

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Jaylen Brown led the team with 23 points but Boston played without guards Marcus Smart and Kemba Walker, both sidelined with non-COVID illness. Boston center Robert Williams III (knee) and forward Evan Fournier (health and safety) also remained sidelined.

Chicago’s Nikola Vucevic scored 29 points to carry the Bulls to the victory. Vucevic added nine rebounds as the Bulls won their second straight game after a five-game losing streak. Coby White scored 19 and Thaddeus Young and Garrett Temple 13 apiece as Chicago remained without top scorer Zach LaVine for a third straight game due to health and safety protocol.

 

 

It Was Patri-HITS Day for Sox at Fenway

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BOSTON – The Boston Red Sox celebrated the annual Commonwealth of Massachusetts holiday, Patriots’ Day, by turning it into “Patri-HITS” Day, clocking 17 hits and scoring 11 runs, six coming in a first inning bat-around barrage against Chicago White Sox starter and All-Star pitcher Lucas Giolito. Ultimately, the Red Sox registered an 11-4 victory to counter the sweep at the hands of the White Sox on Sunday.

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Boston’s strong offensive output supported the efforts of their starter, Nathan Eovaldi, who pitched 6.1 innings, allowing nine hits and four earned runs while striking out 10 batters and walking none. Eovaldi is now (3-1) and has emerged as the Sox ace starter in this young 2021 season when the Red Sox have surprised the American League East with an 11-6 record, after starting the season 0-3.

Eovaldi has not walked any of his last 51 batters he’s faced (beginning in the 7th inning on April 7 game vs. TB) and has not allowed a home run in his last six starts. Dating back to last season, he is 6-1 with a 2.01 ERA and 0.99 WHIP over his last 8 starts (44.2 IP, 29 H, 10 ER, 6 BB, 49 SO). He has started four games for Boston this season and leads the team in wins.

Boston has now scored 10+ runs for the third time (14 on 4/11 at Baltimore, and 11 on 4/5 vs. Tampa).. The Sox offense came alive after a semi-dormant weekend, homering three times for their 2nd-highest single-game total (six HRs on 4/11 at Baltimore). Six Red Sox players had multiple hits, including each of the “one” through “five” hitters. Three players – Alex Verdugo, J.D. Martinez and Rafael Devers – had 3+ hits.

Chicago surrendered 10+ runs for the first time in 2021, with the previous occurrence coming last September 27th against their cross-town rival Cubs. The six runs allowed in the 1st was their most in the opening frame since August 31, 2019 vs. Atlanta (6 runs, 11-5 loss).

As the game became out of hand, catcher/DH Yermín Mercedes (7th) and Danny Mendick (8th) each made their first career pitching appearances to mark the first time a position player has pitched for the White Sox since Yolmer Sánchez last September.

The Red Sox will next face the Toronto Blue Jays for a two game series, starting Tuesday night, and then the Seattle Mariners will be at Fenway Park for a four-game set from Thursday through the weekend.

 

WHITE-WASHED!

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BOSTON – Designated hitter Yermín Mercedes started the dismantling of Boston with a home run in Chicago’s three-run fourth inning, and the White Sox completed a sweep of the Sunday “day-evening” doubleheader against the Red Sox on with a 5-1 victory at Fenway Park.

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Nick Madrigal had two hits and drove in two runs for Chicago, which climbed back to .500 at 8-8. In the opener, Tim Anderson homered on the game’s first pitch and Dallas Keuchel pitched five solid innings in a 3-2 victory.

Catcher Yasmani Grandal had an RBI double and former Red Sox 3B Yoán Moncada drove in a run with a single for the White Sox. Keuchel (1-0) gave up two runs and Hendriks got his second save.

Boston was held to four hits in the nightcap, anchored by Keuchel’s impressive performance.

The doubleheader was scheduled after Friday’s game was postponed due to snow and rain.

 

Red Sox Drop First of Two on Sunday

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BOSTON – Chicago White Sox starter Dallas Keuchel (1-0) gave up two runs and six hits, but breezed through his first seven batters and enjoyed early run support by way of a Tim Anderson home run on the first pitch in the 1st inning to set the tone in Chicago’s 3-2 victory over Boston.

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It was just the second loss in the last 12 games for the Red Sox, who wore their yellow-and-blue Nike City Series uniforms for the second straight game to celebrate the usual April tradition of the Boston Marathon. The race will be held in October this year, as the Boston Athletic Association hopes for more clearance from the COVID-19 disease.

Boston made it close and exciting in the 7th and final inning when Kiké Hernández homered around the right-field foul pole for the Red Sox, which entered the day with a majors’ most come-from-behind victories with seven.

When 1B Bobby Dalbec struck-out with a man on first, the come-from-behind streak remained at seven.