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Red Sox Put One in the “W” Column

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Red Sox will turn to veteran right-hander Sonny Gray while the visiting Milwaukee Brewers will counter with left-hander Shane Drohan in the rubber match of a three-game series on Wednesday afternoon.

Drohan will make his major league debut against his former organization after being acquired in an offseason trade with Boston.

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Gray (1-0, 4.50 ERA), who totaled 27 wins over the previous two seasons with St. Louis, notched his first victory with the Red Sox in his most recent start.

Boston snapped a three-game skid on Tuesday night and evened the series with a 3-2 victory despite managing just three hits. The Red Sox, who are only 3-8 this season, converted three consecutive walks for three runs in the sixth inning off hard-throwing Jacob Misiorowski for a 3-0 lead, keyed by Trevor Story’s two-run, bases-loaded double.

Milwaukee answered with two runs in the seventh off starter Garrett Crochet but stranded runners on second and third.

“A night like tonight, you know who’s on the other side and you kind of know that you’ve got to be on your A -game,” Crochet said afterward about Misiorowski, who struck out 10 in 5 1/3 innings.

Gray picked up the victory his last time out, allowing two runs on four hits in six innings in a 5-2 win over San Diego on Friday.

“It’s a team effort, for sure,” Gray said afterward. “But I do think it’s the starting pitcher’s job to come out and attack, put zeros on the board and give your team a chance. That’s just kind of what my mindset was today — to just attack early, get back to being you. And we had a good game plan going in.”

Gray is 5-6 with a 4.55 ERA in 20 career starts vs. Milwaukee.

Drohan was called up Monday from Triple-A Nashville after reliever Jared Koenig was placed on the 15-day injured list. Drohan was acquired in February from Boston with pitcher Kyle Harrison and infielder David Hamilton for infielders Caleb Durbin, Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler.

Drohan made one start this season at Triple-A Nashville, allowing two runs on three hits in 3 1/3 innings without a decision. He was 5-1 with a 2.27 ERA last season in 12 games, including 11 starts, for Worcester, Boston’s Triple-A affiliate.

Drohan was 1-2 with a 4.26 ERA in four spring training outings with Milwaukee, allowing seven runs (six earned) in 12 2/3 innings. He struck out 15 and walked four.

The Brewers, already without injured starters Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn, were without second baseman Brice Turang on Tuesday night. Turang, hitting .270 with seven RBIs, has been dealing with a foot or ankle injury, although he probably is not slated for the injured list, Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Tuesday.

“Turang’s playing on one leg, and he hasn’t got great numbers on this road trip, but he’s helped us win,” Murphy told MLB.com. “He’s been on base, he’s played defense. He’s a threat when he’s taking his walks, which is crucial for what he needs to do.”

–Field Level Media

A Lousy 2-8 Skidoo …

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Red Sox will try to end a three-game losing streak and avoid dropping their fourth straight series when they host the Milwaukee Brewers tonight. Milwaukee opened the three-game set by overcoming a three-run deficit en route to an 8-6 victory on Monday.

Christian Yelich recorded three of the Brewers’ 11 hits, plus an RBI.

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“Our offense … it doesn’t matter what the score is, we can grind out at-bats, get guys on and make things happen for sure,” said starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff, who gave up three runs and seven hits over 5 2/3 innings.

“Early in the year when it’s cold like this, you’re just trying to give your team a chance to win. Yeah, it would be great to throw up zeros, but the way the  game was transpiring, I was just trying to give us a chance. Getting into the sixth was big. It was huge for the guys down in the (bullpen) because we were short. I knew I needed to do that.”

After starting the season by losing two of three games in Cincinnati, Boston was swept by Houston and then lost two of three against San Diego.

“It was a great win,” Yelich said Monday. “It was a toughness win from the guys. We got down. It was cold out there (low 40s at game time). We got a short ‘pen, and we found a way to win. We’re willing to grind with anybody. Just proud of the guys for finding a way there.”

Boston committed two errors during Monday’s loss and has 11 in 10 games. The boos may have been the loudest after Roman Anthony committed a throwing error in the eighth inning that allowed a run to score and give Milwaukee a 7-5 lead.

“It wasn’t a good throw,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “(Pitcher Garrett Whitlock) didn’t back up. We’re just watching the play. When the ball is hit we got to go somewhere. The only people that can watch is the people in the stands, and obviously they’re not too happy.

“That’s why we love it here because their expectations are up there with us. And right now we deserve whatever they’re thinking. We’re not playing good baseball and we know it.”

Willson Contreras was a bright spot for the Red Sox, hitting a solo home run and reaching base a career-high five times.

It will be a battle of aces on Tuesday when Boston left-hander Garrett Crochet (1-1, 3.27 ERA) is scheduled to start opposite right-hander Jacob Misiorowski (1-0, 2.45).

Crochet took the loss in his last start after allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits in five innings of a 6-4 defeat to Houston on Wednesday. He is 0-1 with a 2.13 ERA in two career appearances against Milwaukee, with 19 strikeouts in 12 2/3 innings.

“Like I said a few days ago, we have to pitch to get to .500 and go where we want to go,” Cora said. “We have to pitch, that’s the bottom line. We walked eight (on Monday). They had 18 at-bats with men in scoring position. It’s very hard to win that way. Very hard.”

Misiorowski will make his first career appearance against the Red Sox. He has thrown 20 pitches this season clocked at 100 mph or higher. In his most recent outing, he gave two runs and four hits over six innings in a no-decision vs. Tampa Bay on Wednesday. Misiorowski struck out seven and walked two in his team’s 8-2 victory.

–Field Level Media

Padres Come From Behind, Beat Sox 8-6

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor-in-Chief

BOSTON – San Diego closer Mason Miller entered the game in the bottom of the ninth inning to much fanfare. Fenway Park’s welcome was actually a rallying cry to the home Boston Red Sox and they came to the plate with the heart of the order scheduled to bat. Miller struck out Boston shortstop Trevor Story on three pitches, then got No. 3 hitter Jarren Duran with only four pitches.

Lastly, Miller earned his fourth save of the season by mowing down Willson Contreras with a 89 mph slider to strike out the side and secure an 8-6 victory for the visiting Padres (4-5). The Red Sox fell to (2-7) and will limp into a three-game set vs. Milwaukee on Monday night at Fenway..

After a paltry 1-5 start to the 2026 Major League Baseball season, the Boston Red Sox needed two big games. One came on their home opening day, on Friday, when the Sox defeated the San Diego Padres 5-2 before a festive sellout crowd at Fenway Park, but the other fell short Sunday, when the Sox faced those same Padres in the rubber-game of their three-game series and dropped it.

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Boston tallied first, scoring four runs in the bottom half of the third inning. The inning began with two base-on-balls issued to catcher Carlos Narvaez and designated hitter Roman Anthony, respectively. After Boston Story moved the runners up a base with a ground-out to first, centerfielder Jarren Duran laced a double down the right field side, scoring both Narvaez and Anthony.

Later in the inning, Boston’s rightfielder Wilyer Abreu cracked a drive to the wall in right for a stand-up triple. Left fielder Masataka Yoshida followed with a double to right, scoring Abreu and giving Boston a 4-0 lead. With that, San Diego yanked starter Walker Buehler in the third as his line was a horrid, 2.2 IP, three hots, four runs, all earned  with three walks and four strike-outs. Buehler threw 61 pitches in his 2.2 IP with 33 strikes.

San Diego followed a half-inning later, tallying three runs on four hits and an error. Fernando Tatis Jr. started the rally wqith a double ripped to the left-center field gap. Centerfielder Jackson Merrill knocked in Tatis with a base hit to right and Manny Machado followed immediately afterward with a single. The two runners advanced on an errant throw by Boston’s backstop, Narvaez, and newly acquired first baseman Nick Castellanos knocked in the pair of runners with a single to cut the Red Sox lead to 4-3. . Castellanos was batting .154 when the game started.

San Diego scored another three runs in the 5th inning. Catcher Luis Campusano and Merrill each singled to set the table for Padres third baseman and All-Star Manny Machado’s 365-foot, three-run homer to left field which gave the Padres a 6-4 lead in the middle of the 5th.

Manager Alex Cora had yanked starter Ranger Suarez after the Campusano single, so reliever Greg Weissert was left holding two of those three runs on his resume. Weissert was replaced by rookie  right-hander Tyler Uberstine in the sixth inning.

Boston tied the game in the bottom of the 7th inning when Story singled, first baseman Contreras traded the base paths on a field’s choice but Abreu laced a double to put runners on 2nd and 3rd base. Yoshida came through in the clutch with a two-out double to right-center field, scoring both Contreras and Abreu.

With the score knotted at 6-6, Merrill led-off the 8th inning with a 384-foot home run to right field, hitting a 2-2 pitch off Uberstine – his first homer to be let up at Fenway. The Padres scored an insurance run in the top of the 9th. Tatis ripped a long sacrifice fly ball to center and pinch hitter Gavin Sheets scored after he had hit a double to lead-off the inning.

Jeremiah Estrada was credited with the victory. He is (1-0), while the rookie, Uberstine, took the loss. He is (0-1).

The Padres will fly to Pittsburgh to face the National League Pirates in their next series.

 

 

Chapman Blows the Close

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Ramon Laureano’s two-out RBI single in the top of the ninth inning propelled the visiting San Diego Padres to a 3-2 win over the Boston Red Sox in the second of a three-game series on Saturday.

The Padres found two-out magic against Boston closer Aroldis Chapman (0-1) to take the lead for good, as Fernando Tatis Jr. ripped a double over Ceddanne Rafaela’s head in center field to set the stage for Laureano’s heroic knock into left.

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Miguel Andujar also had a big day for San Diego, going 3-for-5 with a double and a run scored.

San Diego had recorded just two hits between the fourth and seventh innings, allowing the Boston offense to scratch a tying run. Adrian Morejon (1-0) earned the win despite blowing a potential save, which Mason Miller wound up earning after striking out the side in the ninth.

Rafaela and Roman Anthony each had two hits for the Red Sox; Anthony hit a triple in the fifth.

In the eighth, Rafaela and Anthony started the Red Sox with back-to-back singles before pinch hitter Andruw Monasterio put together a nine-pitch at-bat and earned an RBI fielder’s choice. The Padres looked to turn an inning-ending 1-4-3 double play, but Jake Cronenworth fumbled Morejon’s throw to second.

After Boston starter Connelly Early worked out of a two-on, two-out jam to start the game, San Diego took a 1-0 lead on Bryce Johnson’s RBI grounder in the second. Freddy Fermin scored after drawing a leadoff walk and moved first-to-third on Ty France’s wall-ball single.

The bottom of the inning saw the hosts respond with a game-tying run, as Willson Contreras knocked a leadoff single to left and scored on Marcelo Mayer’s sacrifice fly.

A pair of doubles in the third helped the Padres take a 2-1 lead. Andujar knocked one into the left-field corner with one out to spark the inning, and Manny Machado kept the line moving with a walk. Two batters later, Fermin flipped the score again with a two-out liner past the dive of Boston third baseman Caleb Durbin.

Both teams’ bats were quieted for several innings thereafter, though the Red Sox had opportunities to re-tie the game with four hits across the fourth and fifth.

San Diego starter Randy Vasquez worked around three singles in the first of those frames, striking out Mayer with two on to end the threat. An inning later, Anthony’s two-out triple to deep right went by the board.

Vasquez completed six innings of one-run ball with three strikeouts.

Early threw 88 pitches in just four innings, allowing two runs on three hits and four walks while fanning four.

–Field Level Media

HOME COOKIN’

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Willson Contreras and Marcelo Mayer both homered in the sixth inning, propelling the Red Sox to a 5-2, home-opening win over the San Diego Padres at Fenway Park on Friday afternoon.

Mayer highlighted his 2-for-2 day with a two-out, two-run homer to cap Boston’s three-run frame. He also hit a leadoff double and scored the opening run in the third.

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Boston banged out nine hits and received a solid six-inning start from Sonny Gray (1-0) en route to breaking a five-game losing skid.

Gray allowed just two runs on four hits while striking out three in his first home start at Fenway Park. Greg Weissert, Justin Slaten and Aroldis Chapman each pitched scoreless innings in relief, with the latter passing Jonathan Papelbon for 11th on MLB’s all-time saves list (369).

Gavin Sheets went 2-for-3 with an RBI and run scored for San Diego.

Boston College grad Michael King (0-1) allowed four runs in a 5 2/3-inning start.

The Red Sox scored in back-to-back innings to break the game’s scoreless deadlock, taking the initial lead when Ceddanne Rafaela lined a one-out single into center in the third. Mayer set the table with a wall-ball double to start the inning.

Two-out offense in Boston’s fourth made it a 2-0 game. After Jarren Duran shot a leadoff double past a diving first baseman Sheets, back-to-back strikeouts had King on the verge of ending the inning, but Caleb Durbin broke his 0-for-19 start with an RBI single up the middle.

Gray allowed just a single baserunner through his first 4 1/3 innings, but the visitors quickly tied the game on three hits in the fifth.

Miguel Andujar cranked a leadoff triple over Rafaela in deep center to begin the fifth, and Sheets halved the San Diego deficit thanks to his RBI knock to right. Two batters later, Luis Campusano hit a game-tying RBI single off the Green Monster.

After Gray completed his sixth and final inning, Boston jumped back in front, ended King’s day and greeted the bullpen rudely in a three-run bottom of the frame. Contreras cleared the center field wall for his first solo shot as a Red Sox, flipping the score at 3-2.

Wilyer Abreu followed with a base hit, and after King followed with his fifth strikeout to end his start, Wandy Peralta served up a two-run homer to Mayer that landed in the right-center field bullpen — but not without a leaping effort from right fielder Fernando Tatis at the wall.

–Field Level Media

It’s Opening Day at Fenway Park

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BOSTON – Wouldn’t it be nice if Opening Day were somewhat close to Opening Day? Wouldn’t it be better if the Boston Red Sox were performing in front of their fans and some bunting with a 0-0 record, instead of 1-5? Wouldn’t it be nice to have that feeling of a new year, a new season and the hope that goes along with it every spring? It’s a great feeling inside, especially at such a wonderful ballpark as Fenway.

Opening Day usually brings with it knowledge that Spring is in the air. It’s been such a long, cold, nasty winter in New England. Baseball fans deserve a 60-degree day with some sunshine. That’s what we’ll have, dodging a 37-degree bitter cold, raw Thursday when it felt like it was 29 degrees.

We want baseball gloves, not real gloves.

We want to hear the crack of the bat, and not be cooped-up huddling behind the bleachers, warming our hands and standing in line for hot chocolate.

“Give me a Sam Adams or give me death,” said a member of the Henry family who was not Patrick.

In a fade-to-black flashback to the “real” Opening Day which came one day after the “really, real” Opening Night on Prime, the Red Sox and Garrett Crochet dealt the hometown Cincinnati Reds a 3-0 shutout, sending the parade groggy Reds fans home with an 0-1 mark. Two days later, the records were even at 1-1 when the Reds defeated the Sox, 6-5, in 11 innings. On March 29, the skid was real as the Red Sox dropped the rubber game of the set to Cincinnati, 3-2, when Eugenio Suarez reminded young Connelly Early of the cruelties of Major League Baseball when the Sox’ left-hander departed the game with a 2-0 lead only to have reliever Greg Weissert blow the game by serving up a 93 mph four seam fastball across the middle. Suarez knew best.

The slide went south from there, to Houston, Texas, where the Red Sox were swept in a three-game series by the Astros.

Spare you there details?

Okay, but suffice to know a homer-hittin’ bat-flippin’ Carlos Correa took Crochet downtown for the pivotal game win.

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That brings us to Opening Day at Fenway.

The Red Sox organization is honoring the ’86 American League champion Sox, but let’s hope Boston doesn’t get 86’d by the visiting San Diego Padres, a club who went 2-4 on their season opening home stand (vs. the Detroit Tigers and San Francisco Giants).

Nearly 25 team members of that ’86 team are set to return for the anniversary celebration, including, Tony Armas, Marty Barrett, Wade Boggs, Oil Can Boyd, Mike Brown, Steve Crawford, Pat Dodson, Dwight Evans, Rich Gedman, Bruce Hurst, Rene Lachemann, Tim Lollar, Spike Owen, Jim Rice, Ed Romero, Joe Sambito, Dave Sax, Calvin Schiraldi, Jeff Sellers, Bob Stanley, Mike Stenhouse, Marc Sullivan, Mike Trujillo, and Rob Woodward.

It’ll also be welcome “home” Xander Bogaerts, too, although it seems as though the 10-year Red Sox shortstop played in ’86 rather than 2013-2022.

It’ll be Michael King on the mound for San Diego, facing Boston’s newly acquired Sonny Gray.

Gray went four innings and let up four runs (three earned) while walking one batter and striking out five.

The Fenway Faithful will say “No King” to King, who went five innings, striking out six against Detroit, but did not figure in his club’s 5-2 loss.

Besides the normal Opening Day jitters, Boston will be under the pressure of a sold-out crowd expecting much more than a 1-5 team. Rightfully so, as Spring Training and its early indicators made the Northerners think AL East title, rather than being four games behind divisional leader, New York.

When you put it all together, Friday will mark the 126th home season, the 115th at Fenway Park for the Red Sox.

First pitch at 2:10pm, but the fans will be in their seats by 1:30pm for the festivities.

Bad Streakers to Return Home

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HOUSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Astros’ legend Carlos Correa’s two-out, three-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning changed the game, helping Houston complete a three-game sweep against the visiting Boston Red Sox with a 6-4 win on Wednesday afternoon. Correa and Christian Vazquez both went deep, Yordan Alvarez went 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored, and Mike Burrows (1-1) pitched five innings of two-run ball with six strikeouts for Houston, which has won five straight since an 0-2 start.

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Correa’s long ball off Boston ace Garrett Crochet (1-1) broke a 2-2 tie.

Wilyer Abreu (2-for-4) and Roman Anthony homered in the eighth and ninth, respectively, as the Red Sox attempted to stage a late comeback, but a 1-for-7 showing with runners in scoring position and seven men left on base did them in. Connor Wong also had two hits.

Crochet struck out seven but allowed five runs (four earned) through five innings.

Jarren Duran’s move into the leadoff spot paid instant dividends for Boston in the first, as he lined a single to left field before scoring the opening run on a Willson Contreras single up the middle.

Houston responded with a two-run first, scoring in its first at-bats for the third time in as many games in the series. After Crochet struck out Jose Altuve to lead off the game, Alvarez and Isaac Paredes knocked back-to-back doubles to plate the tying run. Correa then reached on an error, and Christian Walker lined a go-ahead single to left.

Three straight baserunners to begin the second helped the Red Sox draw back even. Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s fielder’s choice and a Wong double to left created an RBI opportunity for Duran, whose grounder to short plated the run.

After Boston made it a 2-2 game, the starting pitchers posted dueling zeroes over several frames, with Burrows striking out the side in the third and Crochet doing the same in the fourth.

Crochet retired six straight Astros before Altuve singled and Alvarez was hit by a pitch, setting the stage for Correa — who previously grounded into a 5-4-3 double play — to send a low pitch into the left field Crawford Boxes for his first round-tripper.

In the seventh, Vazquez greeted Boston reliever Danny Coulombe with a leadoff solo shot to center field, extending the Houston lead to 6-2.

Vazquez’s swing proved to be key insurance as Boston staged a comeback with solo shots in back-to-back innings. The hosts had an opportunity for even more as Red Sox reliever Garrett Whitlock labored through a 37-pitch eighth inning, but a bases-loaded strikeout ended the threat without any damage.

After Anthony’s pinch-hit homer in the ninth, Bryan Abreu struck out the side to record his first save.

–Field Level Media

Astros Beat Sox; 4th Straight Loss

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HOUSTON – (Wire Service Report) – Hunter Brown allowed one run and struck out eight in six innings to help the Houston Astros stretch their winning streak to four games by beating the visiting Boston Red Sox 9-2 Tuesday night in the second game of a three-game series. The only hit Brown (1-0) allowed was a Connor Wong double that drove in Marcelo Mayer in the fifth. Cody Bolton struck out five over the final three innings to earn his first save.

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Yordan Alvarez and Cam Smith each hit solo home runs for the Astros. Alvarez, Christian Walker and Carlos Correa each had two hits and two RBIs in the win. Smith also collected two hits.

Boston got a solo home run from Ceddanne Rafaela for its only other run. The Red Sox struck out 13 times in the loss.

Boston starter Brayan Bello (0-1) was pulled with two outs in the fifth and Houston leading 6-1. He gave up six runs (five earned), eight hits, walked three and struck out two.

The Astros struck first when Jeremy Pena singled and scored on an Alvarez double to give Houston a 1-0 lead in the first.

Houston extended its lead to 3-0 in the third. After Jose Altuve drew a two-out walk, Correa doubled to put runners on second and third and Walker followed with a two-run single.

After Wong’s RBI double in the top of the fifth, the Astros regained a three-run lead when Alvarez homered in the bottom half of the inning to increase Houston’s advantage to 4-1. Later in the fifth a Joey Loperfido single drove in Correa to make it 5-1, and then Walker scored from third on Wong’s throwing error to push the lead to 6-1.

Correa’s two-run single off Ryan Watson drove in Alvarez and Jake Meyers to make it 8-1 in the sixth.

Following Smith’s homer in the seventh, Rafaela hit one of his own in the eighth to cut Houston’s lead to 9-2.

It was Boston’s fourth straight loss.

–Field Level Media

Astros Turn to Brown vs. Red Sox

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HOUSTON – (Wire Service Previwew) – The Houston Astros had to slug their way past the Los Angeles Angels in the final two contests of their season-opening four-game series, setting the stage for veteran right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. to deliver a lengthy start against the Boston Red Sox and provide the bullpen a bit of a breather.

McCullers did exactly what was needed, hurling seven strong innings to lead the Astros to an 8-1 victory in the opener of a three-game home series that continues on Tuesday. Houston needed only two pitchers on Monday to secure the triumph, with reliever Ryan Weiss covering the final two frames of the Astros’ third straight win.

Astros manager Joe Espada had an inkling that his starter was up to snuff when McCullers struck out Roman Anthony and Trevor Story to open the game.   McCullers faced the minimum through six and, when he ran into a spot of trouble in the seventh, Espada let him finish the job.

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“He picked us up big time,” Espada said.

“He knew exactly what he needed to do, which makes it even harder to do. The expectations are I need to pick the teammates up. And then he does it against that lineup. It just tells you it’s not his first rodeo. He’s been in that spot before. The fact that he delivered and picked us up put us in a much better spot for (Tuesday).”

Right-hander Hunter Brown (0-0, 0.00 ERA) has the starting assignment for Houston on Tuesday. He worked 4 2/3 scoreless innings against the Angels but did not factor into the decision of a 3-0 loss last Thursday after he allowed four hits and four walks with nine strikeouts. Brown recorded eight scoreless starts last season.

Brown is 2-0 with a 1.89 ERA across three career starts against the Red Sox. He faced Boston twice in 2025 and allowed two runs on 10 hits and four walks with 10 strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings.

Right-hander Brayan Bello (11-9, 3.35 ERA in 2025) is the scheduled starter for the Red Sox on Tuesday. He logged a career-high 166 2/3 innings last season but labored down the stretch and dropped his last three decisions while allowing nine earned runs across 14 innings. During one stretch in 2025, Bello recorded a decision in 13 consecutive starts, going 8-5 with a 2.49 ERA.

Bello is 1-1 with a 2.19 ERA in three career appearances (two starts) against the Astros. He faced Houston in consecutive starts in late August 2023, splitting the decisions after allowing four runs (three earned) on 13 hits and five walks with six strikeouts across 11 2/3 innings.

After scratching across just 10 runs while dropping a three-game series to the Cincinnati Reds over the weekend, the Red Sox mustered only six baserunners against the Astros on Monday.

The slow start offensively hasn’t presented any cause for concern.

“Honestly, I think we’re in a pretty good spot,” Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran said. “I feel like we’re a pretty positive group. I feel like nobody has really been down on themselves, and we’re very talkative. I feel like we’ve been talking to each other about what we’ve seen on the mound.”

–Field Level Media

Crochet, Red Sox Take Opener

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CINCINNATI – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston ace Garrett Crochet pitched six scoreless innings and Ceddanne Rafaela broke a scoreless tie in the seventh with an RBI single to lead the visiting Red Sox past the Cincinnati Reds 3-0 on Thursday in the season opener for both clubs.

Roman Anthony had three hits, while Trevor Story and Jarren Duran added insurance RBI singles in the ninth.

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Crochet (1-0), the 2025 American League Cy Young runner-up, allowed three hits, walked two and struck out eight to earn the win.

Marcelo Mayer opened the seventh as a pinch-hitter against new Reds reliever Pierce Johnson (0-1) with a double to left-center, just beyond the diving reach of center fielder TJ Friedl. After moving to third on a sacrifice bunt, he scored on Rafaela’s single.

Sal Stewart overcame being drilled in the left wrist by an Anthony liner in the fifth to rack up three hits, becoming the first Cincinnati rookie since 1958 (when rookie rules were established) to record three hits on Opening Day.

His two-out ground-rule double — his second two-bagger of the game — to right set up a rematch of the World Baseball Classic title game when Eugenio Suarez beat Garrett Whitlock and Team USA with a go-ahead double in the 3-2 Venezuela win. This time, Whitlock fanned Suarez to end the eighth-inning threat.

Former Cincinnati closer Aroldis Chapman came on and pitched a scoreless ninth for the save.

With a summer-like temperature of 81 degrees and a stiff 15-mph breeze blowing out to left, dueling lefties Crochet and Andrew Abbott managed to match zeros for the first six innings.

Abbott finished with six scoreless innings, scattering seven hits and one walk with four strikeouts on 83 pitches.

Crochet matched Abbott and pitched out of his biggest jam in the sixth when he fanned Eugenio Suarez and Spencer Steer with the bases loaded.

Abbott was able to work his way out of jams in the first two innings, thanks to a pair of groundball double plays, one started by Ke’Bryan Hayes at third and the other fielded by Elly De La Cruz at short.

The Red Sox totaled five hits over the first three innings against Abbott, including two by Anthony, but could not score.

–Field Level Media