By TERRY LYONS
BOSTON – When Boston left fielder Jarren Duran came to the plate to face Texas Rangers’ reliever David Robertson in the bottom of the 8th inning with the score tied 4-4, he had struck out twice and popped up to third base.
Earlier this week, Duran served a two-game suspension after using a homophobic slur towards a fan and the young outfielder was firmly reprimanded by the Red Sox organization before the issue rose to the attention of Major League Baseball. Upon his introduction for his lead-off at bat in the Red Sox half of the first, Duran received a warm hand from the Fenway crowd which displayed a willingness to provide penance but not total forgiveness.
In Boston, forgiveness is in the eyes of a performer. Duran would have his chance.
He delivered a lead-off hit but fell victim soon after to a double play when Wilyer Abreu struck-out but Duran saw the ball slip away for a split second and thought he’d grab a free ride to second base. Texas catcher Jonah Heim would have no part of the forgiveness-fest and promptly tossed Duran out at second base.
It was the second worst base-running blunder of the night, following a 6th inning Rafael Devers brain-fog waltz from first to third base when reserve Romy Gonzalez flew the ball to center field with only one out in the books. Devers was doubled-up immediately.
Fool me once, or fools twice?
The Red Sox manufactured a two-out rally despite the poor base running and scored three runs in the bottom of the 8th to take what seemed to be a convincing 7-4 lead, benefitting from a double by DH Masataka Yoshida, an intentional walk to Devers and an RBI base hit by newly acquired catcher Danny Jansen. That sequence set the table for a hard hit double by Gonzalez, scoring Devers and Jensen.
Instant Karma’s always gonna get you, though, especially after poor base running and idiotic slurring of the paying customer.
Along came the Texas 9th inning and Rangers’ left fielder Wyatt Langford homered with two men on to tie the score at 7-all.
After a scoreless home ninth, the ghosts of MLB placed a runner (Ezequiel Duran) on second base and Heim blasted a leadoff home run over the famed Green Monster of Fenway to spot Texas a 9-7 lead in the first (and only) extra inning.
Rangers’ closer Kirby Yates dispatched the Sox in the bottom of the 10th to secure the 9-7 win, as Boston dropped to (63-56) on the season while Texas climbed to (56-65). Boston squandered yet another game because of mental errors, notably poor base-running, a fielding and a throwing error.
The Fenway faithful might not be as forgiving when their club returns on August 23 to face the defending American League champion Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Red Sox immediate matter at hand will be their seven-game road trip, with four games at Camden Yards against the AL East-leading Baltimore Orioles and three at Houston where the AL West-leading Astros play the best there is at Minute Maid Park.