The Boston Red Sox got a thrilling ninth-inning lift from Ceddanne Rafaela, whose two-run homer gave them a 3-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards on Wednesday, sealing a four-game series sweep.
The game began explosively with rookie Roman Anthony hitting a leadoff home run in the first inning off Orioles opener Dietrich Enns. Anthony, 21 years and 104 days old, became the youngest player in Red Sox history to hit a leadoff homer, sending a 95.2 mph fastball 416 feet to center field. The Orioles responded in the second inning when Dylan Beavers lined a Brayan Bello changeup for an RBI double, tying the game 1-1.
Brayan Bello gave Boston a solid start, tossing 6⅔ innings while allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits with a walk and six strikeouts. His ERA dropped to 2.99 following the performance. Lefty Dietrich Enns and rookie Roansy Contreras provided strong pitching for Baltimore early on, with Contreras mowing down Boston over 4.1 innings in his major league debut, allowing only three hits and one walk.
The turning point came in the seventh inning. With the game tied 1-1 and two outs, Dylan Beavers drew a walk and scored on a miscommunication between Rafaela and left fielder Jarren Duran. Dylan Carlson’s liner dropped between the two Boston outfielders, giving Baltimore a 2-1 lead. Rafaela’s catch probability on the play was 85%, while Duran’s was 95%.
Boston had an opportunity to respond in the eighth inning with runners at the corners and no outs. However, Orioles reliever Keegan Akin shut down the threat, striking out Roman Anthony and Alex Bregman before inducing a force out from Trevor Story.
The Red Sox finally reclaimed the lead in the ninth. Jarren Duran led off with a single against Akin, and Rafaela capitalized on a 1-1 changeup, blasting a two-run homer into left-center. It was Rafaela’s third go-ahead or game-winning homer in the ninth inning or later this season, tying him with Shohei Ohtani, William Contreras, and Nick Kurtz for the MLB lead in such homers.
Greg Weissert earned the win in relief, and All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman secured his 26th save, striking out the side in the ninth, including a 12-pitch battle with Coby Mayo, to end the game. Chapman extended his streak to 14 consecutive hitless appearances and has retired 41 straight batters without allowing a hit.
The Red Sox improved to 74-60, while the Orioles fell to 60-73.
