BOSTON — Instant reactions from the Red Sox‘ 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Fenway Park on Saturday:
1) Boston improved to 56-50. The Dodgers dropped to 61-44.
2) Jarren Duran ripped his AL-leading 11th and 12th triples. He trails only Arizona’s Corbin Carroll (13 triples) for the MLB lead. His two-run triple in the second inning tied the game, 2-2.
He’s the first Red Sox player with multiple triples in a game since Mookie Betts had two July 13, 2018 against the Blue Jays.
3) The Red Sox let their opponent score first for the seventh time in eight games so far in the second half. Shohei Ohtani led off the game with a 414-foot, 108.5 mph home run against starter Garrett Crochet. The ace also gave up a solo shot to Teoscar Hernández in the first inning that made it 2-0 Dodgers.
4) Crochet won the next two battles vs. Ohtani. He struck him out swinging on four pitches to end the second inning. He punched him out on three pitches to end the fourth, stranding runners at the corners. He started the fourth-inning at-bat with two fastballs (97.7 mph, 97 mph) that Ohtani fouled off. He then got the three-time MVP swinging on an 87.9 mph cutter.
5) Crochet settled in nicely after his two-run first inning. He recorded his 11th career double-digit strikeout game and fifth this season, allowing two runs, eight hits and two walks while striking out 10 in 6 innings.
6) Alex Bregman singled with two outs and nobody on base in the fifth, capping off a 10-pitch at-bat in which he fouled off five pitches from Clayton Kershaw. He hit the fourth four-seam fastball he saw from Kershaw into center field.
Bregman scored two pitches later when rookie Roman Anthony doubled to make it 4-2 Boston.
7) Abraham Toro’s 316-foot sacrifice fly to center field scored Duran with the go-ahead run in the second inning, putting Boston ahead 3-2.
8) The bullpen got the job done. Justin Wilson pitched a scoreless seventh, striking out two. Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless eighth, striking two out. Aroldis Chapman fired a scoreless ninth, striking out pinch hitter Mookie Betts with a runner at first base to end it.
9) Future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw made his first ever regular season start at Fenway Park. He allowed four runs, four hits and two walks while striking out two in 4 ⅔ innings.
Kershaw did start Game 1 of the 2018 World Series here, taking the loss. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said before the game, “You start talking about the greatest Dodgers of all time, he’s in the conversation.”
10) The Red Sox and Dodgers will play the final game of their three-game series at 1:35 p.m. Sunday. Righty Walker Buehler (6-6, 5.72 ERA) will face his former team for the first time. Righty Dustin May (6-6, 4.73 ERA) will pitch for Los Angeles.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
