Trevor Story’s RBI double broke a 3-3 tie and ignited a three-run 10th inning, and the visiting Boston Red Sox held on to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-5 on Tuesday night.
Vaughn Grissom had three hits, including an RBI single in the 10th, to help Boston (80-78) win the first two games of a three-game series.
Toronto starter Bowden Francis allowed three hits and one walk to go along with four strikeouts in five scoreless innings.
Boston counterpart Brayan Bello allowed two runs, two hits and two walks, striking out four in four innings.
Toronto took a 2-0 lead in the third. Joey Loperfido walked with one out and stole second. Nathan Lukes then walked with two outs, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. slammed a 3-2 slider to center for a two-run double.
Lucas Sims replaced Bello in the fifth and issued a leadoff walk to Davis Schneider, who took third on George Springer’s one-out double to left-center and scored on Lukes’ sacrifice fly to left for a 3-0 lead.
Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a one-out double to right in the sixth.
Easton Lucas, recalled from Triple-A Buffalo earlier Tuesday, gave up two-out walks to Grissom and Wilyer Abreu in the seventh. Ryan Burr took over on the mound and allowed an infield single by former Blue Jay Danny Jansen that loaded the bases. Ceddanne Rafaela’s single to left scored two runs and pulled Boston within 3-2.
Toronto’s Genesis Cabrera allowed singles to Romy Gonzalez and Triston Casas to open the eighth, putting runners at the corners. Masataka Yoshida grounded into a forceout to plate the tying run.
Boston reliever Chris Martin (3-1) worked around a leadoff walk in the ninth and ended up earning the win.
Tommy Nance (0-3) intentionally walked Casas with one out in the 10th, and Story’s double scored automatic runner Jarren Duran. Pinch runner Mickey Gasper scored on Connor Wong’s groundout before Grissom hit his RBI single.
Pinch hitter Leo Jimenez had an RBI double and Kirk walked with the bases loaded in the home half of the frame, but the Blue Jays’ comeback bid came up short.
–Field Level Media
