Rafaela rescues Red Sox with 2-run blast in 9th
After finding himself in the middle of almost every significant play of the game, Ceddanne Rafaela concluded the night wearing a big smile in the middle of a jubilant Boston Red Sox clubhouse.
He had, after all, just hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning to lift the surging Red Sox to a 3-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night.
Earlier in the game, Rafaela failed to hold onto a blooper that provided Baltimore with its first run. Then, apparent miscommunication between Rafaela and fellow outfielder Jarren Duran enabled the Orioles to take a 2-1 lead in the seventh inning.
With Boston three outs from defeat, however, it all turned around for Rafaela.
Duran led off with a single and Rafaela, who entered the game with a .188 batting average since the All-Star break, followed with a towering fly on a 1-1 changeup off Keegan Akin that cleared the wall in left-center.
It was Rafaela’s third go-ahead home run in the ninth inning or later this season, tying William Contreras, Nick Kurtz, and Shohei Ohtani for the most in MLB.
“Baseball is a beautiful game, right?” Rafaela said. “In baseball, you’ve got to keep going. If you don’t keep going and try to help your team, you’re not going to have this outcome.”
The Red Sox, who remain three games behind the first-place Toronto Blue Jays and a half-game ahead of the New York Yankees in the American League East, have won six of seven games on their road trip.
Rafaela was the centerpiece of Boston’s latest victory. He nearly snagged that sinking liner in the second inning, but the ball popped out of the diving center fielder’s glove for a double.
In the seventh, Duran came from left field to chase a ball and converged with Rafaela. They looked at each other as the ball hit the base of the wall for an RBI double.
“It was a miscommunication,” Rafaela said. “I thought he had it, and he thought I had it. I’m pretty sure it won’t happen again.”
Fortunately for the Red Sox, that same duo teamed to produce the winning runs.
“I was just trying to get on base right there, like JD did,” said Rafaela, who had two hits. “We did a good job to let it go and fight for the win.”
Said Boston starter Brayan Bello: “He was going through a hard time, but every time the team needs him he comes through. Tonight was an example of that.”
Rafaela said he was just trying to make contact on the pitch from Akin, but he acknowledged that he was thinking about the long ball.
“To be honest with you, I kind of felt it,” Rafaela said. “I was really confident right there.”
Greg Weissert (6-4) got the win for Boston, while Aroldis Chapman worked a perfect ninth for his 26th save. It also was the 14th consecutive hitless appearance for Chapman, which ties Scott Aldred (1998-99) for the second-longest such streak in American League history, according to ESPN Research. Sergio Santos holds the record with 15 straight hitless appearances in 2013.
Roman Anthony got Boston started with a shot to center off Dietrich Enns on the fifth pitch of the game. Two nights earlier, the rookie became the youngest player in Red Sox history (21 years, 104 days) to hit a leadoff homer.
ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Wisconsin will start true freshman quarterback Carter Smith at No. 2 Indiana on Saturday, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel, replacing Danny O’Neil after the sophomore was carted off the field with a right leg injury last week.
O’Neil was injured on a 21-yard keeper during the first quarter of last Saturday’s 13-10 win over then-No. 23 Washington. He had a towel over his head as he was carted to the locker room.
Smith made his season debut following O’Neil’s injury, completing 3 of 12 passes for 8 yards while rushing for 47 yards and a touchdown.
Also available to the Badgers at quarterback is senior Hunter Simmons, who is 48-for-95 for 485 yards with two touchdowns and five interceptions this season.
For Indiana, wide receiver Elijah Sarratt is doubtful to play, sources said. Sarratt, who is tied for the Big Ten lead with 10 touchdown receptions, injured his hamstring against Maryland on Nov. 1 and missed the Penn State game last week.
With Indiana having a bye next week, Sarratt is on track to return against Purdue on Nov. 28.
Quarterback issues have hindered Wisconsin all season and throughout coach Luke Fickell’s three-year tenure.
Billy Edwards Jr. was Wisconsin’s first-team quarterback at the start of the season, but he sprained his knee in the second quarter of the Badgers’ opener and has played only one full series since.
Tanner Mordecai missed 3½ games with a broken hand in 2023. Miami transfer Tyler Van Dyke tore his ACL in the third game of the 2024 season.
Wisconsin’s intended season-opening starting quarterback has been available for the entirety of only 11 of the 34 games the Badgers have played since the beginning of the 2023 season. The last time Fickell had his season-opening starting quarterback healthy for a full game was in a 27-13 victory over South Dakota on Sept. 7, 2024.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava will not play Saturday against No. 1 Ohio State because of a concussion, sources confirmed to ESPN.
Iamaleava was injured during last week’s loss to Nebraska. He began experiencing concussion symptoms after the game, according to On3, which first reported that Iamaleava would not play.
With Iamaleava out, redshirt sophomore Luke Duncan will make his first career start. Duncan has not attempted a pass in college as he tries to take down the top-ranked Buckeyes.
Iamaleava has thrown for 1,659 yards with 12 touchdowns and 7 interceptions in his first year with the Bruins after transferring from Tennessee.
He led UCLA to three straight wins in October, including a victory over then-No. 7 Penn State, but the Bruins (3-6) have lost two straight and need to win out to become bowl eligible.
-
Sports2 years agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports3 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Sports3 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment1 year agoHere are the best electric bikes you can buy at every price level in October 2024