Duran grand slam seals fifth straight win for Red Sox
Boston extended their winning streak to five games after an 11th-inning grand slam by Jarren Duran secured a 7-3 victory over the Miami Marlins.
The Boston Red Sox continued their strong run in Major League Baseball, defeating the Miami Marlins 7-3 in an 11-inning contest on Tuesday night. The victory marks the fifth consecutive win for Boston and their ninth in the last 12 games, a period in which they have also won their past three series and 14 of their last 20.
The decisive moment arrived in the 11th inning when Jarren Duran hit a grand slam off Cade Gibson. The blow put the Red Sox ahead 7-3 and secured the win for a team that had been tied at 3-3 entering the final frame. Willson Contreras had led off the inning with a single, advancing automatic runner Wilyer Abreu from second to third base, before Jahmai Jones drew a walk to load the bases.
Mickey Gasper provided the offensive spark earlier in the game, recording his first career two-homer performance. His first home run, sent to right-centre field, gave Boston a 1-0 lead in the second inning. It was the only run the Red Sox managed against Marlins starter Tyler Phillips, who struck out seven batters in 4 2/3 innings.
Gasper’s second home run of the night travelled 418 feet to centre field in the sixth inning, extending Boston’s lead to 2-1. However, Heriberto Hernández answered with a solo shot in the bottom half of the sixth to keep the game competitive. The Marlins had tied the game earlier in the eighth inning when Brian Navarreto scored on a sacrifice fly, following a leadoff double by Xavier Edwards that broke Boston pitcher Payton Tolle’s no-hitter in the fifth.
The game remained tight into the late innings, with Connor Wong scoring on a passed ball in the top of the 10th and Navarreto scoring on a third-strike wild pitch to tie the game again. The Red Sox ultimately broke the deadlock in the 11th, with Alec Gamboa securing his first major league win by tossing 1 1/3 hitless innings.
The series concludes on Wednesday, when Red Sox right-hander Sonny Gray, who has a 16-3 record and a 2.79 ERA, is scheduled to face Marlins right-hander Ryan Gusto, who is 0-3 with a 4.37 ERA.
