Roman Anthony absolutely detonated a solo shot to lead off the game, putting Boston on the board before the Tampa Bay Rays even stepped up to the plate. This wasn’t some warm-up act either, it was his fifth homer of the year and it set a tone that the AL’s best record simply couldn’t handle, even on their own turf where they’d rattled off five straight home wins. This was the hardest series left on the schedule, coming off a shaky 1-2 run in Texas, and Boston needed to make a statement. Anthony delivered.
Anthony’s Bat Breaks the Rays’ Back Early
Anthony wasn’t done with that opening blast. He came back in the second inning with the bases loaded and singled home two more, racking up three RBI before the third inning even started! It’s the kind of performance that almost makes you forget his current strikeout rate. What a night! Then, just to twist the knife a bit more, Jahmai Jones, who apparently just hits well regularly now, crushed a solo homer in the third to make it 4-1. That was all she wrote for Rays starter Seymour, who didn’t even make it out of the fifth. The Rays, a lineup that had been torching everyone, including putting up 14 runs against Houston and 10 against the A’s, just couldn’t solve Boston’s pitching. They walked nine times and went a brutal 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position. Talk about having all the rope they needed and still managing to trip themselves up!
Suarez Deals, Bullpen Closes Despite Nerves
Ranger Suarez, what a performance! He came in and went five-plus innings against that potent Rays lineup, only giving up one run on a Caminero ground-out RBI in the first that felt more like a minor inconvenience than a real threat. He kept the ball down, got out of jams, and never let anything snowball. After an abysmal July and August, Suarez has really strung together some good ones lately, and this start was exactly what the doctor ordered for this time of year. Things got a little dicey in the sixth when Wyatt Olds came on for Suarez, immediately walking two to load the bases. But Olds dug deep, got himself out of his own jam with Jake Fraley at the plate, and that was a huge moment. Greg Weissert then breezed through the seventh and eighth. Erik Miller in the ninth, though? Hoo boy. He made it way more stressful than it needed to be. What is up with his command lately? We knew his mechanics could affect his command and make him walk-prone from his San Francisco days, but this bad? Ouch. He got it done, but man, my heart rate was through the roof!
The final score was 4-1, with Boston snapping Tampa’s five-game home win streak. The Magic number is down to 2 now. We’ll have to see what Texas and Toronto do tonight, but Boston handled their business, and what a way to kick off the hardest series left!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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