Masataka Yoshida, Yusei Kikuchi: Red Sox to 7-6 Win over Blue Jays
11:49 JST, May 3, 2023
BOSTON (AP) — Connor Wong hit two homers, including a tie-breaking solo shot in the eighth, to help the Boston Red Sox rally past the Toronto Blue Jays 7-6 on Tuesday night.
Masataka Yoshida and Christian Arroyo also homered for Boston and the Red Sox tied a season-high for hits with 14, including four by Wong. The Boston catcher led off the eighth needing a triple to complete the cycle, drove a 2-1 fastball from Erik Swanson to the Green Monster seats for his second homer of the night and third in three days.
Wong also had a double in the second that bounced just below the yellow line at the top of Fenway Park’s iconic left-field wall.
The Red Sox rallied after falling behind 6-3 during a six-run sixth by the Blue Jays and won four in a row for the first time this season, getting the final two outs when George Springer grounded into a double play. Boston is three games over for the first time since beating the Yankees last July 17 for a 48-45 record.
Reliever Richard Bleier (1-0) got the win and Josh Winckowski picked up his first save. Swanson (1-1) took the loss.
Daulton Varsho hit a three-run homer for the Blue Jays in the sixth and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. finished with a pair of singles and two RBIs.
Yoshida extended his hitting streak to 12 with a solo homer to right-center in the fourth, putting Boston up 3-0.
Toronto didn’t get a hit until Varsho’s double in the fourth, then tagged Houck in the fifth for six runs on five hits and a walk. Varsho did the most damage with his homer that put the Jays up 6-3 after a bases-loaded single by Guerrero drove in two and Bichette scored on a passed ball.
Boston got two back in the fifth on RBI singles by Refsnyder and Yoshida, then Wong added a solo homer to left to tie it again in the sixth, surviving a video challenge that showed a fan touching the ball after it had cleared the top of the wall.
Arroyo’s first homer of the season was a blast all the way out of Fenway Park, driving a 1-1 changeup well over the Green Monster to give the Red Sox a 1-0 lead. Wong followed with a drive off the giant wall in left field that was just under the yellow line.
Alex Verdugo led off the third with his second straight double and scored on a single by Rob Refsnyder, who was thrown out at second on a nice play by center-fielder Kevin Kiermaier.
NO DECISIONS
Neither starter figured in the decision. Toronto’s Yusei Kikuchi lasted 4 1/3 innings, allowing five runs on nine hits, including two homers by Yoshida and Arroyo. Tanner Houck struck out five over six innings for Boston, allowing six runs on six hits.
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