BOSTON — It rained throughout Sunday's game between the Twins and Red Sox at Fenway Park. Despite the elements, Minnesota won the game, 6-5, and swept the three-game series, its first at Fenway Park since June 13-15, 1994.
Defense was key in the victory. Minnesota was up, 6-4, when Boston tried to at least tie the score in the bottom of the eighth. With a runner on first, no outs and left-hander Taylor Rogers on the mound, Ceddanne Rafaela was in the batter's box and hit the ball to deep right field. It looked like a guaranteed double over the head of right fielder Austin Martin, who was playing shallow. However, Martin made a nice running catch despite the fact that rain was going in his eyes.
“The conditions were not ideal. It was not baseball weather,†Martin said. “We have been playing games like this all season. It goes back to Kansas City. We played in a rainy, cold, foggy game. At home, we are playing in hail and snow. We know it's not ideal. We have experienced it.
“I don't know how I caught it. Your guess is as good as mine. The ball went up. I put my head down and started running. I saw the ball over my shoulder. I just threw my hand out and the ball went into the glove.â€
Twins manager Derek Shelton was impressed by what he saw from Martin.
“Fenway Park is very large in right field. The fact is, the ball went over his head and he made that catch,†the skipper said.
After he allowed a double to Wilyer Abreu to put runners on second and third, Rogers was replaced by right-hander Yoendrys Gómez, who struck out Willson Contreras and induced Masataka Yoshida to fly out to Martin in right.
The final frame was a doozy. Gómez had problems gripping the ball and finding his footing on the mound, which caused a balk before he allowed a leadoff triple to Nick Sogard. After Gómez walked Carlos Narváez and struck out Marcelo Mayer, Isiah Kiner-Falefa thought he hit the game-winning homer over the Green Monster. He just stood there and watched the ball hit the middle of the wall. Sogard scored, but Connor Wong, pinch-running for Narváez, was thrown out at the plate.
“I thought I got it, honestly,” Kiner-Falefa said.
Gómez acknowledged that the weather got to him.
“Obviously, the conditions were tough,†Gómez said through third base coach Ramon Borrego. “I had a strong inning in the eighth. Then, in the ninth, I wanted to attack the hitters and make a good pitch, but the weather conditions were tough. [Getting Wong at the plate] was key.â€
But right-hander Travis Adams entered the game for Minnesota and was able to get the final out, inducing Rafaela to fly out to Martin in right field.
“Overall, this entire series, I'm really proud of our bullpen and the way they executed,†Shelton said.
For the third consecutive game, the Twins were behind early. They were down, 4-3, going into the top of the sixth inning, but they were able to take the lead against Boston's bullpen.
Right-hander Tyron Guerrero allowed two singles to Orlando Arcia and Ryan Kreidler before he was pulled in favor of right-hander Garrett Whitlock. With two outs, Martin came to the plate and singled to left field, driving in Arcia to tie the game at 4.
Brooks Lee followed and hit a two-run single, sending Kreidler and Martin home for the go-ahead runs.
“I feel I've been saying it all year. Even if we fall behind early, the at-bats continue to get better and better during the game,†Martin said. “It's a matter of passing the baton, winning a good AB and adding some more energy to the next guy. That's pretty much what it is. We don't let up even if they score runs. They punch us and we try to hit them back.â€
Right-hander Bailey Ober earned his team-leading sixth victory of the season. He lasted five-plus innings and allowed four runs on seven hits. Three of those runs came on homers by Yoshida and Contreras.
Minnesota's bullpen took over after Ober allowed a single to Contreras in the sixth. Anthony Banda, Eric Orze and Taylor Rogers blanked the Red Sox for three innings, giving way to Gómez, who gave up the run in the ninth before Adams closed the door.
