O'Neill's bloop single lifts Red Sox past Cubs
BOSTON — Tyler O’Neill hit a game-ending bloop single to give the Boston Red Sox a 5-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday night.
Jarren Duran hit a two-run triple and Connor Wong drove in two runs with a pair of two-out singles, helping Boston to the win in the rubber game of weekend set. The Red Sox beat the Cubs 17-0 on Saturday.
Chicago trailed 4-1 before Mike Tauchman hit a tying three-run homer against Chris Martin in the eighth inning. Matt Mervis hit an RBI single in the seventh for the Cubs' first run of the game.
For the second straight day, a large gathering of Cubs fans that made the trip to Fenway Park were unable to wave their “W” flags, a staple after wins at Wrigley Field.
Duran led off the ninth with a walk against Mark Leiter Jr. (0-1). He raced to third on Rafael Devers’ single.
O’Neill then hit a shallow fly toward left field. Shortstop Dansby Swanson, playing with the entire infield in, tried to make sliding catch, but it went off his glove and landed in the outfield grass.
“It was awesome, you could feel the crowd buzzing out there," O'Neill said about his first walk-off hit with the Red Sox. ”I knew the infield was in. I was trying to put a good swing on anything elevated, get it in the air. It fell in there this time."
Red Sox right-hander Tanner Houck struck out nine in 6 2/3 innings. He was charged with one run and four hits.
“It's tough to know, even if he catches it, Duran being such a good runner, he may score.” Chicago manager Craig Counsell said about the final play.
Kenley Jansen (1-0) worked the ninth for the victory.
Duran’s triple into the center-field triangle made it 4-0 in the sixth.
“I had happy feet at third base,” Duran said of what he was thinking on the winning hit. “I was like: ‘Tag, no tag. Tag, no tag.’ ... I've just got to stay off because I probably wasn't going to be able to tag. I was just trying to stay off (the base) as far as possible to try and be able to score.”
Boston shortstop Ceddanne Rafaela went 1 for 4 a day after going 4 for 4 with a two-run homer and driving in seven runs.
Despite dealing with injuries to their starting rotation, the Red Sox entered the day with a majors’ best 2.63 ERA, their lowest at this point of a season since 1920.
Red Sox right fielder Wilyer Abreu made a nice running catch on Swanson’s fifth-inning fly ball, and second baseman Enmanuel Valdez had a diving play on Nico Hoerner’s grounder the following inning.
Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya struck out swinging in the third, and his bat went flying over the protective netting. It went into the stands about 10 rows behind the Cubs’ on-deck circle, appearing to strike a fan. Medical personnel were looking at a person’s hand. They left their seat and walked away with the EMTs.