Red Sox sweep the Blue Jays with different contributors
Multiple Red Sox players stepped up each game against the Blue Jays
The Boston Red Sox sweeping the Toronto Blue Jays is very impressive. Most fans would’ve taken a split and moved on. Each game had a different story which made this series even more enjoyable.
Starting with the first game Alex Verdugo had the walk-off bomb to right field into the bullpen. Before those heroics the young guys showed off their power with Jarren Duran going to deep center for the tie and Enmanuel Valdez to the same spot for the 5-3 lead. Chris Martin got himself into trouble in the 7th inning but ultimately kept the Blue Jays off the board for a very important shutdown inning, which was his fourth hold of the season.
In the second game, this night was all about Connor Wong. Wong who was acquired in the Mookie Betts trade is not only establishing himself as a major leaguer, but as the starting catcher for the 2023 Red Sox and maybe even beyond. Wong went 4-for-4 with 2 bombs (almost 3) in the second game. The first homerun tied the game and the second gave the Red Sox a 7-6 lead. Josh Winckowski when pitching on back to back nights got his first career save too.
Game 3 once again showed this teams fight. In a game when it is Alex Manoah against the struggling Nick Pivetta it was hard to like the Red Sox chances. Pivetta gave up two runs in the first three innings with a lot of hard contact, but he was able to keep the Blue Jays in check for six innings, only allowing one walk and got six strikeouts. Triston Casas getting out of his season long slump by going 3 for 5 with 2 RBIs. Casas hit one ball to the left field and one to right field, which is a great sign that he is not pressing to do too much.
Finally, the last game was all about Kevin Gausman. In 34 innings last year against Boston Gausman had a 2.65 ERA with 47 Ks and only 2 walks in 2022. Last night he only went 3.1 innings giving up 10 hits and eight runs. Only one of those runs came off the long ball from Masataka Yoshida which got the scoring started. Yoshida overall in this game went 3 for 5 driving in 3 RBIs and is now up over .300 on the season. Justin Turner and Rafael Devers also went 3 for 5. Devers added 4 RBIs to bring his season total to 31 despite only hitting .240.
Some will say, the Red Sox are just red hot which is true, but what this series showed is their depth especially offensively and in the pen. Different players stepping up each night either setting the tone for the game or being part of a late inning rally. Individuals might cool off but this team as a collective unit has shown they have fight and not one player is just along for the ride.
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