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He wears the number thirteen on his back—and it was in the thirteenth inning that
Hanley Ramirez broke open a wild and wacky game, resulting in
a 4-2 win for Boston. It was the fifth straight win for
The Carmine Hose, and the bullpen nearly blew it as they did the season opener. Once again,
Chris Sale pitched well and got a no-decision. But it was the sixth straight game that a Red Sox starter yielded one or no runs to start a season—
a new MLB record. Where do we begin to break down this one? The Red Sox lost leads of 1-0 and 2-1, before Hanley's rocketed double in the 13th plated
Mookie Betts (who didn't even
start the game and
nearly had a pinch-hit HR) and
Andrew Benintendi (who had given Boston an earlier lead
way back in the 11th). But, it was
Matt Barnes who blew that save—walking two and coughing up a double after two were out—only to avoid a loss with a brilliant relay by his teammates to the plate to cut down the would-be winning run. Hanley enjoyed his second straight night of heroics in the town that made him famous. Phew! Back home to Fenway on Thursday afternoon for the
Home Opener.
