Red Sox grab MLB-leading 11th walk-off win
By Brad Rowland
Despite a massive, 6-run deficit through 7 innings, the Boston Red Sox couldn’t be held down on Thursday night.
After a Shane Victorino home run made the score 7-2 after 8 innings, the Sox mounted a monster comeback, putting up 6 runs in the bottom of the 9th to push through and grab a 8-7 victory against the Seattle Mariners. Even in the simplest terms, a 6-run output to win a game in the 9th inning would be special enough, but with the showing, the Red Sox earned another milestone.
When Daniel Nava’s single dropped in to score Dustin Pedroia in finishing the comeback, the result was Boston’s league-leading 11th walk-off win of the year. For a team that has a scorching, 66-44 record, those 11 wins are of huge consequence, and without them, they would be a toiling, 55-55 team.
The unsung hero of the night for Boston was reliever Steven Wright, who threw 3 shutdown innings to close the game, keeping Seattle’s previously hot offense at bay with 0 runs and only 2 hits. However, the offense was the biggest factor, as Boston produced hit after hit, dismantling the efforts of Tom Wilhelmsen, Oliver Perez, and Yoervis Medina.
In the grand scheme, this is “only” one win for the Red Sox, but if there was ever a microcosm of what has been a fantastic season for the Boston franchise, this is it.