Xander Bogaerts Walks Off In Red Sox’ 8-7, 10-Inning Home Win Over White Sox

Xander Bogaerts hit a walk-off single to score Mookie Betts in the 10th inning to lead the Boston Red Sox to an 8-7 home victory over the Chicago White Sox on Thursday.

Xander Bogaerts Walks Off In Red Sox’ 8-7, 10-Inning Home Win Over White Sox

The Red Sox thus avoided a four-game sweep against Chicago at Fenway Park.

“We’re staring at a four-game sweep at home, and that’s never a good thing,” manager John Farrell said. “So you find a way to pull out all the stops. … You do what you can with what you have in the moment.”

With men on first and second and one out, Bogaerts lined a 1-2 pitch into right-center field off Matt Purke to start the celebration.

“I was definitely taking a first strike,” said the 23-year-old Aruban, who leads American League shortstops in the most recent round of All-Star voting. “He wasn’t commanding his pitches very well. I just wanted to be patient.”

Boston closer Craig Kimbrel (1-3) escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the 10th by getting J.B. Shuck on an infield popup and then striking out Tim Anderson and Adam Eaton. 

“I think after losing the first three games to these guys, we knew coming into today that we needed to win, especially going into this [six-game] road trip,” Kimbrel said. “We’re definitely gonna have a happy flight.”

Thursday’s game marked the first time in more than five years that the right-hander pitched two full innings. In all, Kimbrel allowed one hit and walked two while striking out three for his first American League win.

Jose Abreu blasted a go-ahead, three-run homer off Junichi Tazawa in the seventh to give Chicago a 5-7 lead, but the Red Sox answered with a run apiece in the seventh and eighth innings to tie the game.

Bogaerts, Betts, Dustin Pedroia and Hanley Ramirez each had two hits for the Red Sox.

In the eighth, 23-year-old infielder Marco Hernandez hit his first career double and scored on Pedroia’s single to tie it 7-all.

Boston left fielder Chris Young was carried off the field in the bottom of the second following a right hamstring injury. Young hit a laser off the high left-field wall and was running hard around first when he grabbed his leg and crawled back to the bag. He was replaced by Ryan LaMarre, who was later replaced by Travis Shaw. 

Had Chicago won, it would have marked the first time the White Sox swept the Red Sox in a four-game series at Fenway Park since 1927.

“We had some golden opportunities,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said after Thursday’s game. “We just couldn’t hold them. We were walking some people, letting them have some good opportunities. We got ourselves into some good opportunities and they got out of them.”

The Red Sox (40-32, 2nd in AL East) kick off a six-game road trip Friday that begins with a three-game series against the American League-leading Texas Rangers in Arlington. Left-hander David Price will take the mound.

The White Sox, (36-37, 4th in AL Central) meanwhile, will begin a six-game homestand on Friday that begins with a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays. Left-hander Carlos Rodon (2-6, 4.16 ERA) will start. Rodon struck out a season-high eight batters over 6 1/3 innings against the Cleveland Indians his last time out.

BOSTON, MA – JUNE 23: Xander Bogaerts #2 of the Boston Red Sox reacts after hitting the game winning single allowing Mookie Betts #50 to score, defeating the Chicago White Sox 8-7 in tenth inning at Fenway Park on June 23, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)