Red Sox Quite Literally Throw Away Lead, Game Against Rays

Things went south very quickly for Boston in the span of a single play.

There’s one word to describe the bottom of the sixth inning for the Red Sox on Tuesday—yikes. 

They held a comfortable 2–0 lead over the Rays heading into the inning, but Tampa Bay’s Francisco Mejía narrowed the gap after he singled to center field, scoring Harold Ramírez to score and sending Isaac Paredes to second.

Then, disaster struck for Boston. 

On a single play, the squad managed to have two throwing errors, practically handing Tampa Bay the lead on a silver platter. 

What did we just watch?! 😲

(🎥: @RaysBaseball)pic.twitter.com/C576iuPinf

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) July 13, 2022

Taylor Walls hit a sharp line drive that bounced off Boston pitcher Matt Strahm, who scrambled to recover and tossed a wild throw that skipped past first base, allowing to trot home. First baseman Franchy Cordero sprinted after the ball before launching it to home plate, only for the ball to ricochet off of catcher Christian Vazquez. 

The second throwing error allowed Mejía to run back home, boosting Tampa Bay to a 3–2 lead that would end up being the final score. The Rays moved ahead of Boston in the AL East and wild-card race with the win, adding insult to injury for the Red Sox in what was already a brutal loss.

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