Ceddanne Rafaela delivered a clutch moment that will be remembered at Fenway Park for some time. Pinch-hitting with two outs in the sixth inning, the rookie launched a tiebreaking, two-run homer over the Green Monster, propelling the Boston Red Sox to a 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night. The win also put an end to Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber's impressive home run streak, which had reached five consecutive games—tying a franchise record.
Rafaela's decisive blast came off Phillies reliever Orion Kerkering, who had just replaced Tanner Banks (0-3) in the inning. The pitch was a fastball, and Rafaela didn't miss, sending it deep to left field and giving the Red Sox a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
On the mound, Sonny Gray (4-1) turned in a strong performance in just his second start since returning from a right hamstring injury that sidelined him since April 20. The veteran right-hander allowed only one run and two hits over six innings, striking out six and walking one. It was exactly the kind of outing Boston needed after dropping three of their previous four games.
The bullpen held firm behind Gray, with Aroldis Chapman closing the door in the ninth. The flame-throwing lefty struck out the side despite issuing two walks, securing his ninth save in as many opportunities and completing a three-hit shutout for the Red Sox pitching staff.
Trevor Story also contributed to the offense with a solo home run, a welcome sign for the shortstop who came into the game batting just .203 with two homers on the season. The Red Sox hope this could be the spark that gets him going.
For the Phillies, Justin Crawford provided the lone run with a solo shot of his own. Philadelphia has been playing better since Don Mattingly took over as manager after a rough 9-19 start, going 11-4 in that span. But on this night, they couldn't solve Boston's pitching.
Schwarber's streak came to an end as he went 0-for-2, a rare quiet night for the powerful outfielder who had been red-hot at the plate. The Phillies also played without shortstop Trea Turner, who was sidelined by an illness but did manage a pinch-hit walk in the ninth.
Philadelphia starter Andrew Painter had a bounce-back outing, allowing just one run and four hits over five innings after being tagged for eight runs in his previous start. The series finale on Thursday promises to be a compelling matchup, with Phillies lefty Jesús Luzardo (3-3, 5.98 ERA) facing Red Sox left-hander Ranger Suárez (2-2, 2.77), who spent eight seasons in Philadelphia before signing a $130 million, five-year contract with Boston last January.