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NEW YORK — Instant reactions as the Red Sox (46-48) rally in the ninth inning to force extra innings, then beat the Mets, 3-2, to cap off a perfect 9-0 road trip that might just have saved the season:
1) When it’s going well, it’s going well. The Red Sox had just two hits through eight innings and trailed 2-0 entering the bottom of the ninth before coming back to beat the Mets in extras. The win was Boston’s ninth in a row and finished off a 9-0 road trip — the club’s first such trip since 1977.
Entering Sunday, the 2026 Red Sox were 0-43 while trailing after eight innings. That changed in a hurry.
There’s not enough that can be said about how the Red Sox played while traversing Anaheim, Chicago and New York over the last week-plus. Sunday’s win was perhaps the most gratifying — and surely the most dramatic. There’s a world in which the Red Sox find themselves holding onto a playoff spot if things go their way around the league in the late window.
2) The Red Sox used small ball to take the lead (for good) against Brooks Raley in the 10th. Connor Wong bunted to lead off the inning, moving automatic runner Masataka Yoshida to third. Anthony Seigler then smoked a line drive to left field that was plenty deep enough to serve as a go-ahead sacrifice fly.
Garrett Whitlock then entered the game and stranded New York’s automatic runner, Tyrone Taylor, on second with three straight outs. He got pinch-hitter Bo Bichette to ground out to end it and record his second save of the season.
3) After mustering just two hits in the first eight innings of the game against lefty Zach Thornton and setup man Luke Weaver, Boston took advantage of an ineffective Devin Williams to tie the game in the ninth. Boston closed a 2-0 deficit quick — and nearly pulled ahead.
Ceddanne Rafaela led off with a single, then with one out, Romy Gonzalez shot a grounder that looked like a potential game-ending double play ball toward Lindor, who booted it for an error. With new life, the Red Sox took advantage as Williams issued back-to-back walks, including one to Andruw Monasterio that plated a run. With the infield in, Jarren Duran lifted a flare that fell into shallow right field and tied the game. Pinch-hitter Masataka Yoshida was then the victim of some bad luck when he laced a 101.7 mph liner right at the second baseman and Monasterio was easily doubled off second base.
From the beginning of the inning, it felt like — with everything the Sox had accomplished over the first eight games of the road trip — things were building toward victory. Lindor’s error and Duran’s hit dropping in were signs that the momentum wasn’t to be stopped.
4) Brayan Bello’s return to the big leagues largely went well, with the only blip coming when Lindor took him deep to the opposite field.
Bello relieved Payton Tolle with two outs in the fourth and gave the Red Sox a quality showing. In 4 ⅓ frames, the righty — pitching in the majors for the first time since June 4 — allowed two hits and struck out five. He threw 55 pitches (38 strikes) in his first game action since July 1, when he last pitched at Triple-A. Bello bridged the gap from Tolle to Aroldis Chapman, who pitched a scoreless ninth shortly after the Red Sox tied the game.
Bello’s splits continue to be staggering. As a starter, he has a 10.35 ERA (41 earned runs in 35 ⅔ innings). But in five games coming out of the bullpen (all following a one-inning opener before Sunday), Bello has allowed only three earned runs in 29 ⅔ frames. That’s a 0.91 ERA as a reliever.
5) A sign of how well the Red Sox have played on their long, arduous road trip? When Lindor drove in leadoff man A.J. Ewing with an RBI double off Tolle in the bottom of the first, it marked the first time the Red Sox had trailed in a game since Sunday in Anaheim, when they went down 2-0 in the first. They were wire-to-wire winners in all three games in Chicago and the first two games in Flushing.
Lindor carried the Mets’ offense by driving in their only two runs as Thornton dominated. But his error in the ninth was inexcusable.
6) It’s abundantly clear the Red Sox had an eye on Tolle’s workload entering his last start of the first half. Bello was called up with that reason in mind and the Red Sox followed through, lifting Tolle after just 3 ⅔ innings — and 66 pitches — despite him pitching well.
In his 15th big league start of the year, Tolle allowed one run on three hits and struck out seven Mets. He’s now at 99 innings (84 in the majors and 15 at Triple-A). In all of 2025, Tolle — a year removed from college — threw 108 ⅓ innings, including the postseason (in which he got one out). His workload is going to be a story to watch down the stretch.
7) Boston’s lineup has, of course, been better lately. But early on, it looked like a group with an eye on the break early against Thornton, who needed just 39 pitches to get through four innings (and 56 to power through five).
Thornton, in his third-ever MLB start, retired 13 of the first 14 batters he faced before Monasterio laced Boston’s first hit — a one-out double — in the fifth. In all, Thornton lasted seven shutout innings. He struck out five and allowed four men to reach (two hits, two walks).
8) There’s an old baseball adage that the final game before the All-Star break is often the quickest of the year. That nearly played out Sunday as the Red Sox and Mets appeared to be barreling their way toward finishing in under two hours before the late-inning drama. The final tally? Two hours and 33 minutes, allowing players plenty of time to catch flights to their respective break destinations.
9) The Red Sox won’t play for four days, but that doesn’t mean a few of their players won’t be busy. Willson Contreras, Rafaela and Chapman will travel to Philadelphia late Sunday ahead of All-Star festivities beginning Monday afternoon. Contreras will participate in Monday’s Home Run Derby. Another All-Star, Ranger Suarez, will go back to Boston to continue rehabbing after landing on the injured list with a groin strain last week.
When the Red Sox do resume play, they’ll have their longest homestand of the season. Boston will host the Rays (four games), Orioles (three) and Blue Jays (three) over the course of 10 days before hitting the road again on July 27. It all starts with a doubleheader against the first-place Rays on Friday at Fenway.
More Red Sox coverage
- How Brayan Bello fared in his return to Red Sox after a month at Triple-A
- Red Sox pitching prospect credited with win in MLB Futures Game
- Son of Red Sox legend selected by Giants on final day of MLB Draft
- Red Sox’ Chad Tracy explains roster move that ‘stung,’ reveals pitching plans after break
- Red Sox lineup has Jarren Duran (.167 in July) at DH Sunday, speedy reserve in outfield
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