BOSTON — Christian Vazquez received a warm ovation Tuesday in his first game back to Fenway, his former home park. But the fans who applauded had no idea of the gift the longtime Red Sox catcher would inadvertently provide them.
A catcher's interference penalty that the Red Sox declined — yes, just like in football — turned into the game-tying run, and a third strike that skipped underneath Vazquez sparked Boston's three-run, 10th-inning rally. The result was Minnesota's third straight loss, 5-4 in a ballpark that seems to inspire the bizarre every time the Twins are here.
Alex Verdugo hit a fly ball that bounced off the padding just beyond the right-field foul pole, a fair ball that drove in Reece McGuire with the game-winning run in Boston's strange-then-stranger 5-4 victory. The hit capped a three-run 10th for the Red Sox, an outburst ignited when Jovani Moran's third strike to leadoff hitter Kiké Hernández skipped in the dirt and to the backstop, allowing him to reach base.
