5 takeaways as Payton Tolle’s immaculate inning sets tone in 4-1 win over Royals
Boston Red Sox
It was the eighth immaculate inning in franchise history and sixth immaculate first inning in recorded Major League Baseball history.
COMMENTARY
This type of Red Sox win felt awfully familiar. It was the kind of game that defined the summer and reminded you what this team is capable of when everything is clicking.
They made a splash early Sunday, withstood a surge, then found a way to win late with contributions from all over. It didn’t matter who was at the plate in key spots; as an observer, you were confident they would take the lead back at some point.
The result was a 4-1 victory over the Royals that clinched the series and moved them to 82-68 overall and 36-20 since the All-Star break.
The Red Sox officially clinched a winning record and are the first team in Major League history to lose 46 of their first 78 games and finish above .500.
Here are five takeaways:
Immaculate inning
The vibes are always immaculate when Payton Tolle takes the mound – whether it’s a hug, push-up or some other form of tomfoolery – but in the first inning Sunday, he took immaculate to a new level.
Tolle’s immaculate inning (nine pitches, nine strikes, three strikeouts) was the eighth in Red Sox history and the first since Chris Sale’s in 2021. He threw eight four-seam fastballs and one sinker, including a 98-mile-per-hour heater past Jac Caglianone to cement the milestone.
He was, understandably, fired up and embraced catcher Adley Rutschman as they headed back to the dugout.
For context, the Red Sox have won more World Series titles (nine) than they have immaculate innings in franchise history. It was the first such feat in the first inning since Pedro Martinez in 2002 and just the sixth recorded immaculate first inning in MLB history.
Tolle tossed six shutout innings, allowing just four hits and striking out seven on 96 pitches (70 strikes). The Red Sox are 11-1 in his last 12 starts. That speaks for itself.
Durbin delivers
Caleb Durbin gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead in the second inning with a 372-foot homer that just barely cleared the Green Monster. It wasn’t crushed, but it was enough to put them on top and snap an 89 at-bat homer-less drought that dated back to Aug. 13.
Durbin, who has now hit safely in four straight games after a relatively quiet stretch in early September, upped his home-run total to 13 this season. He was also hit by a pitch twice and walked, stole second, and scored the winning run on Roman Anthony’s hit in the seventh.
His unique ability to provide power and play small ball has served him well the bulk of the season.
They’re back
Much like Durbin, Anthony has hit his stride the past few games after a somewhat uneventful week prior.
He had two hits Saturday and delivered the knock of the night Sunday with runners at. first and second and two outs. Anthony swung at the first pitch and laced a line-drive single to left-center. That was all he needed to do. It was one of those at-bats where keeping it simple and taking what the pitcher provided was more than enough.
Trevor Story then found some room in left field to score Willson Contreras and Adley Rutschman and make it 4-1 in the eighth. Story has hit safely in 12 of his last 13 games and appears to be a key part of the equation moving forward.
Time will tell how he performs in the postseason, but the Red Sox fans who wanted him off the roster are awfully quiet at the moment.
Contreras, meanwhile, who returned after missing 12 games with a left hamstring strain, looked sharp with two hits and a walk.
Good ol’ Chap
Aroldis Chapman walked the first two batters in the ninth, which resulted in a mound visit from pitching coach Andrew Bailey with the tying run at the plate.
He responded by striking out Tyler Tolbert and Carter Jensen. Next up was superstar Bobby Witt Jr., in a classic good-on-good matchup with the game on the line. Witt, who entered 1 for 5 against Chapman in his career, took two balls to open the at-bat.
Chapman got the count to 2-2, then struck him out with a signature 98-mile-per-hour high heater. He kept his ERA below .200 and secured his 401st career save, moving another step closer to Billy Wagner for eighth on the all-time list (422).
Quite a run
After back-to-back games surrendering just one run, the Red Sox have now allowed one run or fewer a league-high 39 times.
Their 39 such games matches 1946 for their most in a season during the Live-Ball Era (since 1920). They have held opponents to 1 or 0 runs in five of their last nine games, since Sept. 4.
If this team wants to make a deep playoff run, the pitching has to be great, not just good. The past two nights, it’s been great, which is an encouraging sign as the Red Sox enter the final few weeks of the season.
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