LOS ANGELES — Ceddane Rafaela’s go-ahead two-run homer highlighted a five-run seventh inning and the Boston Red Sox rallied after blowing an early lead to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 9-4 on Friday night in the series opener.
The Red Sox led 3-0 in the third before the Dodgers scored a run in the fourth and three more in the fifth on Shohei Ohtani’s two-run, two-out blast to take a 4-3 lead.
The Red Sox finished July with a 21-4 record. The .840 win percentage is the best in a month in franchise history (minimum 15 games).
Ohtani was 2 for 5 with two runs and two RBIs a night after sitting out because of lingering soreness in his left knee that has kept the two-way superstar off the mound since July 3.
Dodgers reliever Cole Irvin (0-1) gave up a leadoff walk to Nick Sogard in the fifth. Rafaela followed with a 405-foot shot to left that put the Red Sox back in front, 5-4.
Andruw Monasterio’s two-run RBI double and Jarren Duran’s RBI groundout to Irvin extended the lead to 8-4.
Irvin gave up six runs and eight hits over six innings of relief with five strikeouts in his first outing in the majors since 2024. He had his Triple-A contract selected earlier in the day.
Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras was hit in the helmet by a pitch from Dodgers reliever Will Klein in the third and left the game for precautionary reasons.
Boston reliever Brayan Bello (3-6) got the win with three hits over four innings.
Ohtani’s 24th homer came off reliever Jovani Morán. The left-hander had just entered after starter Ranger Suárez gave up an RBI single to Eliezer Alfonzo.
Freddie Freeman went 3 for 4 and extended his hitting streak to 10 games — longest by a Dodger this season — with a two-out RBI single that scored Ohtani in the fourth.
Red Sox LHP Payton Tolle (6-6, 3.32 ERA) was set to start Saturday against Dodgers RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (11-6, 2.72).