BOSTON (AP) — Eight decades ago, a Boston Red Sox squad featuring future Hall of Famer Ted Williams rattled off 15 consecutive victories early in the season — a franchise record that has stood ever since. Now, the current Red Sox are one win away from matching it.
Caleb Durbin delivered the decisive blow Monday night, launching a go-ahead home run over the Green Monster with two outs in the eighth inning to lift Boston past Baltimore 6-5. The victory extended the Red Sox’s current winning streak to 14 games — the second-longest in club history — while also snapping the Orioles’ season-best seven-game win streak.
“I’m trying not to, but I want it,” Durbin said when asked about the chance to tie the franchise record Tuesday night. “I can’t speak for anyone else. We really haven’t talked about it, but I want to make history here.”
Durbin had struggled through a rough start to the season after arriving via an offseason trade with Milwaukee. On Monday, he connected on a 1-0 cutter from Tyler Wells, sending his teammates into a frenzy in front of Boston’s dugout.
First baseman Willson Contreras was among the first to leap over the railing onto the field in celebration. “It would mean a lot, for sure,” Contreras said. “We are trying to play the same way every day. … If it happens, that would be great for us. We can celebrate that. If it doesn’t happen, you have to keep going.”
The Red Sox had to battle back from three separate deficits throughout the game before Durbin’s clutch blast sealed the win. Boston was sitting at 37-48 when the streak began and has since climbed into wild-card playoff contention.
Durbin admitted the moment was almost surreal. “I can’t imagine it being more electric than tonight,” he said. “It might be. Tonight was awesome, though.”
As for what was going through his mind while rounding the bases toward a group of jubilant teammates? “There’s not a lot of times that you black out — as they say,” Durbin said. “I think that was one of the moments where I didn’t know what was happening. I couldn’t tell you what I looked like running around the bases.”
Contreras said the atmosphere felt like something much bigger than a regular-season game. “I felt like (the) playoffs, going to the World Series, to be honest,” he said. “Hopefully it happens. We’re on the way, but there’s a lot of season left, a lot of games to be played.”
