Xander Bogaerts had noticed the Red Sox move 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and following his leadoff double in the ninth inning with his team trailing 3-2, he chose to take a shot when J.D. Martinez grounded to shortstop.
“Big mistake,” explained Alex Cora.
When Bogaerts was thrown out fairly easily Attempting to reach third party, he derailed a potential rally, helped put an end to some five-game winning series as well as the Sox missed a Chance to cut their own six-game wild-card shortage with today 35 games left in this year.
Following the match, Bogaerts, since he has all year, confronted the press. And he was quick to acknowledge his blunder.
“Based on the way the game was going, I felt as though we had been on next base a great deal and we sort of got stranded the entire match,” Bogaerts told me at his locker. “It was a threat that I took and clearly you know that is a fantastic pitcher [Phillies closer Hector Neris]. This has been a mistake and clearly not the ideal choice.”
His supervisor did not sugar coat it.
“It isn’t important if you’re in first place or last place, you have got to play with blank baseball,” Cora told reporters. “He understands it. That ball is right in front of him. And it is a major mistake .”
This was the very first out of the ninth. The subsequent two workouts came on a baserunning error. Chris Owings, pinch-running for Martinez, broke for second on Andrew Benintendi’s line drive and has been readily kicked off.
Game over and much more cold water poured to the Sox’ flickering playoff hopes.