Top five thrilling Red Sox comebacks of 2014

Apr 20, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox second baseman

(15) reacts after scoring the winning run during the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

For many reasons, the Red Sox’ April 20th walk-off victory at Fenway Park was their most meaningful. Not only was it Easter Sunday, but it was also the night before the 2014 Boston Marathon, and the Red Sox honored the victims of the 2013 Marathon bombing in a touching on-field ceremony before the game.

The emotional nature of the day seemed to inspire the Red Sox because they were able to take a five-run deficit and turn it into a 6-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles in the ninth inning. Trailing by a daunting 5-0 margin, Boston rallied to score three runs in the sixth on a homer from Jonny Gomes, and followed with two more runs in the seventh to even things up.

With the score still tied in the ninth and the bases loaded, Mike Carp drove in the winning run in anticlimactic fashion: He lined out to left field. Pedroia, on his game as always, tagged up at third and scored on an errant throw from left fielder David Lough. 

However, Gomes’ rally-propelling home run in the sixth put his team in the position to win and made him the hero in the team’s first walk-off of the season. Gomes was just proud to be a part of the bigger picture of the day: “Another emotional roller coaster here at Fenway; tear jerker there for a minute,” he said after the game. “Man, I was just going coattails on the celebration before the game…It was a little bit of a kickstart for us.”

It certainly capped off the day perfectly and is now a nice memory of how fresh and full of potential this season once was.