Red Sox Nations' hearts collectively lurched when Rafael Devers took off from first base in a 3-2 game at Tropicana Field.
The Boston Red Sox had the lead, but Devers is not known for his speed. Tampa Bay Rays catcher Ben Rortvedt fired the ball to second base to beat Devers, but the third baseman stopped short of the bag.
The Rays' defense fell for it. The moment the ball left Rortvedt's hand, Jarren Duran took off from third base. Brandon Lowe zipped the ball back to the plate, but he wasn't fast enough to catch the speeding Duran. The outfielder slid headfirst into home and stood up with a well-deserved celebratory scream.
Boston collected its fourth run of the game on a double-steal involving its two hottest players, and the Sox secured a rare win at the Trop, 5-2. Devers' six-game home run streak ended, but his smart baserunning coupled with Duran's speed won the game for his squad.
Jarren Duran leads Red Sox to series win over division-rival Rays
Speed kills 💨 pic.twitter.com/ivvH8A6mpD
— Red Sox (@RedSox) May 22, 2024
The speedy outfielder had a stellar night against the division-rival Rays. Duran mashed a 427-foot homer to dead-center field that tied the game at two and stole an insurance run.
A clutch hit from Wilyer Abreu scored Ceddanne Rafaela to untie the game and put Boston's fastest player on third. A ninth-inning bomb from Reese McGuire added another insurance run for the Sox and took the wind out of Tampa's sails.
After days of minimal offense, the Red Sox changed their fortunes in Tampa Bay. Boston posted five runs in each of its first two games against the Rays this series and the bats have come through in clutch moments when the Sox needed them most.
The Rays took three out of four games from the Red Sox less than one week ago, but the Sox look like a different team. Instead of lackadaisical offense, Boston's bats worked at the right moments, and it secured its first series win at Tropicana Field since 2019.