The NBA Champion Boston Celtics were the stars of the evening on June 25 at Fenway Park. They came from across town to celebrate banner 18 by throwing out the first pitch at the Boston Red Sox game.
They must've brought some championship energy with them. By the end of the night, Jarren Duran and his teammates grabbed Fenway's attention.
Former Boston fan-favorite Justin Turner and Rafael Devers opened the scoring for their teams. Turner knocked an RBI single for the first run of the game and Devers followed with a colossal two-run blast to take the lead the following frame.
Isaiah Campbell joined the Red Sox bullpen for the first time in two months. The Blue Jays jumped on him for five runs, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s three-run homer felt like the nail in Boston's coffin. Toronto took a four-run lead in the seventh inning, but the recently gritty Red Sox didn't let the pressure get to them.
Jarren Duran and Red Sox walk off the Blue Jays with champion Celtics in attendance
David Hamilton launched a two-run bomb to score Duran to encroach on the Jays' lead in the eighth inning. Later in the frame, Romy González erased it with a well-placed, bases-loaded single to tie the game at six.
Ceddanne Rafaela got on base due to a Blue Jays fielding error to open the ninth inning, and Duran took advantage. He drilled another single, and Rafaela's speed did the rest.
Jarren Duran ... Got it!
— MLB (@MLB) June 25, 2024
With the Celtics watching on, the @RedSox walk it off! pic.twitter.com/Mt9dVRwS9O
The Red Sox walked off the Blue Jays in an epic comeback victory with Boston's most recent champions in the building. The Celtics celebrated alongside the city again, and their energy was key to Fenway Park's atmosphere.
Everything went the Sox's way as the Celtics watched. Duran continued his 14-game hitting streak with a triumphant three-hit outing and his first career walk-off knock. Rafaela and backup catcher Tyler Heineman expertly picked off Steward Berroa as he tried to steal second in the ninth inning. And Toronto utterly collapsed defensively.
The Red Sox have won 10 of their last 12 games and have been on a tear since their series-opening loss to the National League-best Phillies on June 11. As Boston climbed to seven games above .500, the Blue Jays fell in the opposite direction. They lost their seventh straight game, their longest losing streak since 2019, in dramatic fashion.
The Sox have made their presence known in the AL East — just eight and a half games back from the lead and in a wild card spot a month before the trade deadline. Their electric run has come just in time to make a statement and for Boston's deserving players to continue their campaign for the All-Star game.