Recap
On a huge sports day—a near-upset that would have made FIFA history between Argentina and Cape Verde, Novak Djokovic tying a record at Wimbledon, the Cardinals clobbering the rival Cubs 17-1, Tour de France regulations put in place due to extreme heat, Taylor Swift’s wedding—this late-night match-up between the lowly Red Sox and Angels falls somewhere like the 18th most important sports story today.
Besides all that, it’s the start of the holiday weekend. But for all the night owls who tuned in, it was a thoroughly enjoyable game!
Jake Bennett proved he belongs and Romy González showed he’s back. Bennett quickly got out to a confident start, with a 1-2-3 first inning; he repeated that feat in each frame through the fourth, not allowing a hit until the fifth and never giving up a walk. I was surprised that Chad Tracy brought him out for the eighth, not because he was struggling—he most definitely wasn’t—but because he’d never gone that deep in a game before. Sure enough, he was a little gassed and began to falter, giving up a home run, a single, a wild pitch, then another single. Two runs scored in the inning but this wasn’t indicative of his night.
In the ninth, Aroldis Chapman broke Hoyt Wilhelm’s record for most strikeouts by a reliever—not a closer, but all relievers.
As for the offense, the Sox hitters were as confident as their pitchers, with nearly everyone getting at least one hit. Rafaela, Abreu, Contreras, Durbin, and Duran were on the basepaths multiple times. Though Duran didn’t have a hit, he had a nice sac fly, laid down a sacrifice bunt, and advanced on a fielding error.
Fire up the grill, get the drinks on ice, and stay cool over the weekend; the Sox are doing their part to give us something to celebrate.
Studs
Aroldis Chapman
Chapman went into the record books for most strikeouts by a reliever, besting Hoyt Wilhelm with #1,364. He even grinned for the occasion. Nice work.
Jake Bennett
He held the Angels hitless until the fifth. With a lot of first-pitch strikes, soft contact, and short at-bats, he cruised through seven. Good for him, good for us, good for the bullpen. His final line doesn’t quite do justice to how good he looked out there tonight. 7.2 IP, 5H, 2R, 6K, 1 BB.
Romy González
The guy we’ve been pining for all season has arrived. He announced himself with a triple in the first inning and overall went 3-4 with 2 RBI.
Caleb Durbin
He went 1-3 with a home run, and scored another run after getting on base with a walk. He had the Defensive Play of the Game too. Nice night.
Dud
Nate Eaton
Hey, it happens. He was the only hitter to not reach base, going 0-5 with 3 K’s.
Play of the Game
In 2026, we haven’t often been able to consider several potential Plays of the Game; it’s been sparse all season long. Tonight I considered a few different candidates, including Durbin’s homer, but I’m going with Romy’s triple that put the Sox on the board in the second. Romy showed he was back, and said he’s feeling good. Here’s hoping it’s the first of many notable plays that he’ll record for the Sox for the rest of the way.
I’m also awarding a Defensive Play of the Game, which was this sweet little grab by Durbin.
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