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Ceddanne Rafaela delivers the Sox to
the postseason with a walk-off
September 26,
2025 ...
Kyle Harrison turned in a short start and put the Red Sox in
an early 3-0 hole, but they fought back slowly and surely.
After that early deficit, Alex Cora left nothing to chance, going with setup
man Justin Slaten to relieve the faltering Harrision with nobody out in
the fourth.One after another, Cora’s relievers came through, combining for six innings
in which they allowed three hits, no runs and one walk while tallying six
strikeouts.
There was ace setup man Garrett Whitlock striking out the side in the
eighth.
And there was elite closer Aroldis Chapman, all but scoffing when the
Tigers opened the ninth with a Justyn-Henry Malloy double and then
put the go-ahead run at third on a grounder. As he has done all year,
Chapman put out the fire, punching out the next two, completing the
frame with a knee-buckling slider that Spencer Torkelson swung
through.
Tigers starter Casey Mize shoved for six innings, but the Red Sox
finally came through for a run to get him out of the game in the
seventh. In the eighth, they scratched across another run thanks to a
good baserunning play by Nate Eaton.
In the ninth, Romy Gonzalez singled with an out, bringing Ceddanne
Rafaela to the plate.
Since the All-Star break, Rafaela has been the worst hitter in baseball among
qualifiers. Rather than taking the bat out of his hands, Alex Cora trusted
his center fielder, and Rafaela came through. He smoked a ball off the center
field wall, scoring Romy Gonzalez and sending the Red Sox to the playoffs.
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