The hero of the night Rob Refsnyder
Kids jumping on top of the dugout. Gatorade baths flying all over the place. Unhinged out-of-nowhere euphoria. That was Fenway Park in the final moments of what shaping up to be a pretty morose Thursday.
The Red Sox' 9-8, walk-off win over the Rangers isn't likely to change the course of this sad trombone of a season. But for at least a brief moment, it reminded all involved why this place can be the be-all, end-all when it comes to celebratory baseball.
For those who left the park or went to bed, resigned to the notion that this day would be solely about bad news - related to both injuries and the scoreboard - well, they should be reminded that baseball can paint your day in another way when you least expect it.
The images of Rob Refsnyder soaking in his first-ever big-league walk-off hit punctuated the Red Sox comeback and the reality that comes with never counting out a game with no clock.
Six runs in the final two innings, including four in the bottom of the ninth, was what made Sept. 1 memorable.
And while most the talk has been - and will continue to be - about contracts and 2023 roster construction, that flurry of offense from seemingly everybody wearing a Red Sox uniform allowed for a brief respite.
There was the eighth inning when Rafael Devers re-emerged from his horrific 0-for-24 slump to rip an RBI double. That was followed by another run-scoring hit - this one from a guy, Christian Arroyo, the Red Sox simply need to find a place for.
Then came the ninth when Devers doubled yet again, scoring two. A Kiké Hernandez RBI single drew it to within a run, setting the stage for Refsynder.
It might have been just a patch on the problem - with the Red Sox still sitting 7 1/2 games out of the Wild Card - but, for now, it will have to do. And for those who stayed at Fenway, it did just fine.
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