The Red Sox will be playing more than 162 games this season.
Alex Cora's club set themselves up for at least a 163rd game with a nail-biting, 5-3 win over the Nationals Saturday, scoring four runs with two outs in the ninth inning to seal the second-to-last scheduled regular-season game.
With a win Sunday, the Red Sox would host a Wild Card game Tuesday, having guaranteed themselves at least a tie for the top spot with the Yankees. New York fell back into a deadlock with the Sox thanks to its second straight loss against the Rays at Yankee Stadium.
The Red Sox managed to get to this spot thanks to some early clutch pitching performances from Tanner Houck, Garrett Richards and Ryan Brasier, along with a ninth that was keyed by Christian Vazquez's two-out, run-scoring triple.
The opposite field blast from Vazquez, which scored pinch-runner Jose Iglesias from first base, immediately put what seemed to be a gut-wrenching eighth inning by the Nationals in the rearview mirror.
After five perfect innings from Houck, and two scoreless out of both Richards and Brasier (who got out of a bases-loaded jam), Adam Ottavino was called on to keep the Red Sox' one-run lead in the eighth. After retiring his first batter, the Sox reliever allowed what appeared to be a routine fly ball off the bat of Ryan Zimmerman.
The problem came when centerfielder Hunter Renfroe lost the ball and let it drop. The hit paved the way for Ottavino having to face Juan Soto with the bases loaded. Fortunately for the Red Sox, Soto's 393-foot blast to center fell just shy of the fence, allowing for just one run.
The Sox responded with a leadoff walk from J.D. Martinez, who was immediately replaced by Iglesias. After strikeouts by both Alex Verdugo and Renfroe, Vazquez jumped all over a 97.7 mph fastball from Washington reliever Tanner Rainey, launching the decisive blow over Soto's head.
The Red Sox added some much-needed breathing room when Travis Shaw singled home Vazquez. He was followed by what would be a vital two-run homer from Kiké Hernandez, made even more important after Andrew Stevenson's two-run homer against Austin Davis in the ninth.