Kenley Jansen returns
The Red Sox lost by one run ... again.
That was the 'The End' moment for a day that introduced a little of everything for these Red Sox, who are back to four games under .500 after their 7-6 loss to the Angels Monday night at Fenway Park. It was the 16th time they had lost by one run, having now dropped 12 of their last 14 one-run affairs.
But the entire day offered an uncomfortable reminder of how uneven this whole 2025 Red Sox package has been.
It started at just before 11 a.m. when David Ortiz met with the media at his charity golf tournament at Brae Burn Country Club. (For more information on the David Ortiz Children's Fund, click here.) That was when the Hall of Famer weighed in the Rafael Devers drama.
There was congratulations to Devers for figuring out how to become a designated hitter and kudos to the Red Sox' star for having such an impactful year. "He's killing it right now. You don't want to mess that up," Ortiz said. But then ... "If I was him, I would have put myself available for anything. But that was me."
Sure, there was a game to be played. And, yes, the Red Sox had won two straight. But as with almost every game involving this team this season the conversation regarding Devers not playing in the field hovered.
It's why so many stood up and took notice when Devers grabbled a second baseman's mitt and took a few grounders at shortstop. It is also the impetus for the first line of conversation from any opposing organization who sit across from the Red Sox. "What's going on over there?" It has been a familiar refrain.
And to top off the zigging and zagging, the guy who had drawn all the focus while practicing at first base, Kristian Campbell, was now going to draw back on the experiment, according to Red Sox manager Alex Cora. With the return of Romy Gonzalez and the emergence of Abraham Toro, it was simply seeming like a square peg, round hole-type of situation.
Then there was the actual game.
Through the consistency that have been the Red Sox tidal wave of inconsistencies - (they haven't won more than two straight since April 29) - there are unique pieces of what has become a sometimes-tough-to-look-at puzzle. This time, the all surfaced in a historic first inning.
For the first time in Fenway Park history the visiting team managed three home runs in the first inning, allowing for a six-run first against Red Sox starter Richard Fitts. The most memorable the bunch? Easy. Mike Trout's 454-foot blast to left-center.
"Anytime you break records at a stadium like this, it’s pretty special," Trout told reporters. "I just found out after the game. Pretty crazy."
"I think there's two aspects pitching-wise that have caught my attention throughout the season," Cora said. "It's the first inning and the bottom of the lineup. We have to be better at that. Hopefully tomorrow is the start."
There is also a reason, however, these do turn into one-run games. Because the Red Sox do possess a fair amount of gumption, as was put on display in the innings following the first.
In this case, the relievers combined for 8.0-plus innings pitched with one or zero runs allowed for just the third time in the last 40 years. It allowed the Sox to close the gap to a single run heading into the final frame. Jarren Duran had three more hits. Ceddanne Rafaela closed the gap to one run with his eighth-inning homer. And Gonzalez came off the injured list to keep his strong season going with a pair of hits.
But, ultimately, the day was punctuated with another sad trombone. This time it just so happened that the one playing the music would be former Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen.
The 37-year-old had talked a lot about how memorable it was to play in Fenway Park, how deserving the Boston fans were of having a championship team, and how his communication with his former team had been basically been limited to occasional texts with Cora.
Once the ninth inning rolled along, it was clear Jansen had moved on. Three batters up, three batters down. A familiar point to the sky from the closer, and also all-too-common image of the Red Sox looking toward the next day for answers.
"We’re not that far off. I truly believe that," Cora said. "But we have to make sure we start off the series the right way. I think that’s how you do it, right? We did it in Atlanta. We won the first one, and then we won the series."