BOSTON — With two outs, Jarren Duran swung at the first pitch he saw and sent it into the right-center gap. What looked like a routine double turned into much more when the ball kept rolling past both Pirates outfielders and into the triangle. Duran rounded third, got the go sign from coach Kyle Hudson, and, seeing the throw go wide, crossed the plate standing as the Fenway crowd erupted.
“I figured I’d stop at third because Bregman was ahead of me,” Duran joked afterward. “But then I realized I had to go for it. I was exhausted, but it paid off. Inside-the-parkers are so rare, when it happens, it’s like, ‘oh wow, this is really happening.’”
The Red Sox badly needed that spark. Coming into the game, they’d dropped three straight, gone 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position, and averaged just 3.1 runs over the past week. Duran’s three RBIs gave Boston a 4-1 lead in the fifth, setting up a 5-2 win that helped them avoid a sweep at the hands of the 61-76 Pirates.
Duran’s night included a homer, a double, and two walks. Alex Bregman snapped an 0-for-17 skid, and Nathaniel Lowe, back from paternity leave, collected two hits. Ceddanne Rafaela added an RBI single, though the Sox still went just 2-for-9 with men in scoring position. The Pirates threatened in the eighth, loading the bases, but Garrett Whitlock wriggled out of trouble before Aroldis Chapman closed things out for his 27th save.
Manager Alex Cora credited Duran’s home run with shifting the entire ballpark’s energy: “When you’re not hitting, it’s tough to generate momentum. But tonight we ran the bases well, put together good at-bats, and finally created some offense.”
Starter Lucas Giolito nearly lost control in the fourth, issuing three straight walks after a leadoff double, but a baserunning blunder by Pittsburgh helped limit the damage. Giolito regrouped and completed six innings of one-run ball, improving the Sox’s record to 10 wins in his last 12 starts.
Elsewhere, Wilyer Abreu (calf) remains sidelined longer than expected but is still progressing. After the game, Boston announced a two-year, $13.3 million extension with Chapman, including a 2027 vesting option. Cora praised the move, noting the importance of continuity on a roster that has seen constant turnover since 2021.
Masataka Yoshida and Trevor Story both went hitless Sunday, with Story stuck in a deep slump. Abreu could see time at DH when he returns. Looking ahead, Bryan Bello and Garrett Crochet will start the first two games against Cleveland, and top prospect Kyle Harrison could make his Sox debut later in the week.
With the victory, Boston closed to within half a game of the Yankees for the top wild card spot, stayed 2.5 ahead of Seattle, and held a five-game cushion over Texas. They remain 3.5 games back in the division with 24 games left to play.
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