A Tough (Correct) Call and a Walk-Off Homer Have the Rays on the Brink
The New York Times
A confusing play in extra innings highlighted an unusual rule, but Boston took a commanding series lead over Tampa Bay on Christian Vazquez’s two-run blast.
BOSTON — Christian Vazquez’s night began on the bench. It ended with a triumphant jog around the bases.
In an endurance contest the night before the Boston Marathon, the Red Sox outlasted the Tampa Bay Rays in a 13-inning, chaotic affair in Game 3 of this American League division series. Vazquez, who had entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning, won the game for Boston seven innings later with a walk-off, two-run home run over the Green Monster that gave the Red Sox a 6-4 victory and a two games to one series lead.
“It’s a big win,” Vazquez said. “No matter what inning, we need to do the job, and somebody needs to do it and take charge there, and I did it.”