Gage Jump’s 11 Strikeouts and a Five-Run Surge Carry the A’s Past Boston at Fenway Park
The Athletics erased an early two-run deficit with five unanswered runs through the middle innings, then held off a late Boston push to beat the Red Sox, 7-3, at Fenway Park.
Boston struck first in the bottom of the first, but the Athletics answered immediately. Jahmai Jones opened the inning with a single and aggressively moved into scoring position, stealing second and third. Caleb Durbin walked, and Andruw Monasterio followed with a two-run single to right field. Jones and Durbin scored to put Boston ahead, 2-0.
Gage Jump kept the Red Sox from adding to the lead. He retired Boston in order in the second after Jarren Duran reached on a fielding error, then worked around a walk to Alika Williams in the third. The Red Sox had opportunities to extend their advantage, but Jump repeatedly limited the damage.
The Athletics finally broke through in the fourth against Jake Bennett. Jacob Wilson opened the inning with his 14th double, then advanced to third when Tommy White singled. Brian Serven followed with a soft single that was deflected by Bennett, allowing Wilson to score. Boston's lead was down to 2-1.
One inning later, the A's took control. Alika Williams was hit by a pitch, and Wilson delivered again with his 15th double, putting runners at second and third. Jonah Heim then lined a two-run single to left field, scoring both Williams and Wilson and giving the Athletics their first lead at 3-2. Bennett escaped further trouble, but Boston had surrendered the advantage.
Jump continued to attack Boston's lineup. He struck out Willson Contreras to finish the fifth, then returned in the sixth and struck out Duran and Connor Wong to strand two runners. By the end of his outing, Jump had recorded 11 strikeouts, keeping the Red Sox from turning their baserunners into another scoring inning.
The Athletics created their biggest cushion in the sixth. Lawrence Butler walked and stole second before Jeff McNeil also drew a walk. The two runners advanced on another double-steal sequence, and Donovan Walton followed with a ground-rule double into right-center. Butler and McNeil scored, turning a one-run game into a 5-2 Athletics advantage.
The A's added another run in the seventh when Tyler Soderstrom sent his 19th home run of the season over the right-field wall. The solo shot pushed the lead to 6-2 and gave the Athletics another layer of separation.
Boston's offense struggled to mount a response against the Athletics' relievers. Luis Medina replaced Jump in the seventh and retired all three batters he faced. Seth Johnson worked the eighth before Hogan Harris entered to finish the inning after Nick Sogard doubled and put runners at second and third.
The Athletics added one more run in the ninth when Henry Bolte hit his fifth home run of the season, a solo shot to center field. Boston answered with a final push. Jones doubled, then scored on Durbin's single. Willson Contreras followed with another single, and Monasterio walked to load the pressure on the Athletics. But Eli White lined out sharply to center, ending the threat and the game.
The A's finished with a five-run advantage after trailing 2-0 early, and the turnaround was built on timely hitting and Jump's ability to shut down Boston after the first inning. Wilson's two doubles, Heim's two-run single, Walton's two-run double and the home runs from Soderstrom and Bolte supplied the decisive offense as the Athletics closed out a 7-3 victory at Fenway Park.
