Red Sox win after plane delays force late start vs. Mets
The Boston Red Sox beat the New York Mets despite a chaotic travel day, when mechanical issues with their team plane left the club grounded in Chicago for nearly 24 hours. First pitch on July 10 was pushed back 35 minutes to 7:50 p.m. ET, but Boston still won 6-2 and extended its winning streak to seven games.
It was the second travel scare in two weeks for the Red Sox, who have repeatedly turned disruption into momentum during a surprising surge. For more on the team's run, see our Celebrity Breaking News coverage.
Key Takeaways
- The Red Sox were stuck in Chicago for nearly 24 hours because of a broken tug and cockpit issues before flying to New York.
- Boston arrived at Citi Field about two hours before the scheduled July 10 opener and won 6-2 behind Sonny Gray and two homers.
- The Red Sox blanked the Mets 4-0 on July 11 to extend their winning streak to eight games.
- Boston went 8-0 to start its road trip, its best such start since 1977.
- The Red Sox moved within a half-game of the third AL Wild Card spot at 45-48.
What caused the Red Sox plane delay?
After beating the White Sox 2-1 on Thursday for their sixth straight win, the Red Sox expected to leave Chicago that night for New York. Instead, pitcher Payton Tolle said a malfunctioning tug kept the aircraft on the tarmac until after midnight, sending the team back to hotels.
When the club returned Friday morning, interim manager Chad Tracy cited cockpit issues involving switches or light bulbs. The Red Sox finally took off shortly before 3 p.m. ET, landed at LaGuardia around 4:30 p.m., and reached Citi Field at 5:05 p.m.—roughly two hours before the scheduled 7:15 p.m. start.
The Mets and Red Sox agreed to push first pitch to 7:50 p.m. rather than postpone the game into a Saturday doubleheader, according to ESPN. It mirrored a June 24 incident when a Denver-to-Boston flight turned back after 30 minutes; Boston still beat the Yankees hours after a dawn landing.
How did the Red Sox win the delayed series opener?
Sleep-deprived or not, Boston cruised to a 6-2 victory in the delayed series opener. Starter Sonny Gray allowed one run over six innings, and homers from Anthony Seigler and Wilyer Abreu built an early lead the bullpen held.
The win was Boston's seventh straight and pulled the club within 1½ games of the third AL Wild Card spot. Tracy said the team still planned to start Gray, who traveled with the group from Chicago despite the ordeal.
What happened in the Red Sox's next game against the Mets?
One night later, the surging Red Sox rolled past New York again, 4-0, for their eighth straight victory and 13th win in 15 games. With All-Star left-hander Ranger Suarez resting a strained groin, rookie Eduardo Rivera held the Mets scoreless for 3⅔ innings as a long opener called up from Triple-A Worcester.
Andruw Monasterio and Masataka Yoshida supplied the offense with two-run homers in the absence of All-Star first baseman Willson Contreras, who was serving a five-game suspension. Boston's bullpen finished the shutout—its ninth of the season—while limiting New York to three hits.
Why does this Red Sox streak matter now?
Just weeks after sitting 14 games under .500, the Red Sox entered Sunday at 45-48 and trailed the Mariners and Twins by just a half-game for the third AL Wild Card berth. An 8-0 start to their three-city road trip marked Boston's best opening to a trip of at least nine games since a West Coast swing in July 1977, per MLB.com.
Tracy credited unheralded contributors like Rivera and Monasterio for keeping the momentum alive after the travel nightmare. With one win left to complete a perfect road trip before the All-Star break, the Red Sox have turned plane trouble into one of baseball's hottest stories.