Rain delayed the inevitable on Tuesday, but you can’t stall history forever. The Boston Red Sox finally took the field in Baltimore on Wednesday afternoon and promptly secured their 15th consecutive victory, matching a franchise record that had stood untouched since the Truman administration. It took a 6-3 win in the first leg of a doubleheader to do it.
They got to work early. Caleb Durbin cracked a bases-loaded single to center, plating two. Then Jarren Duran stepped up. He laced a triple, driving in Willson Contreras and Durbin. Duran wasn’t done, later lofting a third-inning sacrifice fly to bring Durbin home again. By the fourth, Cedanne Rafaela decided to show off, launching a solo shot to make it 6-2. Easy.
On the mound, Jake Bennett did just enough. He grinded through 5.2 innings, scattering nine hits and giving up three earned runs. Not pretty, but effective. Then the bullpen slammed the door. Justin Slaten, Garrett Whitlock, and Aroldis Chapman combined to choke out any hope of an Orioles comeback.
This ridiculous run started way back on July 3, a lifetime ago before the All-Star break, with a modest 5-2 win over the Angels. Back then, Boston was a miserable ten games under .500 at 38-48. Now? They sit at 52-48, occupying third place in the brutal AL East. The only other Red Sox team to pull off 15 straight was the 1947 squad, led by some guy named Ted Williams. Cynics, take note: those ’47 Sox finished 83-71 and watched the postseason from their couches. History has a nasty habit of repeating itself.
The record-breaker could happen tonight. Game two of the doubleheader is on deck. Boston hasn’t even named a starting pitcher yet, while Baltimore is sending out Kyle Bradish, fresh off signing a shiny new five-year contract extension. Let’s see if the streak survives the night.
