<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-alex-cora-legal-seafood-story-proves-beloved-boston');   ga('set', 'title', 'Red Sox manager Alex Cora’s Legal Seafood story proves he’s beloved in Boston');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Red-Sox-manager-Alex-Cora-1.jpg"><figcaption>Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Red Sox manager Alex Cora’s Legal Seafood story proves he’s beloved in Boston</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-12T15:32:52-07:00">September 12th, 3:32pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-12T15:32:52-07:00">September 12th, 3:32pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Red Sox</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Boston sports fans have a way of telling you when you’re doing a good job, as Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora found out at a local Legal Sea Foods restaurant. As <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/1-red-sox-player-who-must-step-up-in-al-east-race-with-blue-jays-yankees">the Red Sox’s AL East race heats up</a> between the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays, Cora saw firsthand how appreciative fans are of his team’s 2025 MLB regular season.</p><p>Cora <a href="https://x.com/SmittyOnMLB/status/1966603287173509572" rel="noopener">revealed a great story</a> about Red Sox fans from dining at Legal Sea Foods, per MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith.</p><p>“Two people offered to pay the check. I was like, ‘Wow. This is going well,'” Cora said.</p><p>Winners of three of their last five outings, the Red Sox are trailing the Yankees by 0.5 games in the AL Wild Card standings. They trail the AL East’s first-placed Blue Jays by 3.5 games.</p><h2><b>World Series champion says Red Sox-Yankees rivalry is back</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Red-Sox-manager-Alex-Cora-2_0b626a.jpg"><figcaption>Eric Canha-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>It’s been a while since Major League Baseball has seen its oldest rivalry in an AL East pennant race. 2004 World Series champion <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/mlb-stories/mlb-news-red-sox-yankees-rivalry-back-kevin-millar">Kevin Millar declared the Red Sox rivalry is back</a>, and he’s here for it, as he believes MLB is in a better place when they’re fighting for playoff positioning against the Yankees.</p><p>Millar believes the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry makes the end of the regular season <a href="https://twitter.com/IntentionalTalk/status/1966565089751834827" rel="noopener">all the more exciting</a>, he said, per MLB Network’s International Talk.</p><p>“There is a buzz in September no matter what,” Millar said, via MLB Network’s Intentional Talk. “I’m only speaking with experience… This rivalry is back. I’ve told you guys this before: certain teams, certain rivalries, the sport is better. Red Sox, Yankees, as much as you’re sick of seeing it when you’re not on the Red Sox-Yankees, if you’ve been a part of it, you understand it… It’s better when they’re both good.</p><p>“It was not fun the last few years when the Red Sox were all the way at the bottom or near the bottom, and the Yankees were really good, or vice versa. It’s good like this,” Millar concluded.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"There is a buzz… this rivalry is back."<a href="https://twitter.com/KMillar15?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KMillar15</a> is excited for the Yankees and Red Sox this weekend!<a href="https://twitter.com/SieraSantos?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SieraSantos</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/Dempster46?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Dempster46</a> <a href="https://t.co/uoBKLPGfxs">pic.twitter.com/uoBKLPGfxs</a></p><p>— Intentional Talk (@IntentionalTalk) <a href="https://twitter.com/IntentionalTalk/status/1966565089751834827?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Red Sox manager Alex Cora and his team will have an opportunity to take a significant lead in their Wild Card race when they host the Yankees in a three-game series at Fenway Park, starting on Friday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Red Sox manager Alex Cora’s Legal Seafood story proves he’s beloved in Boston

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-exciting-injury-update-rising-star');   ga('set', 'title', 'Red Sox get exciting injury update on rising star');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Red-Sox-Romy-Gonzalez-vs-Athletics.jpg"><figcaption>© Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Red Sox get exciting injury update on rising star</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-12T14:50:07-07:00">September 12th, 2:50pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-12T16:16:46-07:00">September 12th, 4:16pm</time><address><a>Kendall Capps</a>Kendall Capps is a multi-media journalist and editor who is overly passionate about all sports (to his wife's dismay). He's a Senior Editor at ClutchPoints who previously managed SB Nation's golf vertical. He has also done work for FantasyPros and co-hosted the Lay The Points podcast as part of a decade-long career in sports entertainment.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Red Sox</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Boston Red Sox will host a crucial three-game series with the New York Yankees this weekend. Both teams are in the thick of both the American League East and Wild Card races.</p><p>The Red Sox have been hit hard by the injury bug during the second half of the season. Roman Anthony, who was becoming a star in the major leagues, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-roman-anthony-2-word-admission-dealing-oblique-strain">may miss the rest of the regular season</a> with an oblique strain. Slugger <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-wilyer-abreu-lands-on-il-ahead-of-yankees-matchup">Wilyer Abreu was recently placed on the injured list</a> with a calf strain.</p><p>Then, the other day, Romy Gonzalez left Wednesday’s game with knee soreness.</p><p>Speaking to reporters on Friday, manager Alex Cora <a href="https://x.com/SmittyOnMLB/status/1966599227389174125" rel="noopener">provided an update</a> on Gonzalez, per Red Sox reporter Christopher Smith.</p><p>“He’s doing OK. A little bit banged up. He’ll be available off the bench today. And hopefully he’ll start tomorrow,” Cora said.</p><p>The 29-year-old infielder is experiencing a breakout season. After struggling to find consistent playing time over the first four years of his career, Gonzalez is hitting .311 this season. Across just 270 at-bats, he has 48 RBIs and 41 runs scored.</p><p>Gonzalez has hit up and down Boston’s lineup this season. With Anthony out for an extended amount of time, he’s been spending more time near the top of the order, though. His ability to get on base has made him the perfect table-setter.</p><p>While he is not starting on Friday, the fact he is available off the bench is huge.</p><p>The importance of this series cannot be understated.</p><p>The Red Sox enter Friday’s game a half-game behind the Yankees for the top Wild Card spot. They are also just 3.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the division.</p><p>Thus far this season, Boston has had New York’s number. The Red Sox have won eight of 10 meetings, including being swept at Fenway in mid-June. They have out-scored the Yankees 56-37 this year, holding New York to three runs or less in six games.</p><p>Boston will roll out their three best starters for the series, with Lucas Giolito, Brayan Bello, and Garrett Crochet taking the bump, respectively.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Red Sox get exciting injury update on rising star

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/mlb-stories/mlb-news-red-sox-yankees-rivalry-back-kevin-millar');   ga('set', 'title', 'Red Sox-Yankees ‘rivalry is back,’ World Series champion says');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Austin-Wells-tags-out-Jarren-Duran.jpg"><figcaption>Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Red Sox-Yankees ‘rivalry is back,’ World Series champion says</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-12T11:59:34-07:00">September 12th, 11:59am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-12T11:59:34-07:00">September 12th, 11:59am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Red Sox</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>During the offseason before the 1920 MLB campaign, the Boston Red Sox shocked the baseball world by trading a young star by the name of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-yankees/yankees-news-aaron-judge-replicates-mlb-feat-last-done-babe-ruth-104-years-ago">Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees</a>. The result? New York now leads all of MLB with 27 total World Series championships, while the Red Sox endured a championship drought following the Ruth trade and would not win another Fall Classic until 2004. In the ’04 postseason, though, New York held a 3-0 ALCS lead over Boston before the Red Sox came back and won the series. Between the history and storylines over the past century-plus, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-yankees/yankees-news-aaron-judge-brutally-honest-red-sox-rivalry">Yankees and Red Sox rivalry</a> is one of the most historic rivalries in all of sports.</p><p>However, over the past few years, the rivalry has dwindled. The Red Sox have endured ups and downs while other teams in the division have challenged the Yankees and Sox. Although the Blue Jays currently lead the AL East, New York and Boston are set to enter their upcoming weekend series separated by just a half-game in the standings. New York, at 81-65, is three games back of Toronto while the 81-66 Red Sox are 3.5 games back of first place.</p><p>According to former player Kevin Millar — who was a member of the Red Sox’s 2004 squad — the “rivalry <a href="https://x.com/IntentionalTalk/status/1966565089751834827" rel="noopener">is back</a>.”</p><p>“There is a buzz in September no matter what,” Millar said, via MLB Network’s Intentional Talk. “I’m only speaking with experience… This rivalry is back. I’ve told you guys this before, certain teams, certain rivalries, the sport is better. Red Sox, Yankees, as much as you’re sick of seeing it when you’re not on the Red Sox-Yankees, if you’ve been a part of it, you understand it… It’s better when they’re both good.</p><p>“It was not fun the last few years when the Red Sox were all the way at the bottom or near the bottom and the Yankees were really good, or vice versa. It’s good like this.”</p><p>The Yankees and Red Sox will begin their three-game series on Friday night at Fenway Park. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 PM EST.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Red Sox-Yankees ‘rivalry is back,’ World Series champion says

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/boston-red-sox/1-red-sox-player-who-must-step-up-in-al-east-race-with-blue-jays-yankees');   ga('set', 'title', '1 Red Sox player who must step up in AL East race with Blue Jays, Yankees');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Alex-Bregman-must-come-through-in-the-final-two-plus-weeks-of-the-season.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>1 Red Sox player who must step up in AL East race with Blue Jays, Yankees</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-11T15:20:54-07:00">September 11th, 3:20pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-11T15:20:54-07:00">September 11th, 3:20pm</time><address><a>Steve Silverman</a>Steve Silverman has been covering the NFL for more than 35 years, and his writing has appeared in ESPN Magazine, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, Pro Football Weekly, and Forbes.com. He has written 10 books, including "Who's Better, Who's Best in the NFL." He has won multiple awards from the Pro Football Writers of America.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Red Sox</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Boston Red Sox are on track to earn a spot in the American League playoffs for the first time since the 2021 season.</p><p>However, with slightly more than two weeks to go in the season, Alex Cora’s team cannot take it’s foot off the gas pedal and think that it will be smooth sailing ahead. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-aroldis-chapman-insane-hitless-streak-ended-athletics">Red Sox</a> and Yankees are tied for the the top Wild Card spot in the American League with the Seattle Mariners in the third spot. If the standings don’t change when the regular season concludes Sept. 28, the the Red Sox and Yankees will meet in the Wild Card round.</p><p>The team with the better record will host each game in a best-of-3 series. If the two teams are tied at the conclusion of the last game of the season, the Red Sox will have homefield advantage because they have gotten the best of the Yankees in the season series.</p><p>However, neither team wants to settle for having the best second-place record of any team in the league. Both would like to run down and catch the first place Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto leads the American League East by 3 1/2 games over both teams with an 84-62 record.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-connelly-early-franchise-record-debut">The Red Sox</a> will travel to Toronto for the penultimate regular-season series of the season Sept. 23. The two teams will meet at the Rogers Centre for three games.</p><p>The Red Sox have strong starting pitching at the head of the rotation with Garrett Crochet, Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito. They have also received brilliant relief pitching from Aroldis Chapman.</p><p>However, the offensive attack must come through in the season’s most important games</p><h2><b>Alex Bregman is the key hitter for the Red Sox</b></h2><p>The Red Sox have gotten solid offensive production this season, but they are not at their peak for the final weeks of the regular season Rookie star Roman Anthony is out with an oblique injury and outfielder Wilyer Abreu has missed multiple weeks with a knee issue. If the Red Sox are going to secure their spot in the postseason, third baseman Alex Bregman must come through with a solid performance.</p><p>After Anthony was promoted from Triple-A Worcester to the parent club, he found his stride after a brief slump at the start. Anthony became the best offensive threat on the team as he slashed. 292/.396/.463 with 8 home runs and 32 runs batted in. Most of his home runs came shortly before he suffered his oblique injury.</p><p>Trevor Story has become an offensive star for the team with 24 homers, 91 RBI and 28 stolen bases without getting caught. Story has also played stellar defensive shortstop as he has finally stayed healthy for the Sox. Jarren Duran has not been as explosive as he was a year ago, but the speedy outfielder has 14 home runs, 79 RBI and 23 stolen bases.</p><p>However, no Red Sox player has a better offensive track record than Bregman, who gained a reputation as a clutch player while he was with the Houston Astros from 2016 through 2024. He played a key role in helping that team win two World Series titles and going to the postseason eight times.</p><h2><b>Bregman has been up and down since returning from injury</b></h2><p>Bregman has been solid for the Red Sox, although he did have to endure a midseason right quad strain that caused him to miss more than 40 games.</p><p>The solid fielding third baseman is slashing .279/.362/.474 with<a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bregmal01.shtml"> 16 home runs</a> and 57 RBI in 101 games. While he was productive after returning from his injury, he has slumped during the last two weeks.</p><p>The Red Sox need him to get hot again and start driving the ball over the fence. His swing is built for Fenway Park and he needs to show off his clutch power hitting throughout the rest of the season.</p><p>If he can do that, the Red Sox have an excellent chance of earning the top Wild Card spot and possibly catching the Blue Jays for first place.</p><h2><b>Rafaela needs to go on a hot streak</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Ceddanne-Rafaela-is-a-huge-factor-for-the-Red-Sox-when-he-is-getting-key-hits.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>While Bregman must come through for the Red Sox, notoriously streaky Ceddanne Rafaela also needs to start driving the ball consistently as the postseason approaches.</p><p>Rafaela is a major plus in the field as he is one of the best defensive centerfielders in the sport. He can also play infield when Cora asks him to play 2nd base.</p><p>He can also get the job done at the plate when he is not aggressively swinging at pitches outside the strike zone. Rafaela is tied for third on the team with 16 home runs and he has also driven in 60 runs.</p><p>However, his slash line of .241/.285/.410 tells the rest of the story. He rarely gets on base via the walk route and he goes through long stretches where he strikes out far too often.</p><p>Rafaela has demonstrated that he can come through in clutch situations, and the Red Sox need him to do just that as the regular season comes to its conclusion.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

1 Red Sox player who must step up in AL East race with Blue Jays, Yankees

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-aroldis-chapman-insane-hitless-streak-ended-athletics');   ga('set', 'title', 'Red Sox RP Aroldis Chapman’s insane hitless streak ended by Athletics');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Red-Sox-pitcher-Aroldis-Chapman-in-the-ninth-inning.jpg"><figcaption>Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Red Sox RP Aroldis Chapman’s insane hitless streak ended by Athletics</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-10T16:41:38-07:00">September 10th, 4:41pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-10T16:41:38-07:00">September 10th, 4:41pm</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>Rexwell Villas is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He's a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, and he claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Red Sox</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Even at 37 years old, Boston Red Sox closer <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-aroldis-chapman-extends-3rd-longest-hitless-streak-since-1901">Aroldis Chapman remains one of the best in the business</a>, especially in the ninth inning. He even carried a hitless streak that covered 50 consecutive batters into Wednesday night’s game <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-romy-gonzalez-final-diagnosis-abrupt-exit-athletics-clash">against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento</a>.</p><p>Unfortunately for the eight-time All-Star, that incredible stretch came to an end in the ninth frame of that contest, as he <a href="https://x.com/TalkinBaseball_/status/1965903220368368003/history" rel="noopener">gave up a leadoff double</a> to A’s designated hitter Shea Langeliers.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Shea Langeliers ends Aroldis Chapman's hitless streak at 50 batters with a leadoff double</p><p>Chapman had not allowed a hit since July 23rd <a href="https://t.co/BePOCpxJ39">pic.twitter.com/BePOCpxJ39</a></p><p>— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) <a href="https://twitter.com/TalkinBaseball_/status/1965903220368368003?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>With the game tied at 4-4, Chapman trailed Langeliers early with a ball on his first pitch. After back-to-back foul balls by Langeliers, Chapman threw an 88 mph splitter that the former sent to the center of the field. Chapman then recovered by retiring Brent Rooker on a lineout after five pitches, but he gave up a game-winning single RBI to Lawrence Butler, as the Athletics came away with a walk-off 5-4 victory.</p><p>Before facing Langeliers, the last time Chapman gave up a hit was during a game on July 23 against the Philadelphia Phillies on the road. Between that and Wednesday’s meeting with the Athletics, Chapman allowed zero hits and issued only four free passes while racking up 21 strikeouts <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.fcgi?id=chapmar01&amp;t=p&amp;year=2025#840-856-sum:players_standard_pitching" rel="noopener">through 14.2 innings</a>.</p><p>Despite his rare letdown outing, Chapman still brandishes an elite 1.14 ERA to go along with a 0.67 WHIP and 29 saves on 31 save opportunities, thus far in the 2025 MLB regular season.</p><p>It was quite a rollercoaster of a ride for the Red Sox and the Athletics in that game, with both teams trading leads throughout. The Athletics got on the board first with a home run from Langeliers in the first inning, while Boston got the lead in the third inning. The A’s got the lead back in the fifth before Rob Refsnyder tied the score at 4-4 with an RBI double in the top of the ninth frame.</p><p>Chapman and the Red Sox drop to 81-66 and remain stuck in the third spot in the American League East standings, behind the division-leading Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Yankees. They will look to get back to their winning ways this coming Friday, when Boston hosts the Yankees for the start of a three-game series at Fenway Park.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Red Sox RP Aroldis Chapman’s insane hitless streak ended by Athletics

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-connelly-early-franchise-record-debut');   ga('set', 'title', 'Red Sox pitcher Connelly Early ties franchise record with stellar MLB debut');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Connelly-Early.jpg"><figcaption>Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images.</figcaption></figure><h1>Red Sox pitcher Connelly Early ties franchise record with stellar MLB debut</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-09T22:38:29-07:00">September 9th, 10:38pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-09T22:38:29-07:00">September 9th, 10:38pm</time><address><a>Josh Davis</a>Josh Davis is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints with a focus on MLB. As the founder and creator of OutOfSightSports, Josh spearheads the development and expansion of an engaging social media platform, with a core focus on Twitter/X. A passionate sports writer, Josh is dedicated to delivering compelling content that connects fans and fuels vibrant sports conversations. His vision is to craft stories so vivid that fans feel like they’re standing at the plate or on the field.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Red Sox</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Boston Red Sox may have just discovered their postseason X-factor. On Tuesday night at Fenway Park, 23-year-old <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-calling-up-star-prospect-dustin-may-il">Connelly Early delivered a historic MLB debut</a>, dominating the Athletics and tying the Red Sox franchise record with 11 strikeouts across five scoreless innings in a 6-0 shutout win in West Sacramento.</p><p>Making his debut under the lights, Early carved through the Athletics lineup with a lethal three-pitch mix. His fastball sat in the mid-90s, and his changeup became the primary put away pitch, accounting for seven of his strikeouts. According to The Boston Globe’s Tim Healy, <a href="https://x.com/timbhealey/status/1965619140040986965" rel="noopener">the outing officially stamped</a> the southpaw’s name into the team’s record books.</p><p>“Connelly Early has tied Don Aase for the Red Sox record for strikeouts in his major league debut: 11.”</p><p>The Red Sox last saw a 10-strikeout debut in 2007 with Daisuke Matsuzaka, but Early’s performance surpassed that mark and set a new MLB strikeout record — becoming the first pitcher in league history to record 11 strikeouts in five innings or fewer during a debut.</p><p>The victory was Boston’s 81st win of the season and moved the team into a tie for the top wild card slot. More importantly, it gave the rotation a major boost following recent struggles and injuries, particularly with Dustin May on the injured list and younger arms like Hunter Dobbins and Richard Fitts still adjusting to big-league roles. With just 16 games remaining, the Red Sox pitching staff will be tested, especially in upcoming series against playoff-caliber opponents, but Early’s dominance in his debut provides much-needed optimism for the stretch run.</p><p>In 2025, Early had posted a 2.75 ERA and 145 strikeouts in the minors, ranking as the team’s No. 6 prospect. Now, the narrative around the left-handed pitcher may extend into October if the club continues its playoff push. Whether as a starter or long relief arm, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/what-red-sox-must-do-surpass-blue-jays-al-east">Early may be the piece Boston didn’t know it needed</a>—until now.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Red Sox pitcher Connelly Early ties franchise record with stellar MLB debut

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-romy-gonzalez-final-diagnosis-abrupt-exit-athletics-clash');   ga('set', 'title', 'Red Sox 1B Romy Gonzalez gets final diagnosis after abrupt exit from Athletics clash');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Romy-Gonzalez-cover.jpg"></figure><h1>Red Sox 1B Romy Gonzalez gets final diagnosis after abrupt exit from Athletics clash</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-09T22:35:23-07:00">September 9th, 10:35pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-09T22:35:23-07:00">September 9th, 10:35pm</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He's a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic. In addition to sports writing, he works for Arizona Football in the Player Personnel and Recruiting department and formerly served as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Athletics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>For <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-aroldis-chapman-extends-3rd-longest-hitless-streak-since-1901">Romy Gonzalez, Tuesday night in Sacramento was shaping up</a> to be another showcase of his breakout season. Batting leadoff for just the seventh time all year, the 29-year-old first baseman homered in his first at-bat and doubled in his second, extending his MLB-best hitting streak to 12 games. Then, just as quickly, <a href="https://x.com/timbhealey/status/1965620806584861035" rel="noopener">his night came to a halt.</a></p><p>The Red Sox later announced Gonzalez exited due to soreness in his left knee. He was replaced at first base by Nathaniel Lowe when Boston took the field for the bottom of the second inning.</p><p>Gonzalez wasted no time making his presence felt against Athletics starter Jeffrey Springs, blasting a 426-foot leadoff home run to right-center to open the scoring. In the second, he laced an RBI double into the corner, but appeared to tweak something on his way into second base. Though he remained on the field to finish the inning, his night was over soon after.</p><p>The timing of the injury stings for Boston. Gonzalez has been one of the most consistent bats in the lineup, slashing .311 with nine home runs, 48 RBIs and an .852 OPS across 84 games. He’s been especially lethal against left-handed pitching, owning a .347/.396/.636 line and ranking fifth in MLB in OPS against southpaws this season.</p><h2><b>Red Sox blowout the A’s on Tuesday night</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Romy-Gonzalez.jpg"><figcaption>Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The injury news overshadowed <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-calling-up-star-prospect-dustin-may-il">a remarkable big-league debut from left-hander Connelly Early.</a> Called up from Triple-A Worcester earlier in the day, the 23-year-old struck out 11 over five shutout innings, tying a franchise record for most strikeouts in a debut.</p><p>“It was amazing,” Early said on NESN’s postgame broadcast. “Just to go out there and have that first opportunity… just a bunch of joy.”</p><p>Early became just the fifth pitcher since 2000 to record double-digit strikeouts and allow no runs in his first MLB start. His poise impressed manager Alex Cora, who praised the rookie’s preparation and execution.</p><p>The Red Sox offense backed their debuting starter with plenty of early run support. After Gonzalez’s leadoff homer, Rob Refsnyder launched a 463-foot, three-run blast later in the first inning to make it 4-0. Boston went on to cruise to a 6-0 win, their second straight over Oakland.</p><p>Still, the loss of Gonzalez looms large. The Red Sox already placed outfield prospect Roman Anthony on the injured list with an oblique strain, and Dustin May joined him with right elbow neuritis. Gonzalez’s absence would thin the lineup further as Boston continues to chase a postseason spot.</p><p>There was no immediate word on the severity of Gonzalez’s knee soreness or whether an MRI would be scheduled. For now, his availability remains day-to-day, though his hot bat and defensive versatility make him one of Boston’s most valuable pieces. The Red Sox (and their fans) will hope this proves to be a minor setback in what has been a stellar season for Gonzalez, who has quickly gone from depth piece to everyday contributor.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Red Sox 1B Romy Gonzalez gets final diagnosis after abrupt exit from Athletics clash

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-boston-makes-vaughn-grissom-move-after-placing-dustin-may-on-il');   ga('set', 'title', 'Red Sox make Vaughn Grissom move after placing Dustin May on IL');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Red-Sox-IF-Vaughn-Grissom.jpg?w=1024"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Red Sox make Vaughn Grissom move after placing Dustin May on IL</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-09T16:49:37-07:00">September 9th, 4:49pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-09T16:49:37-07:00">September 9th, 4:49pm</time><address><a href="https://linktr.ee/jordan.llanes">Jordan Llanes</a>Jordan Llanes is a sports writer and reporter based in Florida. In addition to ClutchPoints, he writes for a few other publications covering the NFL, college sports and Tottenham Hotspur. When he's not writing, Jordan enjoys spending time with his fiancée, cats, family and friends, as well as catching the latest TV shows and movies, and traveling.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Red Sox</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Fresh off a 7-0 win over the Athletics in their series opener Monday night, the Boston <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-trevor-story-garrett-crochet-flowers-defeating-athletics">Red Sox are looking to</a> lock in their spot in the AL playoff field. Three games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East, Boston’s third-place status might relegate them to a Wild Card spot. While the Red Sox would be fine with any method of getting into the playoffs, the team still has a couple of question marks. To promote starting pitcher Connelly Early, Boston promoted infielder Vaughn Grissom and then placed him <a href="https://x.com/timbhealey/status/1965547509297885475" rel="noopener">on the 60-Day IL,</a> according to Red Sox beat writer Tim Healey on X (formerly Twitter).</p><p>“The Red Sox called up Vaughn Grissom … to put him on the 60-day IL (thus opening a spot on the 40-man roster for Connelly Early),” reported Healey. “Grissom has plantar fasciitis.”</p><p>While the move to promote Grissom and then place him on the 60-Day IL is useful now, it could hurt the Red Sox when it comes to October. After all, the Los Angeles Dodgers showed during their march towards a World Series title that depth is key to postseason success. Will Early be a part of a potential Boston pitching staff in October? If not, will the team regret not being able to use <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-vaughn-grissom-returns-il">Grissom in the annual gauntlet?</a></p><h2><b>Red Sox look to lock in postseason spot over the next few weeks</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Red-Sox-SP-Dustin-May.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Early is coming up to the majors to replace <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-calling-up-star-prospect-dustin-may-il">May in the starting rotation.</a> Another one of the Red Sox top prospects, Early will hope to make an impact similar to Payton Tolle’s, who was also recently promoted. It’s clear that Boston is looking to fill out its playoff pitching staff. The starting rotation will certainly contain ace Garrett Crochet plus right handers Lucas Giolito and Brayan Bello as long as they stay healthy.</p><p>The hope was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-dustin-may-opens-up-post-trade-on-field-struggles">that May would join them.</a> After coming over in a trade deadline deal with the Dodgers, the right-hander has locked in a rotation spot. Now, his elbow neuritis diagnosis gives him a murky future. Can Early size May’s rotation spot and clinch a spot on the postseason roster? It won’t be the first time a rookie has made an impact on Boston’s postseason hopes. If Early has his say, then it certainly won’t be the last, either.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Red Sox make Vaughn Grissom move after placing Dustin May on IL

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-calling-up-star-prospect-dustin-may-il');   ga('set', 'title', 'Red Sox calling up star prospect with Dustin May heading to IL');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Red-Sox-players-celebrate.jpg"><figcaption>© Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Red Sox calling up star prospect with Dustin May heading to IL</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-09T09:12:41-07:00">September 9th, 9:12am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-09T09:56:15-07:00">September 9th, 9:56am</time><address><a>Benjamin Adducchio</a>Benjamin Adducchio is a journalist and writer with more than a decade of experience in covering sports news. Ben is a passionate sports fan who loves college football, basketball, and the New York Yankees.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Red Sox</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-dustin-may-opens-up-post-trade-on-field-struggles">Boston Red Sox are working their way through an injury</a> to Dustin May. Boston is calling up Connelly Early to replace May <a href="https://x.com/FoulTerritoryTV/status/1965434074597916906" rel="noopener">in the rotation</a>, per Foul Territory. Early is expected to start Tuesday night against the Athletics.</p><p>May is expected to head to the injured list. He is struggling this year, spending time in the starting rotation as well as the bullpen. This year, May has posted a 4.96 ERA while pitching for Boston and the Los Angeles Dodgers.</p><p>May was acquired by the Red Sox at the July trade deadline. He has appeared in 25 games this year, with 23 overall starts. He is dealing with <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/red-soxs-dustin-may-heading-to-15-day-injured-list/" rel="noopener">an undisclosed injury</a>, per CBS Sports.</p><p>Early is considered one of Boston’s top pitching prospects in the farm system. He has posted 10 victories this season in the minor leagues. Early has yet to appear in a Major League Baseball game.</p><h2><b>Red Sox hope to win the AL East</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Red-Sox-3B-Alex-Bregman.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Boston is currently third in the American League East, but they are only three games out of first. Boston is chasing the division crown along with the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees.</p><p>The Red Sox struggled out of the gate this season. Boston was under .500 for a considerable period of time in the season’s first months. Strong pitching from the bullpen has lifted the team. Boston has also found some strength in the batting lineup, following the Rafael Devers trade.</p><p>The club would love to have Early find the strike zone early on Tuesday. Boston is hoping to hop past New York again in the division standings. The teams have traded places for weeks.</p><p>A quality start for Early on Tuesday would continue some strong momentum. Garrett Crochet put together a gem of a game for Boston on Monday. <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/garrett-crochet-hurls-10-strikeout-gem" rel="noopener">He struck out 10 batters</a> as Boston won, 7-0.</p><p>“Every win counts here down the stretch, so for me it’s just trying to help the team put our best foot forward every game,” Crochet said, per MLB.com. “I think I’ve got three or four left. I’m losing track at this point. Every start ‘til the finish line and the ones that are following that, just really doing the best thing I can to help the team.”</p><p>The Red Sox play the Athletics Tuesday at 10:05 PM ET. Boston has five wins in their last 10 games.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Red Sox calling up star prospect with Dustin May heading to IL

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-trevor-story-garrett-crochet-flowers-defeating-athletics');   ga('set', 'title', 'Red Sox’s Trevor Story gives Garrett Crochet his flowers after defeating Athletics');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Red-Sox-pitcher-Garrett-Crochet-35-throws-a-pitch.jpg"><figcaption>Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Red Sox’s Trevor Story gives Garrett Crochet his flowers after defeating Athletics</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-09T08:55:05-07:00">September 9th, 8:55am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-09T08:55:05-07:00">September 9th, 8:55am</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>Rexwell Villas is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He's a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, and he claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Red Sox</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After three straight losses, the Boston Red Sox are back on track. They scored their second consecutive victory on Monday night, kicking off their series in Sacramento against the Athletics with a 7-0 win. Boston ace Garrett Crochet was simply <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-ex-player-garrett-crochet-tarik-skubal-cy-young-claim">sensational on the mound</a> in this dismantling of the A’s at Sutter Health Park, with the American League Cy Young Award contender pitching brilliantly.</p><p>The 26-year-old Crochet twirled seven scoreless innings, while allowing zero walks and striking out a total of 10 Athletics hitters through 101 pitches. Such a performance also highlighted Crochet’s ability to steady his boat right away following a rough outing.</p><p>Before his start versus the Athletics, Crochet was shelled by the Cleveland Guardians at Fenway Park on Sept. 2, as he surrendered seven earned runs on nine hits, including four home runs, in six innings of work. He was lucky to escape with a no-decision in that contest, thanks to the Red Sox’s offense that keyed the 11-7 victory, but Crochet showed there that he’s human after all.</p><p>Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story, who hit a home run against the A’s and finished 2-for-4 with a couple of runs scored, had <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/garrett-crochet-hurls-10-strikeout-gem" rel="noopener">nothing but praise</a> for Crochet following the game.</p><p>Crochet’s 10-strikeout start also put him in front of Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers and every other pitcher in the big leagues in the 2025 MLB season in terms of total strikeouts. Through Monday, Crochet has 228 punchouts, six more than Skubal.</p><p>“He bounced back after a tough start last time,” Story said of Crochet, per Theo DeRosa of MLB.com. “Like I’ve said all year, that’s what the big boys do. That’s what the aces do. He’s certainly been that for us ever since he got here. He was in form tonight.”</p><p>“He went out there against a tough lineup and pounded the strike zone, had good stuff and gave us more than enough,” added Boston manager Alex Cora.</p><p>On the year, Crochet has a 15-5 record and a 2.57 ERA to go along wtih a 1.05 WHIP through 29 starts.</p><p>The Red Sox are 80-65, still trailing the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Yankees in the American League East standings, but are <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/why-red-sox-will-clinch-al-wild-card-spot">3.5 games inside the AL Wild Card picture</a>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Red Sox’s Trevor Story gives Garrett Crochet his flowers after defeating Athletics

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-alex-cora-has-what-the-hell-realization-with-jarren-duran-position-switch');   ga('set', 'title', 'Red Sox’s Alex Cora has ‘what the hell’ realization with Jarren Duran position switch');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Alex-Cora.jpg"><figcaption>Eakin Howard-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Red Sox’s Alex Cora has ‘what the hell’ realization with Jarren Duran position switch</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-09T00:56:48-07:00">September 9th, 12:56am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-09T00:56:48-07:00">September 9th, 12:56am</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Red Sox</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-aroldis-chapman-extends-3rd-longest-hitless-streak-since-1901">Boston Red Sox are right in the middle of a division race</a>, and on Monday, they faced the last-placed team in the AL West, the Oakland Athletics. While they did take a drama-free 7-0 win at home in the end, the Red Sox <a href="https://x.com/RedSox/status/1965185425716510919" rel="noopener">did raise</a> a ton of eyebrows before the game when they listed Jarren Duran as the starting right fielder — taking him away from his more natural position of left field just so they could fit in Nick Sogard into the lineup.</p><p>Nonetheless, all is well that ends well; Red Sox manager Alex Cora did come to his senses and put Duran back in left field, with Sogard being the one to adjust instead at right field. It <a href="https://x.com/ChrisCotillo/status/1965299447803650277" rel="noopener">even surprised</a> Cora himself that he would think to move Duran, who’s better in left field and has shown above-average to excellent defense at the position before, out of his comfort zone.</p><p>“I made up my mind, like ‘What the hell are you doing?’ Why have two guys out of position? Jarren is one of the best defensive left fielders in the big leagues and Ceddanne is the best one in center field. I was looking in BP and said, ‘Nah, man. This doesn’t make sense,'” Cora said after the game, per Chris Cotillo of Mass Live.</p><p>It wasn’t quite clear why the Red Sox would accommodate for Sogard being in the lineup in this manner; Sogard is a right-handed hitter anyway, and the Athletics were starting a right-handed pitcher on the mound.</p><p>But what’s important is that Cora realized the error of his ways. Cora may simply have been overthinking a lot of things, but the Red Sox manager clearly realized that keeping it simple is the best course of action most of the time.</p><h2>Red Sox keep up the pressure in the AL East chase</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/USATSI_26927154_168404029_lowres.jpg"><figcaption>Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>At present, it looks like the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-alex-cora-emotional-message-fans-amid-playoff-race">Red Sox are safely within the playoff picture</a>, barring an unlikely unforeseen late-season collapse. But they just keep on hanging around in the race for the division title; their 7-0 win over the Athletics has them just three games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the AL East lead, which, with 17 games left, is a deficit that they can make up quite reasonably.</p><p>The Red Sox have two more games in this current series against the Athletics before they head back home to host the New York Yankees in a three-game set that will be crucial in deciding the playoff picture.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Red Sox’s Alex Cora has ‘what the hell’ realization with Jarren Duran position switch

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-aroldis-chapman-extends-3rd-longest-hitless-streak-since-1901');   ga('set', 'title', 'Red Sox’ Aroldis Chapman on 3rd-longest streak of hitless domination since 1901');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Red-Sox-closer-Aroldis-Chapman-vs-Diamondbacks.jpg"><figcaption>© Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Red Sox’ Aroldis Chapman on 3rd-longest streak of hitless domination since 1901</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-08T07:44:22-07:00">September 8th, 7:44am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-08T07:44:22-07:00">September 8th, 7:44am</time><address><a>Yasmin Edañol</a>Yasmin D.G. Edañol is a PhD candidate in Chemistry at the University of the Philippines Diliman, with a background in scientific research and publishing. He brings a data-driven perspective to sports storytelling as an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints, with a focus on the NBA. Whether it's breaking down a clutch play or a stat line, he believes every great moment has a deeper layer waiting to be uncovered.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Red Sox</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Boston Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-aroldis-chapman-contract-extension-2027-option">has been unstoppable on the mound</a> against the Diamondbacks. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-aroldis-chapman-mlb-best-closer-label">His dominance is giving the Red Sox a crucial edge</a> as the postseason race heats up. Aroldis Chapman’s hitless streak has now reached 17 straight appearances without allowing a hit. This marks one of the most remarkable pitching runs in recent MLB history.</p><p>Chapman’s hitless streak has also stretched to 14⅔ innings, dating back to July 26, and it now ranks as the <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/46192642/red-sox-aroldis-chapman-adds-nasty-run-4-strikeouts" rel="noopener">third-longest since 1901</a>. Only Randy Choate’s 20 straight appearances in 2011 and Tim Byrdak’s 18 consecutive outings in 2012 stand ahead of him.</p><p>As a result, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-aroldis-chapman-stares-down-yankees-1-0-shutout-win">Aroldis Chapman’s resurgence has been vital for the Red Sox bullpen</a>. His command and velocity have returned to elite form, and his presence has transformed the dynamic of late-inning situations. Because of this, Boston can now rely on him to shut down opposing lineups when it matters most. Against teams like the Diamondbacks and other playoff contenders, his consistency has given the Red Sox the upper hand in tight games.</p><p>Furthermore, this run highlights Chapman’s ability to adapt. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/pirates-news-aroldis-chapman-sets-new-all-time-mlb-record-loss-to-braves">Known throughout his career for overpowering hitters</a>, he has now added sharper pitch sequencing and better movement to his arsenal. Consequently, hitters are struggling to pick up his slider after seeing a triple-digit fastball, creating a nearly unhittable combination. With each outing, his confidence grows, and so does the team’s trust in him to deliver in critical spots.</p><p>Ultimately, the Red Sox remain locked in a fierce battle for postseason positioning, and Chapman’s dominance has provided a much-needed boost. If he maintains this pace, his historic run could play a pivotal role in Boston’s playoff push. For now, every appearance by Chapman feels like must-watch baseball. The only question left: how long can Aroldis Chapman keep this hitless streak alive and cement his place in MLB history?</p><p>And more importantly, can the Red Sox ride his dominance all the way into the postseason?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Todd
Early

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Todd Early

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Todd
Early