BOSTON (AP) – Mitch Moreland hit two home points, including a long shot over the Green Monster to send the Boston Red Sox past the Toronto Blue Jays 5-3 Sunday.
It was the fourth walk-off home run of Moreland’s career and first since August 4, 2017, against the Chicago White Sox.
MITCH WALKS IT OFF !!! #DIRTYWATER pic.twitter.com/Pmyyu8lm8X
– Red Sox (@RedSox) August 9, 2020
Xander Bogaerts pulled a two-out walk from Thomas Hatch (0-1) to set up Moreland’s game-winner. Matt Barnes (1-1) put up a scoreless ninth for the win.
The Blue Jays are now moving to Buffalo, New York, where they will play their remaining home games at the site of their Triple-A branch across the Niagara River from Canada.
Toronto’s first game at Sahlen Field will be Tuesday night against Miami. The Blue Jays were exposed in Toronto this year by the Canadian government over health concerns about the coronavirus, and have so far been on the road for every game.
Rafael Devers also scored for the Red Sox.
Boston starter Nathan Eovaldi went six innings, making three runs and six hits, including two home runs. But he got good backup of his bullpen, which kept the Blue Jays hitless and scoreless for the rest of the game.
Blue Jays starter Matt Shoemaker also lasted six innings, giving him two home points and another run to score via a throwing error.
Moreland put Boston up 1-0 in the second inning, hitting a sinker from Shoemaker over the center field wall for his fifth homer of the season.
Cavan Biggio tied it in the third, jumped on a Eovaldi cutter that drifted over the center of the plate and struck his fourth home game of the year to center.
Boston took the lead back in the third when Shoemaker felt Alex Verdugo’s ground ball and tried to start a double play. Instead, he threw the ball past shortstop Bo Bichette and into center field, allowing Jackie Bradley Jr. to score from second.
Toronto’s Teoscar Hernandez came on board with a double in the fourth and later scored on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s two-out single.
Bichette homerated Eovaldi in the sixth on a line drive to center to make it 3-2.
But Devers tied it up again in the middle of the Boston inning, advising a first pitch sinker from Shoemaker over the center field fence for his second home run of the season.
Coach room
Umpire Paul Nauert, the crew chief who sat behind the home plate in Saturday’s game, was absent from Sunday’s final. Nauert picked up a hard foul ball from his face mask in the third inning on Saturday, but was able to complete the game.
It was a three-man crew on Sunday, with Ryan Additon taking Nauert’s place behind the plate, Chad Fairchild at first base and Carlos Torres at third base.
Next
Blue Jays: Hyun Jin Ryu (1-1, 5.14 ERA) will be on the mound Tuesday when Toronto hosts Miami in Buffalo. He is 3-1 with a 2.39 ERA in four career starts against the Marlins.
Red socks: Roenicke has not named a starter for Monday’s opener against Tampa Bay. But he said Colten Brewer (0-0, 2.57 ERA) would have a role, whether as an opener or would get some bulk work out of the bullpen.
