Boston Red Sox Pull Off Historically Improbable Win Over Philadelphia Phillies

Going down 6-0 early didn't stop the Boston Red Sox in their series finale against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday, as the team came through time and time again in clutch moments.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies infielder Edmundo Sosa (33) runs down Boston Red Sox infielder Trevor Story (10) in the tenth inning at Citizens Bank Park. | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox, needing a win Wednesday to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies, didn't get off to the hottest of starts.

Lucas Giolito ran into trouble right out of the gates, giving up back-to-back home runs to Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper in the first inning. Nick Castellanos and Bryson Stott joined in on the action in the third and fourth, respectively, adding homers of their own to make it a 6-0 ballgame.

Rob Refsynder and Jarren Duran finally got Boston on the board with bases-loaded walks in the top of the fifth, just before Romy Gonzalez vaulted his team ahead with a grand slam. Aroldis Chapman couldn't preserve the lead, though, giving up a home run to J.T. Realmuto in the eighth.

Both teams scored in the 10th, before rookie catcher Carlos Narváez delivered a two-run homer in the 11th. That gave the Red Sox the insurance they needed to weather Johan Rojas' RBI single in the bottom of the frame and pull out the 9-8 victory.

According to OptaSTATS, the Red Sox are the first team in MLB history to strike out at least 15 times, give up at least five home runs and face a deficit of at least five runs and proceed to win the game anyways.

The @RedSox are the first team in MLB history to:

strike out 15+ times
give up 5+ home runs
face a 5+ run deficit

...and yet still win the game.

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) July 24, 2025

After heading into the All-Star break on a 10-game winning streak, Boston has gone 2-4. But by narrowly avoiding sweeps against the Phillies and Chicago Cubs, the Red Sox have managed to hang around in the American League playoff picture with one week left until the trade deadline.

The Red Sox will take Thursday off, then open up a series with the Los Angeles Dodgers at Fenway Park on Friday.

Related MLB Stories

• HARPER MAKES HISTORY: Bryce Harper went yard for his 350th career home run in the Philadelphia Phillies' showdown with the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, becoming the fifth active player to reach the milestone. CLICK HERE

• WILD DEVERS HR: Rafael Devers only needed one hand on the bat to hit a home run against the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday, lifting a pitch well below the zone over the right field wall. CLICK HERE

• FEDDE DFA'D: A month of bad outings ultimately spoiled Erick Fedde's tenure with the St. Louis Cardinals, who bumped the starting pitcher from their 40-man roster Wednesday. CLICK HERE

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