Red Sox Accomplish Never-Before-Seen Feat In Unexpected Comeback Win

The Phillies couldn't believe what hit them...

Jul 23, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Boston Red Sox infielder Romy Gonzalez (23) reacts after hitting a grand slam against the Philadelphia Phillies in the fifth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

If you felt like you were watching one of the most unusual Boston Red Sox games of all time on Wednesday, it's probably because you were.

The Red Sox desperately needed to avoid a sweep against the Philadelphia Phillies, but they came out of the gates limp. Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper went back-to-back against Boston starter Lucas Giolito, who went on to allow two more home runs.

However, the Red Sox managed to erase a 5-0 deficit with a six-run fifth inning, punctuated by a Romy Gonzalez grand slam. Things seemed bleak again when J.T. Realmuto tied the game with a homer against Aroldis Chapman, but Boston somehow managed to pull out a 9-8 thriller on a Carlos Narváez two-run homer in the 11th.

The home runs, the early deficit, and another barrage of strikeouts from the Boston hitters all indicated that a win shouldn't have happened. And in fact, according to OptaStats, it was a win that had quite literally never happened before when combining all those factors.

"The (Red Sox) 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," wrote OptaStats on X (formerly Twitter).

And though it wasn't historic, the Red Sox also managed to win their first extra-innings road game of the season. Previously, they were somehow 0-7 in those situations.

Credit not only to Narváez, but to Trevor Story for his RBI double in the top of the 10th to ensure the Red Sox weren't shut out in extras for the second time in the series.

Of course, the Red Sox still need to clean up all of these issues. They can't keep striking out this much (third-most in the majors) and expect to win. And Giolito allowing four home runs, tied for the most in a single game in his career, had better not be the start of a 2024 Kutter Crawford-like second half.

But Boston showed all sorts of moxie by holding onto that game when the chips were down. And that bodes well as they head into a high-stakes Wild Card chase for the rest of the second half.