Red Sox

What Kenley Jansen, Tyler O’Neill said of 9th-inning shortcomings in Red Sox’ loss to Yankees

“Unfortunately just out of my reach.”

Kenley Jansen allowed two hits in a blown save as the Red Sox lost to the Yankees. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

July 28, 2024

The Red Sox were an out away from taking the first two games of a pivotal three-game set against the Yankees before allowing a bit of an unusual game-tying hit.

Trent Grisham took Kenley Jansen’s 94 mph cutter the opposite way to hit a flyball to left field. It initially looked like left fielder Tyler O’Neill would have enough room to make a grab, but the ball kept carrying and carrying.

Eventually, O’Neill got to the Green Monster and tried to make a leaping grab. But the ball hit the wall a few feet from his left, dropping for a hit to allow the tying run to score from third as Grishahm moved to second with an RBI double. The hit tied the game, 8-8, before the Yankees scored three runs in the eighth to win, 11-8.

While Grisham’s hit bounced off the Green Monster, it initially appeared that O’Neill had the opportunity to make the grab. The metrics would back up that claim, as Grisham’s hit had an expected batting average of .090, according to Statcast.

However, the consensus among the Red Sox was that it was still a tough grab to make.

“It hit high off the wall,” O’Neill told reporters, via MassLive. “Unfortunately just out of my reach.”

Alex Cora concurred.

“It was pushing away from him,” the Red Sox manager told reporters. “I haven’t seen the video or whatever but it’s not easy.”

O’Neill made a grab in the 10th that nearly redeemed himself. He dove to prevent Austin Wells’s flyball from dropping in shallow left field for a single. But Oswaldo Cabrera scored from third on the sacrifice fly for what would be the game-winning run.

The Red Sox wouldn’t have needed O’Neill to make a catch along the Monster in the ninth inning, though, had Jansen retired the side in order in the ninth. Ben Rice crushed Jansen’s 92 mph cutter in the middle of the zone earlier in the inning, with the ball falling just short of a home run and hitting off the wall in center field.

Rice’s hit allowed him to get to second for a double before Jahmai Jones entered the game to replace him as a pinch-runner. Jones moved to third on a fielder’s choice ahead of Grisham’s game-tying hit.

“I didn’t execute,” Jansen said of his performance. “Tough love today.”

Saturday’s blown save was just Jansen’s third in 23 opportunities this season. However, it’s his second blown save since the All-Star break, blowing an opportunity against the Dodgers last weekend. Before the blown save to the Dodgers, Jansen hadn’t blown a save opportunity since April.

Jansen is looking to turn the page.

“Tough luck today at the Monster,” Jansen told reporters. “But it’s a tough loss. So just gotta move on from it and get back tomorrow.”

O’Neill’s missed opportunity to make the game-sealing grab in the ninth inning overshadowed what was a good night for him at the plate. He hit a pair of solo home runs earlier in the game, including one that gave the Red Sox a 7-6 lead in the seventh.

But as friendly of a ballpark Fenway can be for right-handed hitting sluggers, it can be just as unfriendly to left fielders.

“That’s an out in any other place,” Cora said. “We play here. That’s it.”