BOSTON — In a powerful display, Alex Bregman launched a three-run homer tying his career record with six RBIs, while Rafael Devers showcased a flawless 4-for-4 performance, driving in three runs. This onslaught propelled the Boston Red Sox to an 18-7 triumph over the St. Louis Cardinals, completing their doubleheader sweep on Sunday night.
Wilyer Abreu also contributed three RBIs to Boston’s commanding victory, which featured a season-high 22 hits and marked their fifth consecutive win. Devers enjoyed his 14th career four-hit game and equally scored four times. Bregman secured his 10th four-hit game, and Jarren Duran contributed with three hits and three runs.
With such offensive firepower, Hunter Dobbins had a relatively smooth evening, making his major league debut by conceding only five hits and two runs over five innings to secure his first win. Despite allowing four runs in the ninth, Cooper Criswell managed to pitch three innings for his initial save.
On the other side, St. Louis’ starter, Miles Mikolas, faced a challenging outing, giving up nine runs, eight of them earned, alongside 11 hits in just under three innings. Thomas Saggaese provided a late spark for the Cardinals with a three-run homer in the ninth, while Brendan Donovan added three hits and two RBIs. Notably, St. Louis achieved its team record by securing at least 10 hits for the ninth consecutive game.
Earlier in the day, in the postponed match from Saturday, Abreu’s decisive single off the Green Monster sealed a 5-4 victory for Boston in the bottom of the 10th inning. This comeback triumph was highlighted by Devers’ first home run of the season, breaking an early-season slump of 0-for-21 with 15 strikeouts.
Pedro Pagés stepped in for St. Louis catcher Iván Herrera in the first game after Herrera left due to inflammation in his left knee. Manager Oliver Marmol mentioned that Herrera’s tests came back clean, assuring his knee’s structural soundness, yet the inflammation will require time on the injured list.
Crucial in the second inning, Boston took an authoritative lead, scoring five runs through persistent hits including an RBI single from Ceddanne Rafaela and two-run doubles from both Bregman and Abreu. Mikolas used 41 of his 81 pitches during this inning. Boston echoed this potency with another five-run inning in the sixth.
Statistics of significance show Boston scored five runs in the second and four in the third, achieving back-to-back innings with four or more runs for the first time since an August 2023 game in Houston and the first time at Fenway Park since September 2022 against Baltimore.
Looking forward, LHP Matthew Liberatore (0-0, 4.50 ERA) is set to start the Cardinals’ opening game in a three-game series against Pittsburgh on Monday. The Red Sox have yet to name their starting pitcher for the commencement of their four-game series against Toronto.