Resilient Rockies overcome greatness to beat Red Sox in extras

It was a very strange night for the Colorado Rockies offense but one of the best wins for the team in 2019.

Through nine innings, they struck out 21 times, a new single-game franchise record. They ended up punching 24 tickets overall in the game.

They faced some of the highest quality pitching they’d seen all season but still were able to force extra innings and ultimately score five runs against one of the best and hottest teams in baseball at their own park.

They hang on for a 5-4 victory that was one of the most unlikely, and surely one of the most satisfying, for the boys in purple all year.

Starter Kyle Freeland had a bit of a peculiar outing himself and would probably like three individual pitches back, but other than that actually had one of his best games of the year, continuing to show steady progress from a rough start to the season.

It looked like those three pitches would be more than enough to back up a phenomenal display from perennial Cy Young-candidate Chris Sale. He reached a new career high in strikeouts and gave the Rockies almost no signs of life but ended up with a no-decision anyway.

Freeland’s odd night began in the second when Michael  Chavis hit a high fly ball to left that disappeared into the night just barely fair (after review upheld the call on the field) for a solo home run to put the Red Sox up 1-0.

J.D. Martinez added another solo blast, this one containing no ambiguity whatsoever, in the third. It was a laser beam line drive to left-center field for his eighth round-tripper of the season.

Two batters later, Rafael Devers lofted another one to left that looked like it would be playable and it would have been in most ballparks. But it snuck just over the big Green Monster and into the front row for a 355-foot home run that gave Boston a 3-0 advantage.

Sale, meanwhile, had retired the first 12 Rockies’ hitters he faced, nine by strikeout, before Mark Reynolds broke up the perfect game with a ground-rule double to lead off the fifth.

Colorado couldn’t cash him in though, as a line drive to left by Raimel Tapia was tracked down and both Ian Desmond and David Dahl went down on strikes.

The Red Sox ace continued to roll on into the seventh inning before Trevor Story managed to squeak a single through the left side in front of Arenado’s two-run home run just over the high wall in left.

Sale bounced back to strike out the side, giving him his new career high of 17 in a single game but suddenly the Rockies were in it.

Bryan Shaw replaced Kyle Freeland who was able to weather the three solo home runs to go six innings. Shaw worked through the heart of the order in order.

Boston went in the eighth to reliever Brandon Workman who had allowed only two hits so far on the season. But the Rockies doubled that, springing to life against a non-Sale pitcher as Chris Iannetta nearly tied it on a high flyball off the wall in left.

Then, shockingly, Charlie Blackmon, leaned on a fastball, hitting one that just kept carrying out to center field for his ninth home run of the season and sixth in the last nine games.

Somehow, despite having struck out 18 times in the game and being down 3-0 just a few real-time minutes earlier, Colorado took a 4-3 lead.

But it was short lived.

An error from Arenado to lead off the eighth, and a pair of weakly-hit singles for Chavis and Mitch Moreland against Scott Oberg tied the game right back up at four runs apiece.

Carlos Estevez was handed that tie game in the bottom of the ninth and issued a leadoff walk to Jackie Bradley Jr. on a couple of borderline pitches but kept his composure, striking out Andrew Benintendi and getting Mookie Betts and Martinez to pop out, sending the game to extra innings.

Reliever Matt Barnes struck out the Rockies side in the 10th so Estevez stayed on and again gave up a leadoff baserunner, this time on a single to Xander Bogaerts. But Mike Dunn came on and struck out Devers and got Chavis to ground into a double play that sent the game to the 11th.

Ryan McMahon, who had pinch-hit earlier in the game and struck out, led off the 11th by drawing a walk. Blackmon flew out and Story replaced McMahon on the bases on a fielder’s choice but Arenado kept the inning alive with another walk.

That’s when veteran Mark Reynolds came through with a clutch single into right-center field, scoring Story to put the Rockies on top 5-4.

Wade Davis came on and recorded a pair of quick outs before giving up a single to Christian Vazquez, going through his normal routine of raising the heartbeats of Rockies fans. He didn’t panic, though, and one appearance after being saddled with a loss, he got Benintendi to fly out to left to secure the save and win the game.

Stats

Kyle Freeland: 6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 7 K

Bryan Shaw: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Scott Oberg: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Carlos Estevez: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Mike Dunn: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Wade Davis: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Charlie Blackmon: 1-for-5, 1 R, 2 RBI (HR: 9)

Trevor Story: 1-for-5, 2 R

Nolan Arenado: 1-for-4, 1 R, 2 RBI (HR: 8)

Mark Reynolds: 2-for-5, 1 RBI