Top of the third inning home run by San Francisco Giants Mike Yastrzemski at his grandfather Carl Yastrzemski’s old place of business Fenway Park in Boston on Thu May 2, 2024 (AP News photo)

Thursday, May 2, 2024

Fenway Park

Boston, Massachusetts

San Francisco Giants 3 (15-17)

Boston Red Sox 1 (18-14)

Win: Kyle Harrison (3-1)

Loss: Zack Kelly (0-1)

Save: Camilo Doval (6)

Time: 2:21

Attendance: 30,065

By Stephen Ruderman

The Giants scored two runs in the seventh inning to beat the Boston Red Sox 3-1 and avoid the sweep at Fenway Park.

The Giants dropped the first two games of this series, and were now in danger of getting swept for the the third time in their four series at Fenway Park. The Giants were swept by the Red Sox in their first series at Fenway Park in 2007 (June 15-17), as well as in a short two-game set in 2016 (July 19-20).

The Giants needed a win to avoid getting swept for the third time at Fenway, and in order to do that, the Giants’ offense, which was held to only two runs over the first two games of this series, would have to wake up. The Giants would also need a solid outing from their young left-hander, Kyle Harrison, who despite coming into today’s game with a 4.09 ERA, has been off to a decent start this season.

The Red Sox sent Josh Winckowski to the mound for today’s game, and he started things off with a scoreless top of the first inning.

Harrison ran into trouble in the bottom of the first after hitting Rafael Devers and walking Tyler O’Neill with one out. Harrison struck out Rob Refsnyder, but he walked Connor Wong to load the bases. Harrison was in the jackpot early, but he got Garrett Cooper to fly out and escape the inning unscathed.

Both pitchers pitched scoreless innings in the second, and Mike Yastrzemski hit a home run to the Red Sox’ bullpen beyond the short fence right-center field to put the Giants on the board. It was a special moment for Yastrzemski, who was playing in his second series at Fenway Park, where his grandfather and hall-of-famer Carl Yastrzemski called home for 23 years. Carl Yastrzemski had paid a visit to his grandson prior to the game, and it truly paid off dividends.

Yastrzemski, who is the second-longest-tenured Giant, was facing uncertainty after starting the season 1-for-20, but he has since heated up, and has swung the bat much better.

Devers singled on a ground ball up the middle to start the bottom of the third, and O’Neill doubled high off the Green Monster in left to tie the game. Harrison then walked Refsnyder, and the Red Sox appeared to pounce. However, Harrison struck out Wong swinging, and got Cooper to ground into a 5-3 double play to end the inning and escape any further damage.

With the game now tied 1-1, Winckowski pitched a 1-2-3 inning. Harrison ran into trouble again in the bottom of the fourth after giving up a one-out double to Ceddanne Rafaela. Harrison struck out Zack Short looking, and Jarren Duran hit a line drive up the middle into center field that seemed destined to fall and give the Red Sox the lead, but center-fielder Jung-hoo Lee dove and made a spectacular catch to end the inning and keep the game tied.

After Thairo Estrada grounded out to third to start the top of the fifth, Red Sox Manager Alex Cora lifted Winckowski for Brennan Bernardo. Bernardo set down Yastrzemski and Nick Ahmed to combine with Winckowski for a 1-2-3 inning.

Harrison walked Tyler O’Neill with one out in the bottom of the fifth, but he induced a 4-6-3 double play off the bat of Refsnyder to end the inning. That would be it for Harrison, who did not throw a single 1-2-3 inning in five shaky innings of work. However, he did his job, which was to have a solid outing, as he gave up just a run and three hits, and struck out seven. What really hampered Harrison was five walks and a 95-pitch pitch count.

Bernardo and Zack Kelly combined to throw a scoreless top of the sixth. Ryan Walker came in for the bottom of the sixth, and pitched through a one-out single.

Patrick Bailey lined a single the other way to left to start the top of the seventh, and Matt Chapman singled to left to put runners on the corners with nobody out. Thairo Estrada then came through with a big hit for a Giants’ offense that has struggled to get them with a single the other way to right to put San Francisco back ahead.

Cam Booser came in for Kelly, but the Giants were not done yet. Austin Slater struck out swinging, but Nick Ahmed knocked in Chapman with a sacrifice fly to right to extend the Giants’ lead to 3-1.

Erik Miller, who was the Giants’ opener last night, came in and pitched a shutdown 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh. There would actually not be another base-runner the rest of the game. Japanese import Naoyuki Uwasawa threw a 1-2-3 top of the eighth in his major league debut, and Tyler Rogers threw a 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth.

Uwasawa threw another 1-2-3 inning in the top of the ninth, as he set down all six men he faced in his debut. Camilo Doval then came in and pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth for his sixth save of the year.

Harrison got the win, and Zack Kelly took the loss. With this win, the Giants were indeed able to avoid their third sweep in four series at Fenway Park, as they improve to 15-17.

The Giants will now head to Philadelphia for the second leg of this three-city road trip, where they will take on the red-hot Phillies for a four-game wraparound series. Jordan Hicks will open the series for the Giants with first pitch at 6:40 p.m. in Philadelphia, and 3:40 p.m. back home in San Francisco.