Trevor Story hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning as the Boston Red Sox overcame a three-run deficit to defeat the Texas Rangers 4-3 on Thursday in Arlington, Texas.
Story’s blast came against Texas closer Jacob Latz (3-3) and erased a 3-1 deficit.
The victory allowed Boston (83-70) to avoid being swept in the three-game series and ended the Rangers’ four-game winning streak. Josh Jung hit a solo home run for Texas (76-77), which fell a game behind the Houston Astros (77-76) at the top of the American League West.
Wyatt Olds (2-0) earned the win by tossing one scoreless inning. Boston starter Sonny Gray allowed three runs on three hits in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out six and walked three.
Texas had the tying run on first with one out in the ninth, but Garrett Whitlock got Jake Burger to ground into a game-ending double play for his fourth save.
Danny Jansen had two of the Rangers’ four hits, including an RBI single.
Boston’s Willson Contreras left the game after he was hit by a pitch on his right hand in the eighth inning. Contreras leads the Red Sox with 27 home runs.
Jung hit a solo shot in the first inning to open the scoring. It was his 10th homer of the season.
Texas extended its lead to 3-0 in the third. After two walks and a sacrifice bunt, Jansen singled home Wyatt Langford, and Burger scored on Evan Carter’s sacrifice bunt.
The Red Sox got on the scoreboard in the seventh. Nate Eaton and Caleb Durbin walked, and Eaton took third on a flyout. A throwing error by second baseman Nicky Lopez on Roman Anthony’s grounder brought in Eaton.
In the eighth, Boston’s Wilyer Abreu walked and Contreras was hit by a Jakob Junis pitch. Latz entered and got Adley Rutschman to foul out before Story belted a 2-2 curveball to left-center, handing Boston a 4-3 lead. It was Story’s fourth homer of the year.
The Boston offense struggled in the first two games of the series. The Red Sox struck out 15 times as the Rangers won 4-2 on Tuesday, and the visitors were held to three hits in a 7-3 loss on Wednesday.
