Red Sox Look Right at Home in 13-9 Win over Cardinals

In their first game at Fenway Park this season the Red Sox looked right at home.

Boston came out swinging and built a commanding lead early, but the Cardinals clawed their way back to make it interesting late. In the end, Boston’s offense created just enough cushion to hang on for a 13-9 win on home opening day.

Rafael Devers bounced back from a season-opening slump, reaching base four times in his return at Fenway. Meanwhile, Alex Bregman made a strong home debut, collecting two hits to help lead the Red Sox past the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday. Wilyer Abreu also had another standout performance, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs, continuing his impressive start to the season as it puts him at a .524 average and 1.691 ERA through seven games on the season.

Firing on all cylinders, the Red Sox wasted no time taking control. Bregman got things rolling with an RBI double, setting the stage for Trevor Story, who launched a three-run homer over the Green Monster to put Boston up 4-0. The offense didn’t stop there, with Abreu adding a solo shot shortly after to extend the lead even further.

Everyone in the Red Sox lineup recorded a hit—except Ceddanne Rafaela.

“It was a good offensive performance. I’m loving the walks,” said Alex Cora after the game. “Controlling the strike zone is something that we’ve been preaching and obviously doing damage in the zone and today was a great day for that.”

On the other side of the ball is where the Sox struggled, as Walker Buehler couldn’t quite settle in. The right-hander gave up seven hits and five earned runs over five innings, allowing two homers while striking out four.

Boston kept adding pouring into the score in the third. After rookie Kristian Campbell drew a walk and stole his first career base, Carlos Narváez punched an RBI single through the right side to make it 6-2.

The fifth inning opened with back-to-back strikeouts from Walker Buehler, but Brendan Donovan cut into the lead with a two-out solo homer to right. Boston answered in the bottom half with an Abreu RBI single and a Campbell sacrifice fly, tacking on key insurance runs.

Donovan struck again in the seventh with a two-out RBI single to bring the Cardinals within three, but Boston responded with another three-run frame. Rafaela grounded into a bases-loaded fielder’s choice to kickstart the rally, followed by RBI singles from Jarren Duran and Rafael Devers.

Reliever Brennan Bernardino dominated the eighth, striking out the side before Triston Casas doubled and scored on Abreu’s grounder. Two batters later, Narváez ripped an RBI double to stretch the lead to 13-6.

The Cards didn’t go down quietly. Willson Contreras and Donovan each notched RBI singles in the ninth as the Cardinals mounted a three-run rally. With the bases loaded and the tying run at the plate, Aroldis Chapman shut the door—concluding the game with a game-ending double play to seal Boston’s wild home opener.

The Red Sox improve to 64-50 in home-openers at Fenway Park as well as 4-4 on the season, as they are set to play the Cardinals again on Sunday. First Pitch 4:10 pm at Fenway.