Red Sox vs Guardians Recap: Duran, Yoshida spark Boston’s 9-4 win

The Red Sox rolled into Cleveland looking to stay hot after crushing the Guardians 9-1 the night before. You could feel the energy building as Jarren Duran stepped up in the first inning against Tanner Bibee. The pitcher threw a 95 miles-per-hour fastball right down the middle. Duran didn't miss. The ball rocketed off his bat and sailed over the right field wall—402 feet of pure power. One swing, and Boston led 1-0. The Guardians needed to answer fast. In the second inning, Austin Hedges ripped a single to right field. That brought two runners home in a flash. Suddenly Cleveland tied things up at 1-1, then took the lead 2-1. The game was getting spicy.

For a few innings, the game stayed tight. Cleveland held a 3-2 edge going into the seventh. Then Boston's bats came alive like fireworks on the Fourth of July. Wilyer Abreu walked on a 93 miles-per-hour fastball with two outs. That loaded the bases with runners ready to score. Masataka Yoshida stepped in and smacked a single to center field. Two runs crossed the plate instantly—Duran and Narváez scored, and suddenly it was 4-3 Boston. Isiah Kiner-Falefa followed with his own single up the middle. Abreu sprinted home, making it 7-4. The inning wasn't over yet. Caleb Durbin crushed a triple to right field. Two more runs scored. Boston had erupted for six runs in one inning to take command 9-4.

Cleveland couldn't recover from that seventh-inning explosion. The Red Sox's pitching locked things down in the final innings. Jovani Moran, Tyron Guerrero, Greg Weissert, and Aroldis Chapman all came out of the bullpen and shut down Cleveland's bats. The Guardians managed just one run in those later frames. When the final out was recorded, Boston had won 9-4 and stayed unbeaten in their last two games. The Red Sox improved their record to 26-33 with the victory. For Cleveland, the loss dropped them to 34-27 and marked their second straight defeat. Boston's rotation and bullpen proved they could compete even without some key players out due to injuries. This win gave the Red Sox momentum heading into their next challenge.