The Red Sox secured their spot in the playoffs with a thrilling 4-3 win over the Tigers on Friday.
In a tense moment during the ninth inning, with the score tied at 3-3, center fielder Sedanne Rafaela delivered a walk-off triple, marking Boston’s first postseason appearance since 2021.
Reflecting on that decisive at-bat, Rafaela mentioned she just had a feeling they were going to win the game.
“I’m going to finish it there,” Rafaela shared on Apple TV+ following the victory.
With an 88-72 record, the Red Sox currently sit in the second American League wildcard position, two games ahead of the Tigers, who are in the third spot.
“We didn’t come here to play 162. We came here to win the World Series,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora told the team in the locker room just before the celebration with champagne.
After the loss on Friday, the Tigers have struggled in the closing weeks of the season, now holding just a half-game lead over the Astros for the final playoff spot.
Since July, Detroit has seen a significant 15 and a half game drop to the Guardians in the AL Central. ESPN reported that if they can’t reclaim their division in the last two games, it would be considered the biggest collapse in MLB history.
“It’s painful,” said Tigers manager AJ Hinch after a 5-1 setback against the Guardians. “I have a hard time coming up with words. I know that’s not the norm. But what we see from our team is not normal. But that’s our reality.”
The Tigers have had a tough stretch, going 1-9 in their last ten games, while Cleveland is on the upswing, with a 7-3 record during the same period.
