theathleticuk
BOSTON In the midst of whats been a remarkable turnaround in the strangest of seasons for the Boston Red Sox, they found a new way to win on Sunday: Scoring three runs without recording a hit.
Its been that kind of bizarro season in Boston.
A three-run third inning turned a 1-0 deficit into yet another Red Sox lead as they continued to etch their names in the history books with a 6-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, sweeping the American Leagues best team in a four-game series to start the second half.
Advertisement It marked Bostons fourth straight series sweep and their 13th consecutive victory, tied for the second-longest winning streak in franchise history with a stretch in 1948, a team anchored by Ted Williams.
A 15-game streak in 1946 is the franchise record.
Bostons current 13-game streak is the longest winning streak in the majors this season and the longest since the Minnesota Twins won 13 in a row in May 2025.
Its really cool and one game at a time, said even-keeled interim manager Chad Tracy with a smirk.
I wont shy away from what were doing.
Its pretty incredible and its a fun ride and we want to keep it going.
But focus on tomorrow and get ready to play again tomorrow.
Over the course of the past month, one featuring a massive on-field brawl and two separate plane debacles, the Red Sox have gone from 14 games below .500 at 32-46 on June 24 to a season-high two games over .500 at 50-48.
Their year had been defined by turmoil with the firings of manager Alex Cora and six coaches on April 25.
Since June 25, the Red Sox have won 18 of 20 games.
It feels different, obviously, Im sure it looks different, said Caleb Durbin, whos had his own about-face this season at the plate.
Its special.
Anytime you can string together this amount of wins, its a good feeling.
But obviously, we want to keep it going.
Fans spent much of May and early June drowning out cheers at Fenway with sell the team chants that echoed through Fenway Park, irking principal owner John Henry and putting chief baseball officer Craig Breslows job on the line.
On Sunday, as reliever Ryan Watson closed out the win in the ninth, large swaths of the stadium were swinging their shirts over their heads with raucous cheers for a rapid turnaround.
Fans were electric for us this weekend; it was giving me chills, said starter Sonny Gray, who allowed one run over six innings for his league-leading 12th win.
It was really special.
I mean, people say coming to Boston and playing in Boston, theres nothing like winning in Boston, but the fans are a part of it.
And we appreciate the energy that they bring.
Advertisement Despite winning nine straight before the break, the series against the Rays was going to be Bostons biggest test.
Could they sustain the pre-break momentum, particularly opening with a doubleheader against Tampa Bay on Friday? That answered that question quickly by outscoring the Rays 15-3 over those two games to set the tone for the weekend.
A come-from-behind win on Saturday, fueled by Wilyer Abreus seventh-inning homer, added fuel to Sundays win.
Even after the Red Sox fell behind 1-0 on Sunday in the second inning on what could have been a deflating inside-the-park homer from Victor Mesa Jr.
that clanged around the triangle in center field, the Red Sox were unfazed.
Gray was rusty coming out of the break and struggled to find the zone, but still managed to limit the damage, stranding two more runners that inning.
Andruw Monasterios RBI double tied the game in the bottom of the second, then the Red Sox took the lead in the weirdest of ways in the third inning.
They loaded the bases against Rays ace Shane McClanahan and scored three straight times on a passed ball, fielders choice and ground out to take the lead for good.
Willson Contreras two-run homer in the fifth sealed the win as Fenway roared.
Willson sending out souvenirs! pic.twitter.com/qMCy8bzxOU Red Sox (@RedSox) July 19, 2026 Its great, especially for the fans, said Contreras.
I dont want them to start shouting, Sell the team.
I dont like that.
I take that personally.
Theyre passionate about it.
But, Im really proud of my team, really proud of the work weve done.
Really proud because of the way we started and how we are right now.
I know theres a lot of games ahead, but they make me proud.
The Red Sox now sit 1 1/2 games up for the third wild-card spot.
But the American League East is getting interesting with the Rays having just lost four straight and the New York Yankees sliding backward with a tough weekend against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Boston still sits six games back of the first-place Rays, but this weekend highlighted the volatility of the division.
Advertisement Monday marks exactly two weeks until the trade deadline.
The Red Sox went from a team that was almost certainly going to sell into one that now needs to buy.
Contreras has already said hes told the front office hed prefer to stay in Boston.
His no-trade clause means he can veto any potential deal.
In the midst of Sundays win, Henry stood next to Breslow in the general managers suite in the middle of the game, deep in conversation.
What that conversation was about remains to be seen over the next several days.
But the Red Sox have put themselves in a position to add as theyve turned a futile season into a fascinating one.