BOSTON -- The Red Sox hit several checkpoints on their way to a tight, 1-0 victory over the Guardians on Wednesday night at a chilly Fenway Park.
Sonny Gray (18-5, 2.72 ERA) finished his marvelous regular season with another strong performance, firing six shutout innings on 77 pitches, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out three.
All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman, who hadn’t pitched since Sept. 13 because of a lat issue, came on in the ninth and recorded career save No. 402.
Key setup man Tyron Guerrero turned in his second straight solid outing since his return from the 15-day injured list.
And while hits with runners in scoring position (2-for-14, 11 left on base) were again a rare commodity for Boston, Andruw Monasterio broke out of an 0-for-21 slump by belting an RBI single with two outs in the sixth that scored Jarren Duran from second.
In this final homestand of the regular season, the main focus for the Red Sox is having their house in order for what remains a likely matchup with the Yankees in the AL Wild Card Series starting on Tuesday in the Bronx.
There was some cause for concern in that regard, as center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela, after his first at-bat back from a three-week absence with a right quadriceps strain, had to exit in the top of the third with right hamstring tightness.