BOSTON -- Chasing an 80-year club record, nobody on the red-hot Red Sox was annoyed by having to wait a day to continue that pursuit.
A rainy Tuesday night postponement gave way to a warm and mostly sunny Game 1 of a day-night doubleheader, and the good vibes were back at Fenway Park.
The Red Sox were not to be denied, rolling to a 6-3 victory over the Orioles on Wednesday that stretched their winning streak to 15 games, tying the loaded 1946 squad for the longest in club history.
Interim manager Chad Tracy’s club will try to set a franchise record in Game 2, starting at 7:10 p.m. ET.
Boston’s stunning surge isn’t just in rarified air within the context of its own franchise. This is just the eighth win streak of 15 or more games within a season in the Expansion Era (since 1961), with the most recent coming in 2021, when the Cardinals won 17 in a row.
Here are the other six:
- 2017 Cleveland: 22 games
- 2002 A's: 20 games
- 2001 Mariners: 15 games
- 2000 Braves: 15 games
- 1991 Twins: 15 games
- 1977 Royals: 16 games
In the late innings, the crowd got revved up in anticipation of history in the making, roaring louder with each out as Aroldis Chapman closed it out.
A team that left Colorado with a 32-46 record on June 24 -- holding down last place in the American League East and much closer to the bottom of the Wild Card standings than the top -- started a remarkable surge the next day. Boston has now won 20 of its past 22 games following Wednesday's Game 1 triumph.
Boston now trails the Rays by six games in the division, while in possession of the third Wild Card spot.
Any questions of Tuesday’s postponement stalling the team's momentum were answered in the bottom of the first, when the offense jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead on a two-run single by Caleb Durbin and a two-run triple by Jarren Duran.
From there, they tacked on, with Duran hitting a sac fly in the third and Ceddanne Rafaela connecting on his ninth homer of the season, just over the Green Monster with two outs in the fourth.
As the offense provided steady support, rookie lefty Jake Bennett pitched well enough to win, giving up nine hits but just three runs over 5 2/3 innings. Bennett walked none and struck out four.