Raimel Tapia put his head down and started a slow jog to first base, not sure he had gotten the pop he wanted when he drove a bases-loaded fly ball to deep center field in the third inning.
Then everything about the play — and the rest of the night — changed.
Tapia hit an inside-the-park grand slam after a misplay by Boston center fielder Jarren Duran, and the Toronto Blue Jays set a franchise record for runs in a game, rolling past the Red Sox 28-5 on Friday night.
Toronto came within two of the modern major league record for runs in a game after stranding two runners in the ninth inning with Boston infielder Yolmer Sanchez on the mound.
Every Blue Jays starter had at least two hits, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. tied Frank Catalanotto’s franchise record with six of them.
Danny Jansen homered twice and drove in six runs. Matt Chapman and Teoscar Hernandez added solo homers for Toronto, which topped its previous single-game mark of 24 runs set June 26, 1978, against the Baltimore Orioles.
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“That was awesome,” interim manager John Schneider said. “We talked about it before the game, how you can come out a little bit sleepy and you can came out hot. I think we came out hot, obviously.”
The 28 runs are the most ever yielded by a Red Sox team, eclipsing the previous mark in a 27-3 loss to Cleveland in 1923.
The Fenway Park faithful jeered throughout the night — except for a wedding proposal on the video board with the home team trailing 25-3. The woman’s “yes” was one of the few times Boston fans found reason to cheer.
The Blue Jays entered the day with a two-game lead over the Red Sox for the American League’s final wild-card spot. Toronto improved 7-3 against Boston this year.
Red Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi (4-3) lasted just 2⅔ innings, allowing a homer and charged with nine runs.
That started a 29-hit night for Toronto — winners of four straight — which featured nearly as many follies by the Red Sox.
It started with Tapia’s home run sprint.
With two outs in the third and Toronto leading 6-0, Tapia lifted a two-out fly to center against reliever Austin Davis.
Duran took a couple steps back, then a couple in, then put up his hands in confusion. Boston fans groaned when the ball landed on the warning track behind him.
“[First-base coach Mark Budzinski] started saying, ‘You’ve got to run! You’ve got to run!’” Tapia said via an interpreter. “That’s when I started running very hard, right there.”
Duran walked slowly toward the ball while left fielder Alex Verdugo raced over, slid to scoop it up and fired it toward the infield. The relay home wasn’t close to nabbing Tapia, who picked up speed when he realized Duran had lost the ball.
“I hit it on the barrel, but at the same time I didn’t think it would go too far,” Tapia said.
Duran called losing sight of the ball “the most hopeless feeling you could ever feel.”
“I just lost it in the twilight,” Duran said. “It happens. [Verdugo] was right there. Obviously, I should have taken a step or two. He was already going to beat me to the ball. I just didn’t want to get in his way. … Next time, I know to take one or two steps.”
Boston blundered on defense again in the fifth. Trailing 15-3, Chapman lifted a two-out popup on the infield that fell between catcher Kevin Plawecki, reliever Kaleb Ort and third baseman Rafael Devers for a base hit that allowed another run to cross.
It prompted more ridicule and disdain from Boston fans who remained in their seats. Those who stayed tried to make the best out of a drab night at the ballpark.
Fans still rose to their feet for the traditional Fenway singing of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.” Yet on an evening as memorable as it was forgettable, it too ended with a smattering of boos.
The only cheer left? When Duran struck out to end the game.
The modern MLB record for runs in a game is 30, set by the Texas Rangers against the Orioles on Aug. 22, 2007. The all-time mark is 36 for the Chicago Colts against the Louisville Colonels in 1897.
Kevin Gausman (7-7) scattered seven hits and three runs over five innings for Toronto.
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