Boston Red Sox Grand Finale: A Victory over Tampa Bay Rays

In the season’s grand finale, the Boston Red Sox were propelled to a 3-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, thanks to Vaughn Grissom’s stellar performance. He delivered an RBI double and scored a run, ensuring the Red Sox landed the third place in the AL East, surpassing the Rays. Despite an even 81-81 season record, Boston missed the playoffs, mirroring their performance from 2010-2012.

Red Sox Manager Reflects on the Season

“It’s disappointing that we didn’t make it, especially the way the season went the last month and a half, not only with us but around the league,” lamented Boston Red Sox manager, Alex Cora. “We had a chance.”

Boston finished the year in a better position than in the past two seasons when they recorded 78-84.

Tampa Bay Rays Ends Five-Year Postseason Streak

The Rays concluded their season with an 80-82 record, marking their first losing season since 2017. This put a halt to a five-year streak of making it to the postseason, a downturn from their 99-63 record in 2023.

“I mean, look, not where we want to be,” admitted Tampa Bay manager, Kevin Cash. “Know that we’ve got some work to do. I’m confident we will work very hard this offseason and certainly going into spring training to find a way to be playing a little deeper.”

Game Highlights

Dylan Carlson of Tampa Bay had three singles and an RBI. The Red Sox took time to honor Joe Castiglione, the team’s lead radio voice since 1983, who called his final game on Sunday. A touching montage of his best calls was displayed on the center-field scoreboard, leading to a standing ovation from the Red Sox dugout.

The game marked Quinn Priester’s debut as a Red Sox player, allowing a run on four hits over five innings. Justin Slaten secured the final three outs, earning his second career save. On the other side, Ryan Pepiot of the Rays allowed two runs, one earned, in his four innings on the mound.

Looking Forward

Boston outfielder, Jarren Duran, expressed optimism for the future despite the season’s challenges. “We had some young guys, (they) kind of had to learn their bumps in the big leagues, which was good…I’m just excited with what they’re going to be able to do in the years to come.”

The Red Sox boasted a home total attendance of 2,659,949 for the season, with 34,862 fans attending the final game. The Red Sox and the Rays will reconvene for their spring training opener on Feb. 22, 2023.