Boston — Immediate responses as the Red Sox (4-4) smash the Cardinals with a strong start in the first inning and capitalizing on an impressive offensive display to secure a 13-9 victory in their home opener at Fenway Park.
1) To make a strong impression at the beginning of their inaugural 2025 home game, an ambitious Red Sox squad delivered exactly what was anticipated. The first six batters managed five runs off Cardinal’s starting pitcher Erick Fedde, with Trevor Story contributing a three-run blast and Wilyer Abreu adding a solo shot consecutively.
The five-run, four-hit opening frame stood out as the most significant inning of the early Red Sox campaign. Every batter in the lineup got their chance at bat. This marked the first occasion since 1977 that Boston saw consecutive home runs during a home opener.
The Sox recorded four innings where they scored multiple runs and ended the night on Friday with a total of 16 hits. Seven team members participated in multi-hit performances during the game.
2) Alex Bregman kicked off the first-inning rally with an RBI double to left field, making for a impressive start at Fenway Park as part of the Red Sox. In this game, he secured two hits along with a walk, brought home one run and crossed the plate himself, finishing up 2-for-4 overall. Given some more time, it appears only natural that he'll begin having great success against the Green Monster.
3) The first game at home for Walker Buehler turned out differently. Even though he started with a five-run advantage early on, Buehler allowed the Cardinals to close the margin several times, resulting in an underwhelming performance overall.
Iván Herrera hit a three-run homer, and Brendan Donovan added a solo shot against Buehler, who conceded five earned runs on seven hits over five innings. In his first two appearances with the Red Sox, his ERA stands at 8.68.
4) Abreu kept up his impressive mimicry of Tyler O’Neill by hitting a home run in the opening game at home, following his two homers from Opening Day in Texas. Another strong performance with multiple hits for Abreu (3-for-4, 2 RBIs) brought his averages to .524 batting and an astounding 1.691 ERA over seven games. This is quite commendable for the number six spot in what seems to be a formidable lineup. Abreu topped the Red Sox hitters in total hits.
5) The enthusiastic "Raffy! Raffy!" chants from a substantial group of Red Sox supporters when Rafael Devers came up to bat during the first inning were no accident. That game proved successful for him. He managed to reach base safely four times—first with walks in his initial two at-bats followed by singles in both the sixth and seventh innings. Over his past three matches, Devers has secured a total of eight bases-on-balls.
6) It was intriguing to observe reserve catcher Carlos Narváez included in the lineup For the second consecutive day, he was teamed up with Buehler for the second start in a row for the right-hander. Manager Alex Cora stated that Narváez started instead of Connor Wong because Wong would be playing on both Saturday and Sunday.
Narváez had a strong offensive performance, managing to reach base four times throughout the game. In the third inning, he added an insurance run by driving home Kristian Campbell with an RBI single following two outs. Later, after drawing two walks, Narváez smashed an RBI double, contributing to Boston’s total of 13 runs for the day. His batting average now stands at .400, having set new personal bests in hits, RBIs, walks, and times on base during Friday’s contest.
7) On several occasions, the Red Sox' pitching team appeared to be allowing the Cardinals back into the game. In the fourth inning, St. Louis narrowed their lead down to just two runs thanks to Herrera’s home run. Later, when the Red Sox were ahead 13-6 in the ninth inning, they allowed three swift runs from St. Louis (thanks partly to two of their own errors), which prompted them to bring Aroldis Chapman into the game against Cooper Criswell. With Herrera stepping up to bat as the potential tying run, he ended up grounding into a double play, thus concluding the match.
8) The Boston team has consistently excelled in their home-openers throughout their history, which carried over into Friday's game. Following this victory, they have now achieved an impressive record of 73 wins and 52 losses for home openers, with a recent streak of 14 victories in their past 21 games. Indeed, Fenway Park was completely filled to capacity. This marked Boston’s first triumph at their opening home-game since way back in 2020.
9) Yes, The Red Sox are employing a duplicate of Wally The Green Monster helmet, colored green, to mark home runs this season. It's equally thrilling and frightening. After his energizing performance with the Monster, Story looked forward to unveiling it again as he walked past the home dugout, seemingly even more enthusiastic about placing it on Abreu’s head.
Weather permitting, the Red Sox aim to secure their second successive series victory on Saturday afternoon, led by rookie right-handed pitcher Richard Fitts (0-1, 4.50 ERA). The Cardinals plan to counter with righty Andrew Pallante (1-0, 3.60 ERA), and the game is scheduled to start at 4:10 p.m. ET.
Given the prediction of rain, it’s likely that the teams will have a day-night doubleheader on Sunday. As things stand currently, Boston and St. Louis are set for their Sunday Night Baseball matchup.
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