The Boston Red Sox led 1-0 in the bottom of the second inning when Tigers shortstop Trey Sweeney hit a fly ball to left field with runners on second and third base. What should have been a routine catch for Red Sox outfielder Rob Refsnyder turned into a 2-1 catch for Detroit that eventually won the game.
“I’ve got to catch it every time,” Refsnyder told reporters after the loss, as seen on NESN’s post-game coverage. “I apologized to Nick (Pivetta) disappointed that I didn’t catch him. The wind carried it much farther than I thought. But it’s my fault and I should take it.”
Red Sox manager Alex Cora acknowledged that the Tigers’ third base coach and Cora’s brother, Joey, took chances with runners in scoring position.
“The ball went up and (Refsnyder) just lost it,” Cora told reporters, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “(The Tigers) took a risk with the run to second base. … The third base coach is very aggressive. Sometimes he makes decisions that take people by surprise. In this case, not all third base coaches will send that runner out. All they had to do was send a runner aggressively and it paid for them. “A one-run lead was all Detroit needed with Cy Young candidate Tarik Skubal on the mound for the Tigers. Skubal allowed one run on four hits while striking out eight batters for his season-high 16th win in the league. “He’s probably the best catcher in the American League right now,” Cora said. “… It was a game-changer for him. He probably should have won the Cy Young. … This guy is incredible. Hats off to him.