"Kyle Harrison turned in a short start and put the Red Sox in an early 3-0 hole, but they fought back slowly and surely. Tigers starter Casey Mize shoved for six innings, but the Red Sox finally came through for a run to get him out of the game in the seventh. In the eighth, they scratched across another run thanks to a good baserunning play by Nate Eaton. In the ninth, Romy Gonzalez singled with an out, bringing Ceddanne Rafaela to the plate."
"Since the All-Star break, Rafaela has been the worst hitter in baseball among qualifiers. His wRC+ in the second half was 49 entering Friday, 51% below league average. Rather than taking the bat out of his hands, Alex Cora trusted his center fielder, and Rafaela came through. He smoked a ball off the center field wall, scoring Romy Gonzalez and sending the Red Sox to the playoffs. Isn't baseball beautiful?"
"After Kyle Harrison exited the game, the bullpen came through in a big way. Justin Slaten, Steven Matz, Greg Weissert, Zack Kelly, Garrett Whitlock, and Aroldis Chapman didn't allow a run to score, outside of the inherited runners from Harrison. They kept the score where it needed to be and gave the offense a chance to climb back into the game."
The Red Sox overcame an early 3-0 deficit to clinch a playoff spot with a walk-off by Ceddanne Rafaela. Kyle Harrison's short start put Boston behind, while Tigers starter Casey Mize dominated for six innings before the Red Sox scored to force a change. Nate Eaton's baserunning created an eighth-inning run, and Rafaela doubled in the seventh before delivering the ninth-inning game-winner. The bullpen preserved the comeback, allowing no runs after Harrison aside from inherited runners. Masataka Yoshida contributed three singles, a run and an RBI, and Rafaela showed visible emotion after the decisive hit.
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