The Boston Red Sox tied an 80-year-old record with their win in Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday, setting the stage for Game 2.
But the Orioles played spoiler, surging ahead with a four-run first inning and ending the Red Sox’s win streak at 15 with a 5-1 win at Fenway Park.
Boston’s franchise-record 15-game win streak was first set by the 1946 team, led by future Hall of Famer Ted Williams.
The Orioles loaded the bases with one out to start the game, and they were promptly cleared with an Eduardo Rivera wild pitch and a Dylan Beavers single.
After Johnathan Rodríguez scored Beavers with an RBI double, giving the Orioles a 4-0 first-inning lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Meanwhile, Orioles starter Kyle Bradish pitched six innings of one-run ball, and the Baltimore bullpen locked down three scoreless innings to stop the streak.
The Orioles added an insurance run with a Gunnar Henderson triple and Jovani Morán’s wild pitch in the top of the seventh.
This edition of the Red Sox is quite different than their dominant 1946 counterparts. They started the season 10-17, fired longtime manager Alex Cora before the end of April, and were last in the American League less than one month ago at 32-46. Their FanGraphs playoff odds were only 9.4.
Boston has gone 20-3 since, including their 15-game streak, to seize the final wild-card spot in the American League.