Red Sox take series, move into 1st wild-card spot with 7-3 win over Astros

Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald on Aug 2, 2025

Published in Baseball

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BOSTON — Against some teams, a four-run lead seems like enough.

The Houston Astros aren’t typically one of those teams, but thanks to a gutsy combined performance by seven Boston pitchers, the Red Sox pulled off a 7-3 come-from-behind victory to take their third straight series and overtake the Yankees in both the American League East and wild-card standings.

Houston took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on Christian Walker’s second home run in as many days, but the home team battled back immediately, took the lead in the third, and never looked back.

Romy Gonzalez thought he had a leadoff double on Astros starter Colton Gordon’s first pitch of the game, but the ball had ricocheted off the top of the Green Monster. Home run.

“I was kind of upset,” Gonzalez said. “I was telling all the boys I was hitting a home run first pitch today, and when the ball bounced back I’m like, no way, but I’m glad it was a homer.”

Gonzalez’s first career leadoff bomb barely cleared the line. Trevor Story’s and Abraham Toro’s two-run homers in the third and fourth, respectively, were no-doubters. Story’s bounced off the top of the Plymouth Rock sign atop the Monster, and backward to Lansdowne Street. Toro’s wasn’t far behind; it soared to the very back of the Monster seats.

The Astros out-hit their hosts 14-10 but had difficulty following through. They left at least one man on base in all but the fourth inning, and finished the evening 2 for 11 with runners in scoring position and a whopping 14 men left on base.

Walker Buehler wove in and out of traffic for 4 1/3 innings, but managed a much cleaner getaway thanks to his teammates. He yielded three earned runs on nine hits, walked three and didn’t strike out a single batter. Boston defense turned two double plays during his start, cleaning the diamond for him in the second and fourth.

Justin Wilson became the first Red Sox reliever to come up clutch on Saturday. He relieved Buehler and struck out a pair to strand two.

Buehler ultimately pitched deeper than Gordon, who was unable to record an out in the fifth inning. Roman Anthony’s leadoff single prompted the first Astros pitching change of the day. Gordon exited charged with six earned runs on seven hits and one walk, with six strikeouts, a hit batsman and three home runs.

With Gordon out of the game, the Boston bats went quickly and quietly for nearly the entire remainder of the game. In the fifth, former Red Sox arm Kaleb Ort began a stretch in which the Astros retired eight of nine men and didn’t allow a hit until Rob Refsnyder and Story roped back-to-back doubles with two outs in the seventh.

Houston loaded the bases against Jordan Hicks in the eighth. The sold-out crowd rose as Carlos Correa came to the plate, and screamed as Hicks struck him out looking.

When Jorge Alcala couldn’t finish the ninth, Alex Cora brought in his closer. Once again, Aroldis Chapman slammed the door.

“That took forever, that game,” Cora said. “There was a lot of traffic but at the end we were able to get 27 outs and we won the series.”

Benches clear, no brawl

After Story’s RBI double in the seventh, Astros reliever Hector Neris intentionally balked him to third base. The Astros reliever appeared to believe the Red Sox were stealing signs from the bases, which Major League Baseball allows so as long as teams don’t use electronics (something both clubs have been investigated and disciplined for in the last half-decade).

Neris was able to get out of the inning without allowing another run, but as he walked back to the Astros dugout, he shouted at Red Sox third base coach Kyle Hudson.

Hudson laughed at the incensed pitcher, but the benches and bullpens cleared nonetheless.

“You gotta ask Neris” was all Cora would say postgame.

“Nothing,” Neris told reporters in the visitor’s clubhouse. “It’s part of the game. Something funny.”

Asked if he thought the Red Sox were stealing signs, Neris smiled and said, “Maybe. Maybe yes, maybe no.”

Matz passes muster

Steven Matz pitched a scoreless sixth inning for his Red Sox debut, and earned the adoration of the Fenway Faithful when he punched out Astros leadoff man Jose Altuve on three pitches.

Wild and free

With their win and the Yankees’ loss – shutout 2-0 by the Marlins on Saturday – Boston overtook their New York rivals in the division and wild-card standings; the Red Sox are now second in the American League East and hold the top AL wild-card.

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