​NEW YORK — Sunday marked the 44th time this season that the 2026 Red Sox had trailed after eight innings, and, fittingly given the context, it was the first time they emerged victorious. Trailing 2-0 to the Mets and Devin Williams at Citi Field, Boston staged a dramatic ninth-inning rally, manufactured the lead in the 10th with small-ball tactics, and prevailed 3-2 to cap a perfect 9-0 road trip with another win. In a surprising turn, a team that had dismissed its manager and most of its coaches in April, appeared ready to consider parting ways with its chief baseball officer in May and collapsed in June, has become baseball’s hottest club in July.
Since a mid-June sweep at home by the Blue Jays that left them 29-43, the Red Sox have gone 17-5, 14-2, and nine straight wins. Their playoff odds have surged from 9.7% to 39.6%, per FanGraphs, in roughly three and a half weeks. Talk of dismissing Craig Breslow or making an early veteran sell-off—players such as Sonny Gray and Aroldis Chapman—has been silenced. Instead, there is real optimism—a genuine chance that Boston, entering the All-Star break just a half-game out of a postseason berth in a middling American League, could buy and perhaps contend.
The betting outlook mirrors the momentum: the Red Sox are listed at -164 to win over 79.5 regular-season games on FanDuel. Our FanDuel Sportsbook review covers how their platform works, and our MLB betting guide offers basic strategies for wagering on baseball. “To be where we’re at right now based on where we were three weeks ago, you couldn’t ask for much more,” said interim manager Chad Tracy.
After fighting their way to three wins in Anaheim the previous weekend, Boston then dominated the up-and-coming White Sox in a three-game sweep, never trailing, and followed that by winning the first two games in New York with relative ease. On Sunday, with travel plans and a four-game break looming, it looked like the Red Sox might suffer a quiet, acceptable loss. A team that had just finished an eight-game road win streak could afford a subpar performance, even one fueled by just two hits through eight innings.
But the ninth inning told a different story, underscoring that this is a club that has found a template for success. With a runner on first and one out, Romy González delivered a sharply hit double-play ball toward Francisco Lindor, a two-time Gold Glove winner. Lindor misplayed the ball, extending the inning and giving Boston a lifeline. A later miscue and a fortunate pop-up changed the trajectory: with the bases loaded and the infield in, Jarren Duran lofted a 72.8 mph pop-up that drifted into right field for a tying run, a ball that would have been routine if the Mets were playing at regular depth.
The 10th inning began with Connor Wong leading off by laying down a sacrifice bunt to advance the ghost runner Masataka Yoshida to third, setting the stage for the decisive rally. In the end, the Red Sox capitalized on timely execution, capitalizing on the Mets’ missteps and a bit of misfortune, to seize a dramatic victory and maintain momentum that has carried them through a remarkable turnaround.