The Phillies and Red Sox were tied in the bottom of the 10th with the automatic runner on second. Philadelphia tried to play small ball, looking to bunt the runner over. But Jordan Hicks couldn’t throw a strike. Four pitches, four balls, and just like that the bunt plan turned into a walk. Then came the wild pitch, moving the runner to third anyway. The Red Sox tried to recover by intentionally walking the next batter to set up a force at home.
With the bases loaded and no outs, Sosa came to the plate. Hicks dialed up the heat, mixing 100 mph sinkers with sliders. He got Sosa to two strikes, then came a slider that looked off the plate. Sosa barely checked his swing, but made contact with the catcher’s glove. The Phillies challenged it. After review, the call was overturned. Catcher’s interference. Game over.
The inning was a mess for Boston. Four-pitch walk, wild pitch, and then a walk-off on a catcher interference during a near-strikeout. Nothing went right, and the Red Sox could only watch the celebration on the other side.