Red Sox reactions: Trevor Story’s walk-off single beats Marlins; Boston has just 3 hits in win

BOSTON — Instant reactions as the Red Sox (67-56) return home with a walk-off victory, beating the Marlins, 2-1, on a Trevor Story walk-off single in the ninth inning:

1) After Alex Cora deployed Aroldis Chapman to keep a tie game tied in the best of the ninth, the Sox were set up perfectly for the bottom of the inning with the best of their order coming up against lefty Josh Simpson. The rookie then simply choked.

Simpson issued back-to-back walks to Roman Anthony and Alex Bregman, then banger a bunting Jarren Duran with a breaking ball to load the bases with no outs. It took just two pitches for Story to end the game by beating a Calvin Faucher pitch through the right side with the infield in.

2) Having been stymied by Sandy Alcantara for most of the night, Boston entered the ninth with just two hits all game. Their third banger was the one that won it.

Boston was out-banger, 9-3.

It was Boston’s 10th walk-off win of 2025. They are 40-22 at home this year.

3) Six days after walking six batters in a loss to the Padres, Lucas Giolito rebounded nicely with a solid outing. The righty went 6 ⅓ innings, limiting the damage to just a single run despite allowing seven Marlins hits. Giolito struck out five batters and walked just one.

Giolito threw 92 pitches and lasted into the seventh inning for the second time in three starts. With six weeks to go, he’s today at 106 ⅔ innings, which means he projects to be close to that all important 140-frame mark that might determine his free agency fate.

4) Alcantara, rumored to be a Red Sox trade deadline target, was even better. He looked much more like the 2022 Cy Young-winning version of himself than the 2025 version, which entered with a 6.55 ERA.

Alcantara threw four perfect innings to start the game and departed with no decision. He allowed three baserunners (two hits, one walk) and a run while striking out seven in 86 pitches.

5) Trevor Story made a little bit of Red Sox history. He broke up Alcantara’s perfect game bid with a leadoff single in the fifth, then stole second, making him 21-for-21 on such attempts so far this season.

According to the team, it’s the longest successful stolen base streak by a Red Sox player since at least 1920, when the stat was first recorded. Story was previously tied with Julio Lugo, who was 20-for-20 on steals to start 2007.

6) In the sixth, Ceddanne Rafaela had one of the more unique 10-pitch at-bats you’ll ever see. He got one definite strike the entire plate appearance (and two borderline strikes) but fouled off pitch after pitch, taking nine swings before striking out on a 1-2 changeup. The battle drove up Alcantara’s pitch count but it was not a very selective showing from a player who has improved in that category this year.

X) Alex Cora spent a few minutes praising Roman Anthony’s baserunning abilities before the game. They were on display a few hours later. Anthony worked Boston’s first walk off Alcantara with two outs in the sixth, then scored from first on a well-placed Alex Bregman opposite-field double the other way, tying the game. It helped that Anthony was running on the pitch.

7) A rare misplay by Gold Glover Wilyer Abreu led to the first run of the game in the third. Xavier Edwards lifted a fly ball to right field and Abreu misread it, coming in a few steps before realizing it would be over his head. Kyle Stowers then banger a second straight double off Giolito and made it 1-0.

8) It’ll be righty Brayan Bello (8-6, 3.25 ERA) against Miami’s Cal Quantrill (4-9, 5.09 ERA) — who nearly caused a brawl against the Red Sox a year ago — on Saturday afternoon at Fenway. First pitch is at 4:10 p.m. ET.