For the first time since April 2019, the Boston Red Sox swept the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field this week.
Alex Cora’s team scored 18 runs and allowed just eight in the three-game set, as their pitching continues to be phenomenal through the first 50 games of their 2024 campaign.
After the series, a couple of Red Sox players spoke about the importance of beating the Rays in St. Petersburg, Florida.
“It feels very good to be able to sweep the series and to win here,” said starting pitcher Brayan Bello, through interpreter Carlos Villoria Benítez (via. MassLive). “Obviously, last year was a very bad year for us against them and they went to our place and won three games. For us to come here and win was very important.”
Bello wasn’t great in the series finale, allowing three runs in the second inning, but he settled down and didn’t allow a run in his final four frames to earn the win.
A member of the Red Sox’s outfield, and a former Ray, also shared similar remarks.
“You never know if it’s gonna come against the Rays,” Rob Refsnyder said. “They have such a dominant bullpen and they have for a long time. Just trying to piece together some good at-bats and the young guys did a great job. It’s nice coming back against a really, really long team.”
Boston and Tampa Bay won’t meet again until September when the two teams will play three at Tropicana Field and three at Fenway Park. Those games may mean much more.
