By Zachary McMahon –
The Boston Red Sox played the Detroit Tigers in the first game of the four-game weekend series on Thursday night at Fenway Park. In the last six games, the Sox are 2-4 while the Tigers got a four-game winning streak snapped by a loss in Game 2 of a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday.
Before the game, the 2024 Red Sox Hall of Famers inductees were honored and threw out the ceremonial first pitch, with second baseman Dustin Pedroia, 2004 Red Sox World champion Trot Nixon, former closer Jonathan Papelbon, and Elaine Steward from the front office.
The Sox won five out of six games against the Tigers last season, which includes a sweep in Detroit in April 2023.
Ceddane Rafaela did not start in this game, while David Hamilton started at shortstop, Rob Refsnyder played out in left field, and Jarren Duran was out in center field. Rafaela pinch hit for Refsnyder in the ninth, but he struck out swinging. Connor Wong batted in the DH spot while Reese McGuire played catcher.
Nick Pivetta started this game, as he went off for eight consecutive strikeouts between the first and third innings, which ended on a groundout by Riley Greene. But Pivetta would get no run support as the Sox were no-hit by Jack Flaherty until Refsnyder broke it with a single in the seventh. Before that hit by, the only baserunner Flaherty allowed was Rafael Devers with a walk in the fifth.
The eight consecutive strikeouts tied a team record in most consecutive strikeouts with Roger Clemens who did this against the Seattle Mariners on April 29, 1986.
The Tigers first scored on a solo shot by Akil Badoo, who was called up from Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday, then a RBI single by Mark Canha made it 2-0.
The Tigers padded three insurance runs in the eighth with back-to-back home runs from Greene and former Yankee Gio Urshela off Chris Martin.
The Tigers would go on to win 5-0 as they have now won five out of the last six games after a five-game losing streak from May 19-23. The Sox meanwhile have lost five out of their last seven games.
These two teams will be playing on Friday with Tanner Houck going up against Kenta Maeda at 7:10 first pitch on Apple TV+.