BOSTON (AP) — Eighty years ago, a Boston Red Sox team led by future Hall of Famer Ted Williams went on a 15-game winning streak early in the season that still stands as the longest in team history.
On Tuesday night, the Red Sox can match that mark set by the 1946 club.
Caleb Durbin over the Green Monster with two outs in the eighth inning, and the Red Sox extended the second-longest winning streak in club history to 14 games, to snap the Orioles’ season-best win streak at seven.
“I’m trying not to, but I want it,” Durbin said about the possibility of tying the club record. “I can’t speak for anyone else. We really haven’t talked about it, but I want to make history here.”
Durbin, who had a miserable start to the season after being picked up in an offseason trade with Milwaukee, connected on a 1-0 cutter from Tyler Wells, setting off a celebration by his teammates in front of Boston’s dugout.
“It would mean a lot, for sure,” first baseman Willson Contreras said. “We are trying to play the same way every day. … If it happens, that would be great for us. We can celebrate that. If it doesn’t happen, you have to keep going.”
Boston was 37-48 when the streak began and is now in position for a wild-card playoff berth.
The Red Sox overcame three deficits on Monday.
“I can’t imagine it being more electric than tonight,” Durbin said. “It might be. Tonight was awesome, though.”
What was he thinking as he rounded the bases, heading toward a handful of players who were jumping up and down in front of the dugout?
“There’s not a lot of times that you black out — as they say,’’ he said. “I think that was one of the moments where I didn’t know what was happening. I couldn’t tell you what I looked like running around the bases.”
Contreras was one of the first players to jump over the railing onto the field after Durbin’s shot.
“I felt like (the) playoffs, going to the World Series, to be honest,” he said. “Hopefully it happens. We’re on the way, but there’s a lot of season left, a lot of games to be played.”
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