Red Sox riding high with 13-9 win over Cardinals in home opener

BOSTON — After years defined by apathy and negativity, the Red Sox returned to a much different atmosphere when they arrived at Fenway Park on Friday. There’s been a shift within the club as well, but hours before first pitch chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said what matters most will be how the team performs going forward.

“Ultimately the results on the field are going to dictate the vibe,” Breslow said. “But I think there is a lot of belief internally on what guys are able to accomplish.”

Safe to say right now the vibes are high.

The Red Sox beat the St. Louis Cardinals in their home opener, ripping off five runs out of the gate en route to a decisive 13-9 victory. Trevor Story and Wilyer Abreu hit back-to-back home runs to lead the way in the bottom of the first, and the offense kept hitting from there to keep the Cardinals at bay.

Opening Day at Fenway hasn’t been kind to the Red Sox in recent years. Entering this season the club had lost its home opener four straight seasons, including a 7-1 drubbing at the hands of Baltimore last April.

This year the Red Sox made sure to go on the offensive early and often.

After sending the Cardinals down for a 1-2-3 top of the first, Boston batted around in the bottom of the frame and tried to land a knockout blow early. Jarren Duran singled and stole second to lead things off, Rafael Devers walked and Alex Bregman lined an RBI double down the left-field line to break the ice.

Then, after Triston Casas popped out, Trevor Story delivered a haymaker in the form of a towering three-run home run off the Plymouth Rock sign above the Green Monster. Wilyer Abreu followed by taking Cardinals starter Erick Fedde’s very next pitch 392 feet into the visitor’s bullpen for a solo shot, putting the Red Sox up 5-0 right away.

According to the Red Sox, it was the first time the club has scored five or more runs in the first inning since April 3, 2023 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

St. Louis and Boston traded runs in the third on RBI singles by Lars Nootbaar and Carlos Narvaez, but the Cardinals made their move from there, touching up Red Sox starter Walker Buehler for a pair of home runs. Ivan Herrera hit a three-run shot in the fourth and Brendan Donovan followed with a solo homer in the fifth to cut the lead to 6-5.

Buehler finished with five runs allowed on seven hits and a walk over five innings, and through his first two starts Buehler has allowed nine runs over 9 1/3 innings. Fedde allowed six runs on four walks and five hits in three innings for the Cardinals.

The Red Sox responded with two more runs in the bottom of the fifth, getting a leadoff walk from Bregman, a double from Casas and an RBI single by Abreu. Then Kristian Campbell hit a pop fly along the right-field fence that was caught by Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker, but Casas was able to scamper home for the sacrifice fly.

The play prompted a lengthy review for potential fan interference, but the original ruling stood and the Red Sox led 8-5.

Boston’s defense has also been notably improved through the first week of the season, and that progress was on full display for the hometown fans — though with one glaring hiccup. Abreu and Duran each had phenomenal catches in the outfield, and Alex Bregman turned several brilliant plays at third base, including a 5-4-3 double play he started on the run in the top of the sixth. One batter later Story made an incredible play and throw at shortstop ranging to his left on a ball hit up the middle, but Casas dropped what looked like a perfect throw.

Greg Weissert was able to get out of the inning without further incident despite the error.

St. Louis kept coming and didn’t make things easy on Boston, with Donovan hitting an RBI single in the seventh off Zack Kelly to cut the Red Sox lead to two. But Boston caught a break in the bottom of the seventh when the Cardinals failed to turn what should have been an inning-ending double play with one out and the bases loaded.

With the door cracked, the Red Sox charged through.

Ceddanne Rafaela’s fielder’s choice on the near double play scored a run and was followed by back-to-back RBI singles by Duran and Devers. All told eight Red Sox batters came to the plate and three runs scored, and while the runs weren’t technically unearned, none would have come in had the Cardinals converted the routine play.

Brennan Bernardino posted a dominant eighth inning of relief, striking out all three batters he faced, and the Red Sox tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the frame. Casas doubled and scored on an Abreu double play and Narvaez finished the scoring for Boston with an RBI double.

The extra breathing room proved handy when the Red Sox suddenly began reverting to some old habits in the top of the ninth. Campbell, who had been solid defensively through his short tenure in the majors so far, had a rough stretch where he dropped a fly ball in the outfield and couldn’t turn what may have been a game-ending double play. Then Bregman threw away another potential double play ball, which collectively resulted in three St. Louis runs.

Aroldis Chapman was summoned to keep things from getting any more interesting, and he drew a double play to close out the win. Perhaps appropriately, Bregman and Campbell atoned for their miscues to wrap things up.

Abreu finished 3 for 5 with a home run, two runs and two RBIs, and each of Boston’s top six batters finished with at least two hits. Devers (2 for 3, two walks, one RBI) and Narvaez (2 for 3, two walks, two RBI) each reached base four times, and the Red Sox tallied a season-high 16 hits as a team, making three straight games the club has recorded 10 hits or more.

With the win Boston (4-4) has now won three straight games to get back to .500. The Red Sox will look to clinch the three-game series on Saturday when Richard Fitts (0-1, 4.50) takes on Cardinals righty Andre Pallante (1-0, 3.60).