Boston Red Sox fans were looking for a different result in Roman Anthony’s MLB debut, but were met with a 10-8 loss in 11 innings to the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays have been on a hot streak recently and are looking to take advantage of a struggling Red Sox team. It was a game that saw Alex Cora get ejected, as the home plate umpire threw him out in extra innings.
Alex Cora Knows That Pitch was a Ball
Fenway Park saw their home manager thrown out late into June 9’s game as Cora was ejected with just one out remaining. Even with runners on first and second, Boston came up empty as they lost to the Rays by a pair of runs.
Romy Gonzalez had a full count with runners on first and second, with just one out in the inning. Cora believed that the strikeout against him changed the course of the game, as the Red Sox had two on with two outs compared to the bases loaded with just one out. Regardless, his plea to argue the strike call went nowhere as he was thrown out of the game.
“It was a ball. That pitch was a ball. It was down. He was really good, actually, during the day… it was down.”
Alex Cora on the called third strike against Romy González in the 11th inning that led to his ejection. pic.twitter.com/Lvy6UTNK8s
— NESN (@NESN) June 10, 2025
“It was a ball,” Cora said. “That pitch was a ball. It was down. He was really good actually, during the day, but it was down.” Gonzalez had himself quite the day, going 2-4 with a pair of RBIs as he pinch-hit for Marcelo Mayer. While his strikeout in the 11th inning proved to be costly, it was one of 12 strikeouts on the night for the Red Sox. Their top four batters in the lineup combined for five hits but had seven strikeouts among them.
Trailing 7-5 heading into the bottom of the ninth, the Red Sox were able to rally to send this game into extra innings. Each team scored a run in the 10th, but the Rays’ two runs in the 11th proved to be the difference as Ian Seymour picked up the win for Tampa Bay.
Now 32-36, Cora will have to ponder this loss after the Red Sox just picked up a series win against the New York Yankees. Having won back-to-back games, 10-7 and 11-7, the Red Sox once again are on the losing end. They haven’t won three straight since April 26-29 as they look to begin a new streak in the final two games against the Rays.
Once this series is complete, the Yankees come to town for a huge three-game slate. The Yankees and Red Sox rivalry is well-documented, with the two sides playing each other six times in the span of nine games. The Red Sox enjoyed Thursday, June 12, off, while the Yankees had Monday, June 9, off instead.