Mookie Betts gets standing ovation in return to Boston before another comeback win

The Dodgers and Red Sox clashed on Apple TV+’s Friday Night Baseball in a soggy rematch of the 2018 World Series. It was a family reunion of sorts as Mookie Betts returned to Fenway Park for the first time since being traded to the Dodgers. There were old friends galore throughout the game, and the Dodgers were down 3-0 early. The offense rallied for three runs in the sixth and seventh innings in the 7-4 win in Boston.

Mookie and Freddie Freeman keep on pouring it on. Freeman had four hits on the night after Betts had a five-hit game the day prior. A huge base running blunder by Conner Wong in the eighth inning squashed a prime scoring opportunity for the Red Sox.

Mookie Comin’ In Red Hot

Betts made his return to Fenway Park with a picturesque curtain call to open the game and the series. Betts popped out. His buddy, Freddie Freeman, got the first base hit of the game off Kutter Crawford.

Old Friends at Fenway

Alex Verdugo homered, and celebrated, on the first pitch he saw from Lynn. The Red Sox quickly took a 1-0 lead in the first inning.

Dave Peralta drew a hard-earned leadoff walk off Crawford in the top of the second, but the Dodgers’ offense stranded the second man in as many innings.

Lynn doesn’t only allow solo home runs, he also allows the two-run variety. Trevor Story took Lynn deep over the Green Monster for his first home run in nearly a year to make it 3-0 Boston.

Miguel Rojas singled and stole second base in an attempt to spark something in the third inning. Crawford reared back and struck out Betts, Freeman and Will Smith consecutively.

Peralta wasn’t able to navigate the Green Monster, and Reese McGuire hit a double that bounced off the big looming wall in the bottom of the fourth for the Red Sox.

Back in Boston

Mookie knows how to play off the Monster and banged a double, his 35th of the season, off the ubiquitous wall to lead off the sixth. Freeman followed suit with a single, and the Dodgers chased Crawford from the game the third time around in the batting order.

Alex Cora brought in Nick Pivetta to face Smith which turned out to be a costly mistake. The Dodgers’ catcher crushed an RBI double off the wall in left field to give the Dodgers their first run of the night and series.

Birthday boy Max Muncy did a good job by putting the ball in play. This allowed Freeman to score the second run of the frame for the Dodgers. Enrique Hernandez continued to be clutch in his second stint with the Dodgers and tied up the game 3-3 against his former team with an RBI single.

Beantown Boogie

Freeman, with his 48th double of the year, gave the Dodgers their first lead of the night in the seventh. Muncy made it 6-3 with an RBI double to right field.

Dave Roberts went to Brusdar Graterol to face old friend Justin Turner after Lynn allowed the first two batters to reach safely in the bottom half of the seventh. The Sox scored their fourth run on a throwing error by Muncy at third.

The Red Sox threatened with a couple runners on with one out against Graterol in the eighth. He fired his 100-mph fastball past Wilyer Abreu for the precious second out. Alex Vesia surrendered a base hit to the other Alex V., but Betts lasered the ball back to hang up Conner Wong between second and third when Triston Casas was held up at third. Betts moves from second base to right field at just the right time in the game.

The Dodgers tacked on another run in the top of the ninth on a Peralta sac fly. Evan Phillips gave up some hard hit balls in the bottom of the ninth, but a solid catch by Peralta and a strike out of Adam Duvall sealed a scoreless inning.

The Dodgers improved to 20-3 in August.

Friday particulars

Home runs: Alex Verdugo (11), Trevor Story (1)

WP — Lance Lynn (10-9): 6.0 IP, 4 runs, 10 hits, 1 K, 1 BB

LP — Nick Pivetta (9-7): 2 IP, 4 runs, 4 hits, 3 K, 2 BB

S — Evan Phillips (20)

Up next

Julio Urías (11-6, 4.15, 4.10 xFIP) struck out two in two innings of relief for the Dodgers at Fenway Park in 2019 when they last visited Boston. James Paxton (7-4, 3.79 ERA, 3.78 xFIP) looks to rebound from a poor start against the Houston Astros. First pitch is at (1:10 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA).