BOSTON (AP) — Toronto’s Raimel Tapia sprinted around the bases for an inside-the-park grand slam Friday night after Boston Red Sox center fielder Jarren Duran lost the ball in the Fenway Park lights and then didn’t hustle after it.
Tapia hit the second inside-the-park slam in Toronto’s history — both of them at Fenway. This one came as part of a seven-running inning that helped the Blue Jays take a 10-0 lead.
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With two outs in the third and Toronto leading 6-0, Tapia lifted a two-out fly ball to center against reliever Austin Davis.
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Duran took a couple steps back, then a couple in, then put up his hands in confusion. Fans groaned when the ball landed on the warning track behind him.
Duran walked slowly toward the ball while left fielder Alex Verdugo raced over, slid to scoop it up and fired it toward the infield. The relay home wasn’t close to nabbing Tapia, who picked up speed when he realized Duran had lost the ball.
The 25-year-old Duran, in his second major league season, came into the game in a 2-for-30 slump.
Junior Felix had Toronto’s previous inside-the-park slam on June 2, 1989 in Boston against Bob Stanley.
Matt Chapman, Teoscar Hernández and Danny Jansen also homered for the Blue Jays, who entered the day with a two-game lead over the Red Sox for the AL’s final wild-card spot.
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