Pittsburgh Pirates at Boston Red Sox: Final Score & Recap
Line Score
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIT | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 1 |
| BOS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 1 |
The Story
The Pittsburgh Pirates held on to defeat the Boston Red Sox 7-6 at Fenway Park on April 3, 2023, completing a comeback that began with a chaotic first inning. Pittsburgh fell behind early as Boston scored five runs in the bottom of the first, but the Pirates chipped away with a run in the second, a run in the third, and then two critical home runs in the top of the fourth. Jason Delay connected off Kutter Crawford for a plus-11.3 percent swing in win probability, and Bryan Reynolds followed with another home run off Crawford that added 10.9 percent, giving Pittsburgh a lead it would not relinquish. The DiamondIQ model opened the game with Boston as a 54 percent favorite but watched that advantage erode inning by inning as Pittsburgh's offense kept answering.
The game's most consequential sequence came in the final two innings, when Pittsburgh's bullpen protected a one-run lead against a Red Sox lineup that had the DiamondIQ model's estimate tightening considerably. Colin Holderman was the key figure, generating a plus-23.3 percent win-probability contribution overall. His most decisive moment came in the bottom of the eighth, when Adam Duvall grounded out against him in a situation that swung 25.8 percent of win probability toward Pittsburgh. David Bednar then closed the door in the ninth by striking out Rob Refsnyder with the game on the line, a moment that shifted win probability 27.0 percent in the Pirates' favor and left Boston's final probability at zero.
Among position players, Bryan Reynolds stood out with a plus-11.3 percent win-probability contribution and an RE24 of plus-1.8, reflecting the run-environment impact of his fourth-inning home run. Alex Verdugo added a plus-11.4 percent WPA for Boston and an RE24 of plus-0.4, providing the Red Sox their best offensive contribution in a losing cause. Pittsburgh's final line of seven runs on nine hits, paired with strong late relief work from Holderman, Zack Kelly, and Kaleb Ort, proved sufficient to take the opener at Fenway despite committing one error and surrendering ten hits.