Kemp's sacrifice fly lifts A's over Red Sox 7-6 in 12

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Tony Kemp pounded his hand on his head and let out a scream of frustration for everything he did wrong — until delivering at the end.

Kemp hit a game-winning sacrifice fly to cap a three-run 12th inning, and the Oakland Athletics rallied past the Red Sox 7-6 on Saturday to snap Boston's eight-game winning streak.

After an earlier error, Kemp popped out on a bunt in the 10th that he called a miscommunication. He still felt what he described as self-doubt after the game, trying to come to terms with that.

“Leading up to that moment, that was unfortunately the worst game I’ve played in the big leagues until that walk-off sac fly,” Kemp said. “You’ve got to have a short-term memory.”

Sean Murphy and Seth Brown singled to start the bottom of the 12th before Jed Lowrie's tying double off Matt Andriese (2-3), who couldn’t close out a game that lasted 4 hours, 24 minutes.

“It was the most spirited game of the year,” said A's manager Bob Melvin, whose club had lost two in a row and five of seven.

Oakland won despite stranding 17 runners.

Marwin González put Boston ahead on a single with one out in the top of the 12th before a single by Kiké Hernández made it 6-4.

“It was a crazy game,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said.

González came through against winner J.B. Wendelken (1-0) to score Rafael Devers, who started the inning on second base as the teams went extra innings for a second consecutive day.

Hernández had a big game again, providing insurance in the 12th after he drove in the go-ahead run with a broken-bat single and threw out a runner at home plate from center field in the 10th inning of Boston’s 3-2 victory Friday night.

Hernández homered in the seventh Saturday, but Boston’s bullpen couldn’t hold...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Kemp-s-sacrifice-fly-lifts-A-s-over-Red-Sox-7-6-16292459.php