KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Thirty times this season, the Red Sox have carried a lead into the eighth inning. Twenty-nine times, they’ve held on to win.
Yesterday was the exception.
Six outs away from a strong finish to a long road trip, the Sox turned to two of their most trusted relievers. Neither one recorded an out. Instead, they combined to walk the bases loaded ahead of the first grand slam of Salvador Perez’ career.
The stunning turn of events left the Red Sox with a 6-4 loss to the Kansas City Royals in their series finale at Kauffman Stadium, turning a pretty good eight-game road trip into a break-even disappointment.