After falling to the Astros in the top of the second inning on a solo blast from first baseman Christian Walker, the Red Sox were looking for any way they could to manufacture runs in the second game of three against the Houston Astros. With little movement made at the trade deadline, tonight’s win seemed dire, and until the Wilyer Abreu sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh, fans were worried if the Sox were going to get on the scoreboard at all. With the game still tied 1-1 in the bottom of the ninth, the team, sporting their Fenway Greens, went to work again in a one-run game in extra innings. With Abreu on second, the bottom of the tenth inning began with one of the team’s hottest players with notable wheels, Ceddanne Rafaela, bunting into a fielder’s choice, which somehow saw both runners safe. With Abreu at third, thanks to the late throw from Astros’ catcher, Yanier Diaz during the Rafaela play, he waited with Kyle Hudson as the lineup flipped over and the Sox’s (and MLB’s) former number one prospect, Roman Anthony, dug in to the left side of the plate. After quickly falling behind 0-2, the 21-year-old outfielder showed his discipline at the dish and managed to then work the count 2-2 before getting a fastball middle-middle, which he lined to left center for a single, and the first walk-off of his major league career.

Roman Anthony wins it in the 10th! #Walkoff pic.twitter.com/gbt1ouKFoi

— MLB (@MLB) August 2, 2025

After a less-than-memorable trade deadline with little to no reinforcements, depending on who you ask, it felt as though tonight was a “must-win” for a Red Sox team that has decided to rest on its laurels the rest of the season as they make their final push for postseason berth. Despite being tied to some of the bigger names on the market at the deadline, Craig Breslow’s series of balks before six pm left many fans and MLB analysts shaking their heads; however, perhaps one of Boston’s rising stars, outfielder Jarren Duran, said it best right before the 13-1 series finale against the Twins. With what felt like a full offseason between the July trade deadline and the first day of August baseball, it was great to see the morale still high for these players, who, frankly, deserved more support from the team’s ownership.

“If they add, they add. If not, then it’s ok; we trust everybody we got,” Duran told NESN sideline reporter, Jahmai Webster. The Red Sox outfielder was no stranger to the trade deadline’s rumor mill himself, as word got out that Duran could’ve potentially been moved; the majority of rumors linked him to the San Diego Padres. Thankfully, however, Red Sox Nation was able to rest easy after the deadline’s final moves settled, because one of the team’s most notable clubhouse presences, and fan favorites, remains in Boston for the remainder of the 2025 season as the club continues to pad its second-place standings in the AL Wild Card race. The Red Sox did make two additions in pitchers Dustin May and Steven Matz. May had a 4.85 ERA while starting for the Dodgers, and Matz had a 3.44 ERA pitching in relief for the St. Louis Cardinals. Both have some utility with Dustin May giving them another back-end of the rotation option, which is needed, especially now that Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford have both been shut down for the remainder of the season. Matz has been a multi-inning reliever with MLB experience, clearly, but he doesn’t really “change the pace” for the Red Sox’s bullpen. They could have traded for a first baseman or gotten creative and dealt from their logjam of outfielders; however, they decided to keep their cards close to their chest. Which, after going 17-7 in July, somewhat does check out. There’s no reason to change the chemistry of this lineup on or off the field now that they’ve started to hit their stride.

Same Roman. pic.twitter.com/y6RAoQ3khn

— Red Sox (@RedSox) August 2, 2025

There is no denying this roster has the talent and chemistry to succeed, but many seemed to be upset not at how few moves the Red Sox made, but what all their competitors did to bolster their lineups to get even stronger than they are now. The other three AL East teams who are competing to play October baseball all seemed to have made themselves stronger with the additions they made at the deadline. The Yankees and Blue Jays certainly made a splash, but even the sneaky Tampa Bay Rays added a couple of higher-impact pitchers in Adrian Houser and Griffin Jax as they try to fight for a wild card spot, too. So, in the Red Sox’s end of things, a better-starting pitcher than May (and this does not necessarily mean Twins’ Joe Ryan) or a higher-impact reliever, like the Mets’ new setup man, Ryan Helsley, would have helped solidify the team’s chances at clinching a spot for the post.

However, if the rest of this month and September’s games are going to be anything like this high-stakes Anthony walk-off, then look forward to the 2025 Red Sox completing the narrative that the 2024 team was too worn out to see through. While Craig Breslow has lost some faith with Red Sox Nation after July 31st, it’s evident that the moves he made in the offseason, including “smaller” pick-ups like super-utility player Romy González, were successful. Perhaps the rental of Dustin May and the acquisition of Steven Matz will pan out as well. They are currently in third place in the AL East and are in second place in the wild card standings with a record of 60-51. The Yankees currently are two games up in the standings, with the Red Sox just a half game out, tying them for first. The Mariners are one game behind the Red Sox and Yankees, holding the third Wild Card spot with a record of 58-52, and are currently facing the Texas Rangers, the first team out of the top three spots. Roman, the Red Sox’s new leadoff man, and the rest of the team will take the field at 4:10 pm ET when Walker Buehler takes the mound against the Astros as he looks for his seventh win of the season.