BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox can at least be excited about their young players going into next year.
Rusney Castillo and Christian Vazquez each hit his first major league homer, and Allen Webster pitched seven solid innings to carry the Red Sox to an 11-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday night.
Vazquez finished with a career-best four hits and drove in three runs, and another rookie, Mookie Betts, had three of Boston’s 16 hits. The Red Sox won for the fourth time in six games.
“We’ve got a lot young guys coming up and everybody’s really good,” said Webster, who joined the rotation on July 27. “It’s looking good going forward.”
Castillo, a Cuban outfielder who signed with Boston in August and was promoted from the minors on Sept. 16, collected his first two hits in Fenway Park.
“A lot of very good at-bats, particularly at the bottom of the order and Mookie at the top,” Boston manager John Farrell said.
Evan Longoria had two singles for the Rays, who lost for the fifth time in seven games.
“Give them credit,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “They totally beat us up tonight.”
Webster (5-3) was charged with one run and seven hits in his best start since he joined the rotation. The 24-year old rookie right-hander struck out five and walked one.
Leading 3-1 in the third, the Red Sox broke it open by scoring four times while chasing Jeremy Hellickson (1-5).
Yoenis Cespedes and Allen Craig had one-out singles before Garin Cecchini reached on first baseman James Loney’s error, with Cespedes scoring on the play. Steve Geltz then came in and Castillo drove the reliever’s first pitch into the front row of Green Monster seats for a three-run shot.
Hellickson lasted just 2 1-3 innings, getting tagged for six runs — five earned — and eight hits.
“I feel like I had better stuff,” he said. “Obviously the numbers are really bad, but I don’t think I made that many bad pitches.”
Vazquez’s two-run homer bounced off a billboard above the Monster, lifting the Red Sox to a 3-1 lead in the second. The ball was picked up by a ball girl, handed to a security guard and given to Red Sox third base coach Brian Butterfield.
“I want to take the ball back for my family,” said Vazquez, who was glad it didn’t clear the Monster and leave the park completely.
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