The Boston Red Sox needed 11 innings to beat the Miami Marlins 7-3 on Tuesday night at loanDepot Park. The win was Boston’s fifth straight and moved the Red Sox to 73-59, now sitting just 1.5 games behind the New York Yankees for the top American League wild-card spot.
Boston took the lead in the 10th on a passed ball, then gave it right back when a wild pitch allowed Miami to even things up again. The game kept swinging between the two teams without either one able to land the decisive punch.
Then the 11th inning arrived. What happened next captured everything about this team’s season.
Duran Delivers When It Matters Most
Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 when he stepped to the plate with the bases loaded in the top of the 11th. Nothing had gone right for him at the dish all night. Four at-bats, four empty trips back to the dugout.
The fifth one changed the game.
Duran connected on a hanging breaking ball and sent it 412 feet into the seats in right-center for a grand slam. It was the second slam of his career and a rare power display against left-handed pitching.
Chad Tracy described it as the kind of decisive blow the game had been waiting for all night.
“It felt like it was a hundred pound weight lifted off my shoulders,” Duran said.
GettyMIAMI, FLORIDA – AUGUST 25: Jarren Duran of the Boston Red Sox hits a grand slam (18) to right center field. Willson Contreras scores. Jahmai Jones scores. Andruw Monasterio scores during the eleventh inning against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on August 25, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Gasper Kept the Red Sox in It
Before the extras turned chaotic, Mickey Gasper carried the offense. The catcher, who was DH on the night, hit two home runs, extending a remarkable stretch since his recall from Triple-A on August 16. He now has five homers in that span.
Gasper’s second homer came in the sixth and temporarily put Boston ahead. Tracy pulled him for a pinch hitter in the 11th with the bases loaded, a decision that set the table for Duran’s slam.
The production from a player who was in Worcester two weeks ago has given the Red Sox another weapon during the stretch run.
GettyMIAMI, FLORIDA – AUGUST 25: Mickey Gasper #30 of the Boston Red Sox walks during the fourth inning against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on August 25, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
What Comes Next for the Red Sox
The winning continues to pile up. Five straight victories. Boston finishes the Miami series on Wednesday before heading to New York for a four-game showdown against the Yankees that could reshape the wild-card race.
Tracy has said this group has reached the point where resilience is no longer a surprise. It has become an expectation.
GettyMIAMI, FLORIDA – AUGUST 25: Jarren Duran of the Boston Red Sox hits a grand slam (18) to right center field. Willson Contreras scores. Jahmai Jones scores. Andruw Monasterio scores during the eleventh inning against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on August 25, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Final Word for the Red Sox
Duran was hitless through four at-bats. None of it mattered when the moment arrived.
He delivered. This Red Sox team keeps finding ways. That is the expectation now, and nobody on this roster is backing away from it.
Red Sox Jarren Duran Sends Strong Message in Win Over Marlins