


It did not take long for the Red Sox to take advantage of the questionable call.
A 3-2 check swing by Luis Urias — in which first base umpire Vic Carapazza ruled Urias didn’t go around — was proceeded two pitches later by a walk-off grand slam by Pablo Reyes in a 6-2 Red Sox win over the Royals.
It certainly appeared to the Royals that Urias went around as they started exiting the field after what would have been the final out of the ninth inning.
Royals manager Matt Quatraro was ejected after storming out of the dugout — even though he didn’t go full Aaron Boone — to question Carapazza.
“Yeah, I can’t think of being much more frustrated than that,” Quatraro told reporters afterward. “I mean, he gets the strikeout to move to extra innings — and then he didn’t. I don’t really have much else to say about that.”
It was a much-needed break for a Red Sox team in disarray and struggling to put away a 36-78 Royals team at Fenway Park.
Boston had previously lost seven of eight games as they cling to the fringes of the AL wild-card race, along with the rival Yankees.
“Well, obviously I thought he went,” Quatraro said. “Vic makes the call, he’s got the better angle, but I obviously disagreed.”
Reyes squared around to bunt on the first pitch after the Urias walk then launched the second one off the left-field foul pole.
It was Reyes’ first home run since Sept. 2021 — a span of 103 at-bats.
“My teammates, everyone was asking me, ‘Pablo, when are going to hit a homer?’” Reyes said. “I said, ‘I’m going to try this week. When I have the opportunity, when they give me the opportunity, I’m going to go there and I’m going to try.’
“So I’m starting to go good with two base hits, so then I say, ‘Well, I’ve got to try to go for the big swing.’ And that happened.”