Red Sox designated hitter J.D. Martinez celebrates his three-run homer in the first inning Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Rays. Martinez added a second home run in Boston’s 6-3 win. Steven Senne/Associated Press
BOSTON — Finally, it’s all over.
The Red Sox completed an emotional Game No. 162 at Fenway Park on Wednesday afternoon, as J.D. Martinez homered twice to lift them to a 6-3 win over the Rays.
It completed another disappointing season as the Sox finished 78-84 and in fifth place in the American League East for the fifth time in the last 11 years.
The theme of the day was goodbye, and the Sox may have said a few of them for the last time.
Dennis Eckersley, the Hall of Famer who was broadcasting his last game for NESN before retirement, waved goodbye to the crowd after a heartfelt tribute on the center-field video board before the fifth inning. Manager Alex Cora and the players stood up and saluted Eckersley, who held his heart and wiped away tears.
“I’m lucky to have had the career I’ve had, and I’m lucky to have been a part of this,” Eckersley said in the pregame show. “Four championships. Got some rings – I didn’t have anything to do with it. But to be around this, to be a part of it, man, we’re lucky.”
Eckersley, who turned 68 on Monday, was drafted by Cleveland as a California high schooler in 1972 and pitched 24 seasons – winning 20 games as a starter for Boston in 1978 and saving 51 games for Oakland in 1992, when he was the AL MVP and Cy Young winner. In all, he was 197-171 with a 3.50 ERA for Cleveland, Boston, the Cubs, Oakland and St. Louis. He joined NESN in 2003 and stood out for his outspoken and colorful analysis.
And all eyes were on Xander Bogaerts, who might’ve played in his last game in a Red Sox uniform.
The 30-year-old Bogaerts has played more games at shortstop than any other player in franchise history, but is expected to opt-out of his team-friendly contract and test free agency after the Sox failed to sign him to a long-term extension this spring.
Bogaerts made his 150th appearance of the season while hitting third and playing shortstop for perhaps the final time. He collected a pair of singles and made some nice plays at short before he was lifted.
Cora sent Bogaerts out to start the seventh inning, but after a brief warm-up, Bogaerts was pulled to a standing ovation. Bogaerts tipped his cap to the fans and met Rafael Devers at the top step of the dugout as the two shared a hug, then he hugged every member of the team and coaching staff in the dugout.
Bogaerts finished his season with a .307 average, third in the American League, and is expected to command a hefty sum in free agency after completing arguably the best defensive season of his career.
It was also a big day for Martinez, who will also be eligible for free agency after the season. Signed to a five-year, $110-million deal before the 2018 season, he was a main contributor on the 2018 World Series team and had a nice run in Boston, hitting .291 with 130 home runs over five seasons.
The 34-year-old Martinez had one of his worst career seasons this year, but finished on a high note as he went 2 for 3 with two home runs and four RBI.
Most impressive was his first long ball, a three-run shot in the first inning. Martinez hammered one into the bullpen in right-center, an opposite-field shot that had long been a calling card for the slugger. But his power dipped drastically this year and, despite adding a solo shot to left-center in the fourth inning, finished the year hitting .274 with just 16 homers and 62 RBI.
Nick Pivetta made his 33rd start of the year but continued to struggle, as he’s gotten rocked over the last two months. He needed 103 pitches to get through four innings, allowing two runs. He finished the year with a 4.56 ERA and has two more years under team control.
The Rays nearly mounted a comeback after Vidal Brujan homered off Ryan Brasier in the seventh. Alex Verdugo made a leaping effort over the wall in right field and appeared to rob Brujan with a sensational catch, but the ball fell out of his glove as he started to pull it back over the fence.
Breakout reliever John Schreiber struggled in the eighth, but worked around two baserunners to get the ball to Matt Barnes in the ninth.
After the Sox added two runs in the bottom of the eighth,Barnes, who had a terrible season but bounced back nicely over the season’s final two months, recorded the save as he looks to prove that he can be relied upon in the ninth inning in 2023.
NOTES: Official scorer Charles Scoggins, a longtime beat writer for the Lowell Sun and Boston BBWAA chapter chairman, also worked his last game. … The crowd was announced at 26,695 – though fewer than half actually showed up on a cold and rainy day – bringing the team’s total to 2,625,089, its lowest in a non-pandemic season since 2000.
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