Red Sox cost themselves 4 runs by botching challenge

Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Red Sox cost themselves 4 runs by botching challenge

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated Jun 4, 2026 5:31 PM ET

A bad season keeps getting worse for the Boston Red Sox.

The Red Sox fell 8-2 to the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday at Fenway Park in Boston, Mass., but the game was effectively over after the top of the first. The Orioles scored six times in the inning, putting the Red Sox in a hole they could not dig out of.

A key turning point happened with two on and two out in the first when Baltimore’s Leody Taveras hit a ground ball through the right side for a hit. Red Sox right fielder Wilyer Abreu came up throwing to try to get Baltimore’s Samuel Basallo at third, but Basallo was ruled safe.

Baltimore chop makes it 2-0! pic.twitter.com/UVVydvc1Mq
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) June 4, 2026

The play was close, and it looked like Basallo might have been out on replay. Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy tried to signal for a challenge, but his request came after the 15-second limit and was not granted.

Instead of a 2-0 Orioles lead and the inning being over, Baltimore went on to score four more runs.

Red Sox were four seconds late to challenging this call. Then the Orioles scored four more runs pic.twitter.com/w6T1QJuQxU
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) June 4, 2026

The Red Sox may well have lost this game anyway, but they certainly would have given themselves a better chance had they gotten this move right.

This is also not a great look for Tracy, who replaced Alex Cora as manager after a 10-17 start. The team is 16-18 since, so while there has been a slight improvement, it is not much of one.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: