May, with loads of run support, K's 8 in 1st Red Sox win

HOUSTON -- On Superman Night at Daikin Park, Dustin May was pure kryptonite for the Astros. And Boston’s hitters might as well have worn capes.

In his second start since being acquired from the Dodgers on July 31, May threw six scoreless innings to earn his first win in a Boston uniform, and Carlos Narváez, Alex Bregman and Roman Anthony each homered in a 14-1 rout that evened the three-game series.

Pitching in what was a close game until the sixth inning, May allowed five hits and a walk, striking out eight. It marked the fourth time in his career he went six scoreless, and his first win in a Red Sox uniform felt particularly good.

“It was great,” said May (7-8), who lasted only 3 2/3 innings while losing his Boston debut on Aug. 6. “I didn’t really have a great first one, but to be able to come back and have a good one like this against a really good team, it was huge. Today was definitely one of my better days on the year. Hopefully, [I'll] be able to stack it and keep the snowball going.”

May averaged 96.6 mph on his four-seam fastball and 95.6 on his sinker, with both figures slightly higher than his average for the season. Something impressed manager Alex Cora more than May’s velocity, however.

“Strikes,” Cora said. “It was 85 percent first-pitch strikes, and when you do that, then you’ll have nights like that. He was in command, was able to slow everything down.”

A native of the Fort Worth suburb of Justin, Texas, May said he had cousins from Houston and Austin, as well as some of his high school buddies, in attendance Tuesday night. What they saw was a pitcher not afraid to show emotion on the mound.

“I definitely try to ride the highs,” said May, who lowered his ERA to 4.67. “Had a lot of lows this year, so whenever I do have the good moments, I try to let my brain know that, ‘Hey, you’ve got it.’”

The game was 2-0 when the Red Sox started really flexing their muscles in the sixth. With two outs and a runner on first, Astros manager Joe Espada called on right-hander Shawn Dubin to face the right-handed Ceddanne Rafaela. After Rafaela singled, Narváez delivered the game’s biggest blow, homering to left field to make it 5-0. Roman Anthony followed with a walk, and Bregman then homered to right, giving the third baseman long balls in back-to-back games against his former team and 16 home runs for the season.

Anthony also homered for the second straight night in the eighth, and by game’s end the Red Sox had 13 hits and eight walks. The 14 runs marked the 19th time this year they have scored in double digits.

Also of note for Anthony: he recorded the first four-walk game of his career and the first for Boston since Kyle Schwarber had four on Aug. 26, 2021, against the Twins. The only other Red Sox player as young as Anthony (21 years, 91 days on Tuesday) to homer in a four-walk game was Ted Williams, whose feat came on Sept. 20, 1939, against the St. Louis Browns when Williams was 21 years and 21 days old.

“As the leadoff guy, I’m just trying to get a good pitch to hit, understanding that, if not, my job is to get on and take my walks,” said Anthony, whose on-base percentage is up to .406.

Adding to the fun for the Red Sox was the first MLB appearance since Aug. 12, 2023, for left-hander Jovani Morán, who underwent Tommy John surgery in November of that year. Morán threw the last two innings for Boston, allowing three hits and one run.

But May, who also missed the 2024 season after dealing with both Tommy John surgery and an esophagus rupture in 2023, was story No. 1 on the mound for the Red Sox.

“Very quiet. Works hard. Wants to win,” Cora said of his recently acquired right-hander. “Exactly what [Dodgers manager] Dave Roberts told me -- that this guy is a competitor.”

Narváez concurred.

“May was amazing,” the catcher said. “We’re gonna need that guy, especially in the late stretch. I love his emotion. I can’t wait to see him in the postseason.”