Brandon Lowe’s 30th Homer Powers Tampa Bay Rays Past Boston Red Sox 7-3 to Snap Losing Streak – Game Recap & Highlights 9/21/25

Sunday, September 21st, 2025

Tampa Bay Rays Top Boston Red Sox 7-3, Avoid Series Sweep

Brandon Lowe smashed his 30th home run of the season as the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Boston Red Sox 7-3 on Sunday night, successfully averting a series sweep.

Rays Snap Losing Streak Against Boston

With this win, the Rays (76-80) halted an eight-game skid against their division rival. Although Boston (85-71) fell short, they maintained a one-game advantage for the American League's second wild card, as both Cleveland and Houston also suffered defeats.

Rays Secure Ninth Consecutive Winning Home Record

The Rays concluded their home slate with a 41-40 record at Steinbrenner Field—temporarily home due to hurricane damage at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay clinched its ninth straight winning record at home and will finish the regular season with six games on the road.

Tampa Bay Jumps Out Early

Tampa Bay capitalized on Red Sox rookie Connelly Early’s tough first inning. Chandler Simpson led off with a single, followed by walks to Yandy Diaz and Junior Caminero. Christopher Morel doubled in two runs, and a Boston error allowed a third run to score. Lowe’s seventh-inning homer off Steven Matz extended the lead, marking his second career season with 30 or more home runs. In the eighth, the Rays erupted for four runs off Boston rookie Payton Tolle to put the game out of reach.

Red Sox Miss Chances on Basepaths

Boston’s aggressive baserunning, which had paid off previously in the series, misfired on Sunday. Romy Gonzalez was thrown out at home plate attempting to score from first on Nathaniel Lowe’s grounder, and Jarren Duran was picked off after a walk in the fifth inning. The Red Sox finished 4 for 11 with runners in scoring position and struck out 14 times, with Lowe alone striking out three times and leaving eight on base.

Pitching Performances

Garrett Cleavinger (2-6) earned the win in relief for the Rays after a scoreless inning. Connelly Early (1-1) suffered the loss, surrendering three runs on three hits with four strikeouts and two walks in his start.

Key Moment

Boston trailed by just one run in the eighth when Payton Tolle entered in relief. The Rays capitalized, scoring four times to put the game out of reach.

Key Stat

The Rays enjoyed their 61st sellout of the season with an announced crowd of 10,046. This brought season attendance to 786,750.

Up Next

Next, the Rays send Ryan Pepiot (11-11) to the mound on Tuesday as they travel to face the Baltimore Orioles. The Red Sox turn to Lucas Giolito (10-4, 3.46 ERA) for their road matchup against the Toronto Blue Jays.

In summary

The Tampa Bay Rays held off the Boston Red Sox with a 7-3 victory, thanks to early offensive fireworks and Brandon Lowe’s milestone 30th homer. The win snapped Tampa Bay’s eight-game losing streak against Boston and ensured a ninth-consecutive winning home season. Despite Boston’s defeat, their wild card hopes remain alive. As both teams head into critical late-season matchups, their postseason destinies hang in the balance.

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