Overview
- Rookie left-hander Jake Bennett tossed six innings of one-hit ball and earned the victory as the Red Sox beat the Rays 10-0 in the first game of a July 17 doubleheader.
- Boston's offense overwhelmed Tampa Bay with 15 hits, including homers by Masataka Yoshida and Carlos Narváez and a six-run sixth inning that sealed the lop-sided result.
- Tampa Bay starter Griffin Jax allowed seven runs in five-plus innings, raising his ERA and taking the loss for the AL East leaders.
- All-Star first baseman Willson Contreras missed the opener while serving the fifth and final game of his suspension and was eligible to play in the nightcap.
- The result keeps Boston's surge intact after winning 14 of 16 games before the All-Star break and sharpens the contrast with the Rays, who enter the series as the AL's top club despite pregame market and analyst disagreement over which team was the better bet.