Sonny Gray's sharp start, Marcelo Mayer's blast highlight Red Sox victory vs. Padres

Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald on Apr 3, 2026

Published in Baseball

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BOSTON — After their six-game opening road trip, the Red Sox landed in Boston in the early hours of Thursday morning with a 1-5 record that matched the dreary chill and April showers.

But the sun and Sonny Gray broke through the gloom in time for Fenway Park’s home opener on Friday, a jam-packed 5-2 victory over the San Diego Padres.

It took just two hours and 19 minutes for the Red Sox to complete their first Fenway Friday win of the year. This was due in large part to Gray’s breezy six-inning start, which included four 1-2-3 frames, a welcome contrast to his season debut the previous weekend in Cincinnati, when he lasted just four innings and faced at least four batters in each. He allowed two earned runs on four hits, struck out three, and issued zero walks.

The Padres managed one base runner through the first four innings. In the top of the fourth Gray endeared himself to the Fenway Faithful by striking out third baseman Manny Machado, whom the sold-out crowd of 36,233 booed vociferously throughout the afternoon.

San Diego’s fifth-inning rally bid began with a lucky break; defending AL Gold Glove center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela lost a fly ball in the sunlight and Miguel Andujar wound up standing on third with a one-out triple, rather than back in the dugout. Andujar came home to score moments later on Gavin Sheets’ RBI single, and catcher Luis Campusano’s RBI double tied the game before Gray stemmed the bleeding.

Undeterred, Gray returned to the mound for the sixth and set the Padres down in order. It was precisely the type of start that made him a Red Sox trade target during the offseason: 87 pitches thrown over six walk-less innings.

Manager Alex Cora posited pregame that swinging less might improve his team’s offensive woes, but his players struggled to actualize the theory in the early innings. Padres starter Michael King racked up 12 swing-and-misses in 5 2/3 innings, including three straight whiffs by Trevor Story, which left Rafaela stranded on second at the end of the third inning.

The Boston bats tallied nine hits, one walk, struck out eight times, and were 2 for 8 with runners in scoring position and four men left on base.

The first Red Sox hit-and-run at Fenway this season belonged to Marcelo Mayer, who led off the fourth with a double and scored easily on Rafaela’s one-out RBI single.

After beginning his Red Sox career 0 for 19 – 0 for 34 dating back to last season – Caleb Durbin came through in the clutch, with a two-out RBI single in the fourth, which ensured that even when the Padres plated a pair of runs in the fifth, they never led in the contest.

It was a day of firsts for Willson Contreras. The veteran catcher-turned-first baseman, who during spring training became the first player in Red Sox history to challenge (successfully) with the Automatic Ball-Strike System, became the first person to utilize the new technology at Major League Baseball’s oldest ballpark.

So assured was Contreras of his leadoff walk that he flipped his bat and began walking to first base while tapping his helmet to request the challenge.

Contreras’ second first of the day came when the Red Sox needed it most. Shortly after the Padres tied the contest in the top of the fifth, Contreras untied it with his first Red Sox home run. The no-doubter soared 423 feet into the bright blue sky and over the Green Monster to give Boston a lead they would hold until the end.

Wilyer Abreu followed with a single, which knocked King out of the game.

It was then that Xander Bogaerts, a rookie during the 2013 Red Sox championship run, and countless others in attendance were treated to the ultimate blast from the past. Mayer sent Padres reliever Wandy Peralta’s first pitch soaring deep to right-center, where right-fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. gave chase to the point of flipping head over heels into the bullpen like Torii Hunter during the 2013 ALCS.

With a 5-2 lead, the Red Sox raced through the final frames. Greg Weissert and Justin Slaten pitched perfect innings in the seventh and eighth, respectively.

Aroldis Chapman picked up his second save of the season and the 369th of his career, which moved him past former Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon and into sole possession of 11th place on MLB’s all-time saves list.