Jarren Duran homer powers Red Sox comeback as rookie lefty Jake Bennett digs deep in debut

Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald on May 1, 2026

Published in Baseball

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BOSTON — The first game back at Fenway Park after the shocking firing of manager Alex Cora and most of the coaching staff last weekend didn’t start off on the best footing.

The Houston Astros scored first, on a solo home run by Carlos Correa in the third, and the Red Sox were 1-13 when opponents did that.

But then Jake Bennett gave the Red Sox five innings of one-run ball in his major league debut, and Jarren Duran homered over the Boston bullpen.

Make that 2-13 when opponents score first. Red Sox 3, Astros 1.

Bennett, called up from Triple-A Worcester on Friday, allowed one earned run on five hits, two walks and struck out three in his first big league game. The lone Astros run was Correa’s blast, which led off the third and reached the second row of seats atop the Green Monster.

It looked dicey early on, when Bennett, who only walked three batters in five Triple-A starts this season, issued a pair of two-out walks to Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker in the top of the first. But he retired 11 of his last 16 batters, and six of his last eight.

Bennett’s season-high pitch count in Triple-A was 71. His 71st pitch Friday night was a sinker to Brice Matthews, who fouled it off for Strike 2. But interim skipper Chad Tracy, who managed Bennett in Triple-A all spring, let the lefty keep going and was rewarded. Bennett got Matthews swinging on pitch No. 72, and worked around a one-out single by Dustin Harris on No. 76. Correa flew out on No. 82, and Yordan Alvarez grounded out to end the inning on No. 85.

Astros starter Mike Burrows didn’t pitch a clean inning until his sixth and final frame, but he was spared damage nearly every time by a Red Sox offense that continues to struggle to convert baserunners into runs.

In the first, Burrows hit No. 2 batter Willson Contreras, who scooped up the rolling ball himself and tossed it back to the pitcher as he took first base. Trevor Story led off the second with a single but was immediately erased when Marcelo Mayer hit into a double play. The fourth inning saw Mayer extend his hitting streak to nine games with a leadoff single, and Ceddanne Rafaela made it back-to-back singles, but no one came home to score.

Only in the third did the Red Sox put together the kind of inning that so often eludes them. Carlos Narváez worked an 11-pitch leadoff walk, and became the first of five straight batters to reach base. Caleb Durbin followed with a single, and Duran’s second home run of the season soared 407 feet to right-center put the home team on top 3-1. Homers haven’t exactly been a guarantee of success this season, though; the Red Sox entered Friday 6-10 when they hit at least one homer, and 6-9 when they don’t.

Duran’s blast looked like just the beginning, as Contreras and Roman Anthony followed with back-to-back singles. But Wilyer Abreu hit into a double play and Story lined out to end the threat.

Though the Red Sox erased themselves from the bases inning after inning, there were signs of life from several struggling players. Anthony went 3 for 4, his first multi-hit game since April 15 and first three-hit performance since Opening Day in Cincinnati.

Zack Kelly, Danny Coulombe, Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman combined for the remaining four frames. The Astros batted around, but never crossed home again.