Red Sox 5, Tigers 4: Big road win, followed by meditations on John Sterling, Jason Benetti and McGarnagle
May 4, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Payton Tolle (70) pitches in the second inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images The Red Sox won 5-4 on Monday night after two-time reigning Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal was scratched for surgery (boo), the game time was moved up to 6:10 (yay? ) and the Justin Bieber to all of my Detroit friend fans (a sizeable faction, randomly), Kevin McGonigle did not play.
So things were going well and all but I still cannot not think of the Simpsons at every turn when I hear that dude’s name. And so: I’m working through it. Anyhow, back to our sense of hope.
This goes a coupla directions for me tonight. One, Peyton Tolle was so good that the opposing team’s announcers were in awe. He’s a dude.
Relatedly, two, I listened to the home team’s announcers. That’s Jason Benetti’s crew. This is like winning the lottery on a night like tonight, for reasons explained below.
It was like a revival, or like living in an alternate universe. The joy for the game exploded off the screen, and the fact that the game lived to the environment to them is a testament to how good baseball can be. Which is much easier to say because the Sox won.