Rays unable to overcome K’s in finale vs. Sox

ST. PETERSBURG — Rays catcher Luke Maile had three chances to tag Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia out at plate in the 10th inning, but he avoided the tag twice — despite being beaten by more than 15 feet on a relay throw from the outfield.

On the third try, Maile tagged Pedroia, but the ball came loose. And David Ortiz’s last hit at Tropicana Field will go down as a game-winning double as Boston beat the Rays, 3-2, in 10 innings on Sunday afternoon. It’s the 11th win in a row for the Red Sox, who set a Major League record by striking out 11 straight batters at one point in the game.

The win also moved Boston’s magic number to clinch the American League East to two. The Blue Jays defeated the Yankees, 4-3.

The Red Sox made history with a prodigious strikeout streak on Sunday, striking out 21 batters in the first nine innings. The Major League record before that was 20 strikeouts in a nine-inning game. Boston had a stretch of 17 outs in a row recorded via strikeout — including the record 11 consecutive plate appearances. Starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez tied a career high with 13 strikeouts. Heath Hembree came in and struck out all five batters he faced.

A Mookie Betts RBI single and a Pedroia home run was all the offense Boston had in the first nine innings. Richie Shaffer had a second-inning sac fly for the Rays, and Brad Miller tied the game with an RBI single in the eighth.

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