Weary Red Sox cap first 9-0 road trip since 1977

NEW YORK (AP) — It took the Boston Red Sox almost 24 hours Thursday and Friday to get to New York for their three-game series against the Mets.

Fewer than 48 hours later, the major leagues' hottest team completed its first 9-0 road trip in 49 years.

Boston took advantage of shortstop Francisco Lindor’s error on a potential game-ending double play in the ninth to score two runs, and Anthony Siegler hit a sacrifice fly in the 10th for a 3-2 victory on Sunday over the struggling New York Mets.

Boston, which finished the first half at the Los Angeles Angels, Chicago White Sox and the Mets, had not gone 9-0 on a trip since July 29 to Aug. 7, 1977, at the California Angels, Seattle and Oakland. The Red Sox have won 14 of 16 and 17 of 22, climbing from last in the American League to within a half-game of the last wild card spot.

“You can never count us out, whether that be in a playoff run or in a game,” Siegler said. “It just speaks volumes to how we approach the game and how we carry ourselves.”

Boston outscored the Mets 13-4 during a series that began at 7:51 PM EDT Friday, fewer than three hours after the Red Sox arrived at Citi Field following a treacherous trek from Chicago.

Their charter plane had two different mechanical issues, forcing the Red Sox to disembark and stay in Chicago following their 2-1 win over the White Sox on Thursday night and leaving them on the plane for several hours early Friday afternoon.

By Saturday, the Red Sox were sporting T-shirts reading “Show and Go Airlines, See You at 4:15.”

“That, I think, will always be a fun story for a while,” reliever Garrett Whitlock said with a grin after earning the save with a perfect 10th inning.

With the club off to a 10-17 start, World Series-winning manager Alex Cora and most of his staff were fired April 25. Boston opened 12-10 under interim manager Chad Tracy before going 10-19 from May 22 through June 24.

Boston has thrived during a 14-2 surge that began June 25, when the Red Sox beat the New York Yankees 6-3 after not arriving home from Colorado until dawn due to a mechanical issue on their plane.

The Red Sox have a 2.53 ERA and have averaged 4.9 runs per game over the last 16 games. They averaged just 3.9 runs over their first 78.

“Where we’re at right now, based on where we were three weeks ago, you couldn’t ask for much more,” Tracy said.

Boston is a major league-worst 17-27 at home, where it opens a series against AL East-leading Tampa Bay on Fridfy. The Red Sox have never made the playoffs in a season in which they finished under .500 at Fenway.

“Any big league win is hard to get, so to be able to string some together is really good,” Whitlock said. “I think it’s helped this team kind of really gather some momentum. But we know what when we get back we’ve got more work to do. It’s our own fault for digging ourselves the hole that we did.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

From left to right, Boston Red Sox's Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela and Masataka Yoshida react after defeating the New York Mets in a baseball game Sunday, July 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

From left to right, Boston Red Sox's Anthony Seigler, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu react after defeating the New York Mets in a baseball game Sunday, July 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

Boston Red Sox's Andruw Monasterio, left, and Caleb Durbin, right, react after winning a baseball game against the New York Mets, Sunday, July 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

Boston Red Sox's Tsung-Che Cheng (39) and Ceddanne Rafaela, center right, react after Cheng scored on a single hit by Jarren Duran during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Sunday, July 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

New York Mets players visit pitcher Devin Williams (38) on the mound during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Sunday, July 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

DALLAS (AP) — Paige Bueckers had 22 points and 11 assists, Jessica Shepard added 19 points and 10 rebounds, and the Dallas Wings beat the Chicago Sky 96-91 on Sunday.

The Wings (16-8) have won a season-high five straight games, their longest streak since also winning five in a row in 2023.

Arike Ogunbowale scored 17 points and Azzi Fudd 16 for Dallas at the American Airlines Center, home of the NBA’s Mavericks, in front of a crowd of 13,236.

Li Yueru had 10 points and a season-high 10 rebounds and slowed down Chicago's Kamilla Cardoso after a hot start. Cardoso had six points on 3-of-5 shooting and five rebounds in the first five minutes before Yueru came off the bench.

Cardoso finished 6 of 12 from the field with 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Fudd hit a 3-pointer just before the shot clock expired and then blocked a shot at the other end before Shepard made layup that gave Dallas the lead for good with 3:07 left. Ogunbowale made a layup with 42 seconds left that capped a 15-5 run and made it 94-89.

Sydney Taylor led the Sky (7-16) with 20 points, Azura Stevens added 18 and a season-high 13 rebounds, and Natasha Cloud scored 15.

Dallas' Alanna Smith left the game in the first half due to a left leg injury and did not return.

Chicago's Skylar Diggins missed her third consecutive game due to a knee injury. The six-time All-WNBA pick (four first-team selections), who signed a two-year deal with the club in April, announced Monday on Instagram that she had been informed by the club that she would be coming off the bench. The soon-to-be 36-year-old missed her first game Tuesday, a 77-66 win at Phoenix, despite not appearing on the injury report until 90 minutes before tipoff.

Diggins has started the last 277 regular-season games she has played, beginning in 2016 for Dallas.

Sky: Host Seattle on Wednesday.

Wings: Host New York on Thursday.

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale (24) celebrates after scoring a 3-point basket during the first half of a WNBA basketball game against the Chicago Sky in Dallas, Sunday, July 12, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Chicago Sky center Kamilla Cardoso (10) shoots against Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) during the first half of a WNBA basketball game in Dallas, Sunday, July 12, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Dallas Wings forward Jessica Shepard (32) reacts after scoring during the second half of a WNBA basketball game against the Chicago Sky in Dallas, Sunday, July 12, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers, right, drives against Chicago Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot, left, during the second half of a WNBA basketball game in Dallas, Sunday, July 12, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero)