BOSTON (AP) — Payton Tolle opened the game with an immaculate inning, Roman Anthony hit a go-ahead single and the Boston Red Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 4-1 on Sunday in a game that’s start was delayed by rain.
Tolle is the first Boston pitcher to throw an immaculate inning (three strikeouts on nine pitches) to start a game since Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez did it on May 18, 2002.
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Boston Red Sox pitcher Payton Tolle reacts after retiring the sixth inning with two runners on base during a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
Kansas City Royals pitcher Noah Cameron throws during the second inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
Boston Red Sox's Caleb Durbin celebrates in the dugout after his solo home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
Boston Red Sox pitcher Payton Tolle reacts after striking out a third batter back-to-back during the first inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
Caleb Durbin hit a solo homer and Trevor Story added a game-breaking two-run single for the Red Sox, who took the final two games of the three-game series.
Carter Jensen drove in the Royals’ run with a pinch-hit single. Kansas City was looking for its first series win in Boston since 2017.
In the seventh, Anthony lined an opposite-field single against reliever Connor Thomas after Craig Kimbrel (1-5) walked the first two batters.
Garrett Whitlock (7-1) was credited with the victory. Aroldis Chapman got the final three outs for his 34th save and the 401st of his career.
Tolle, a hard-throwing 23-year-old left-hander, fanned Nick Loftin called, then got Bobby Witt Jr. and Jac Caglianone swinging in the first.
He went six scoreless innings, striking out seven while allowing four singles.
Noah Cameron gave up a run over six sharp innings.
Durbin belted Cameron’s first pitch into the first row of seats above the Green Monster. Story’s single came off Nate Pearson in the eighth.
Jensen’s RBI single inside the first-base bag tied it.
The club announced Saturday that the finale's start time was pushed back 90 minutes due to the forecast of rain, which came and delayed the first pitch by 1 hour, 50 minutes.
Royals: RHP Michael Wacha (9-8, 3.25 ERA) is scheduled for the opener of a three-game series in Houston on Tuesday.
Red Sox: LHP Patrick Sandoval (1-5, 4.58) starts Tuesday in the series opener against Texas.
See AP’s full MLB coverage here
Boston Red Sox pitcher Payton Tolle reacts after retiring the sixth inning with two runners on base during a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
Kansas City Royals pitcher Noah Cameron throws during the second inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
Boston Red Sox's Caleb Durbin celebrates in the dugout after his solo home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
Boston Red Sox pitcher Payton Tolle reacts after striking out a third batter back-to-back during the first inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Sweden’s national election was too close to call early Monday, with preliminary results giving the left-wing opposition a razor-thin one-seat advantage over Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s right wing coalition and days of uncertainty until the final ballots are counted.
Preliminary results showed a very narrow lead for the opposition and former Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson's bid to return to office at the head of the left coalition. But Kristersson also said he would explore “possibilities" given the close result.
With 92% of the vote counted early Monday, the Swedish Election Authority reported the four opposition parties were heading for 175 seats in the 349-seat parliament to 174 seats for the government alliance.
The outcome of the election may not be decided until Wednesday, when local election boards count early votes that did not make it to the polling stations by Election Day. This includes, among others things, overseas votes.
Andersson told supporters that “we must wait for the final election result” but added that “right now we are leading ... But we have to wait for the final result.”
Kristersson has led Sweden since 2022 with a three-party center-right coalition. It relied on outside support from the Sweden Democrats, an anti-immigration party that has far-right roots but has moved toward the political mainstream, for a parliamentary majority. The Sweden Democrats had been promised Cabinet posts this time if the governing coalition were returned to office.
“When we have the final result it's a good idea to look at possible combinations,” he said early Monday, adding that “there is a very clear non-socialist majority, or non-left leaning economic majority in the Swedish parliament. And I will actually take note of that and at least figure out whether there are any possibilities.”
Sweden Democrat's leader Jimmie Åkesson said that “we will not know tonight” who will form the next government. The party's support slipped almost 3% from its 2022 result of 20.5% and it fell from second to third place.
Exit polls from public broadcaster SVT had initially shown the left-wing parties ahead by several percentage points. The exit polls set off jubilation at the Social Democrats’ election gathering but the mood shifted to quiet waiting as the results indicated a closer race.
The center left Social Democrats have led most Swedish governments since World War II. Andersson served as prime minister from 2021 until she lost power at the last election. To return to office she would have to seal a coalition agreement with other parties.
There are two major political blocs: one with four parties on the right and another with four parties on the left. So the big question is less about which party wins and more about which side can form a majority. Individual parties need a minimum of 4% of the vote to win parliamentary seats.
With broad political consensus in Sweden on several major issues such as support for Ukraine and the country’s decision to join NATO, much election discussion focused on the possibility of the anti-immigration hard right entering government. The Sweden Democrats’ role was in focus against a background of gains for the populist right in Europe, including the first-place finish by the far-right Alternative for Germany party in a regional election there Sept. 6.
The Sweden Democrats were founded in the 1980s by people who had been active in right-wing extremist groups, including neo-Nazis. They toned down their rhetoric and expelled openly racist members under Åkesson, who has led them since 2005 and overseen their growth from what was once a marginal party.
More than 8 million people in the nation of about 10.6 million were eligible to vote.
McHugh reported from Frankfurt, Germany
Liberal Party members react to the presentation of the exit poll at the election night watch party, in Stockholm, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (Anders Wiklund/TT News Agency via AP)
The Centre Party members react to the presentation of the exit poll at the election night watch party, in Stockholm, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (Fredrik Sandberg/TT News Agency via AP)
Social Democrats react to the presentation of the exit poll at the Social Democrats' election night watch party, in Stockholm, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (Jonas Ekströmer/TT News Agency via AP)
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, leader of the Moderate party (M) casts his vote at a polling station at Multeum Cultural Center in Strangnas, Sweden, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (Claudio Bresciani/TT News Agency via AP)
Voters cast their ballots at a polling station set up in a school, in Enkoping, Sweden, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (Fredrik Sandberg/TT News Agency via AP)
Voters cast their ballots at a polling station set up in a school, in Enkoping, Sweden, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (Fredrik Sandberg/TT News Agency via AP)
A ballot envelope is placed in a ballot box at a polling station at the City Hall in Malmo, Sweden, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)
Social Democrats party leader Magdalena Andersson votes at a polling station in Nacka, Sweden, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026.(Stefan Jerrevång/TT News Agency via AP)
Leader of the Sweden Democrats party Jimmie Åkesson votes in Rinkeby, a suburb of Stockholm, Saturday Sept. 12, 2026, a day prior to the general election in Sweden. (Claudio Bresciani/TT via AP)
Election workers Felicia Platner and Nora Aissaoui visit the Vardaga Kullabo nursing home with a mobile polling station, in in Huddinge, Sweden, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (Jessica Gow/TT via AP)
Social Democrats party leader Magdalena Andersson arrives for a party leadership televised debate in Gävle, Sweden, on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (Anders Wiklund/TT News Agency via AP)
From left, the Liberals' Simona Mohamsson, Sweden Democrats' Jimmie Åkesson, Christian Democrats' Ebba Busch and Moderates' leader Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson arrive on the Moderates' bus for the party leadership televised debate in Gävle, Sweden, on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (Anders Wiklund/TT News Agency via AP)
People wait in line at a polling station in Triangeln shopping center Friday evening to give their early vote, in Malmo, Sweden Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, ahead of general elections on Sunday (Johan Nilsson/TT via AP)
