“I think it’s going to be great. Just seeing the guys, seeing the people who work at the stadium, seeing the fans, and playing baseball.” Those were the words of Alex Bregman just before the Astros-Red Sox series. The homecoming kept that promise. In the pre-game, a video was played as a tribute, followed by a standing ovation. But soon the vibes changed.

Bregman hit a two-run home run into the Crawford Boxes with his first swing back. And the crowd cheered. But by the second time he batted? It was a different story. The same people who cheered for him stopped and started booing. Surprisingly, he was expecting that!

In the post-game, when Bregman was asked about the boos, his response was quite interesting. He said, “It was great. I loved it. I loved it.” “I was hoping they would,” via Christopher Smith of MassLive. And when the crowd booed, everyone had one question.

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Why would they do that? Well, Bregman knows it, as he said, “Just because it’s two good teams getting after it. They want to win. You know what I mean? Like both teams want to win really badly. It’s fun. It’s good. It’s good for the game.”

This wasn’t just any homecoming home run. Bregman became the fourth visiting player since 2000 to hit a home run in his first plate appearance at a venue. He’s been burning up Fenway Park with a career .375 average, seven home runs, and a .490 on-base percentage in 21 games. And even Alex Cora liked it. He said, “He has earned the right to enjoy it, and the Astros did an amazing job with that video tribute, and then he hit a homer. He’s a Red Sox. It was a fun game. um, tough one.”

But even with all that firepower from Bregman, Boston couldn’t hold on. The Astros came back strong. Cristian Javier got over that early setback and settled in. And Houston scored more runs with two solo home runs from Chas McCormick and Ramon Urias. The Red Sox made a late push, scoring four runs in the seventh inning, including a two-run home run by Roman Anthony, but they lost a dramatic 7–6 game. Now, the question is, with hitters hitting where the Red Sox lacked? Pitching!

Red Sox pitching blindsided by the Astros

The collapse began with their supposed ace. Red Sox star Garrett Crochet hit a roadblock in Houston. He gave up five earned runs in just four innings, which was his first loss since late May and his shortest outing of the season. Crochet admitted post-game, “Obviously, my worst [start] since I’ve worn the Red Sox uniform. Just had trouble putting guys away or getting them to put the ball in play early in the count.”

Things fell apart very quickly. After sailing past Houston’s lineup the first time, Crochet’s second outing showed his mistakes. He threw too many breaking balls early, which gave away his plan and forced him into the middle of the zone. The Astros jumped, and Crochet’s nickels turned into five earned runs before he could get away.

When the bullpen came in, it didn’t provide the team much of a break. Jordan Hicks let up two more runs in his one inning, which made things worse for Boston. But Isaiah Campbell and Garrett Whitlock deserve credit for holding the line. They pitched three scoreless frames and kept things stable for a short time. That’s how a night that started off well ended in a 7-6 loss.

What started as Bregman’s triumphant turn into yet another reminder. And that is Boston’s need to resolve its pitching issues to compete for the World Series. Can they do that before the playoffs?