Wong's seventh-inning double completes Red Sox comeback against Cubs in opener

Boston gave up three runs in the first two innings of Friday's doubleheader opener against the Cubs, then worked back one scoring play at a time. Connor Wong's double in the seventh put the Red Sox ahead for the first time, and they held on for a 4-3 win at Fenway Park. The official MLB play log records Wong's hit as the go-ahead play and shows Boston finishing with nine hits to Chicago's seven.

The Cubs struck first when Tyrone Taylor doubled home Seiya Suzuki in the opening inning. Miguel Amaya's two-run double in the second drove in Michael Busch and Dansby Swanson, pushing the lead to 3-0. Boston starter Alec Gamboa left after two innings; the Red Sox bullpen kept the Cubs scoreless the rest of the way. That scoreless relief stretch made the early deficit manageable even before Boston's offense had finished its comeback.

Roman Anthony was central to each stage of it. He scored in the third when Wilyer Abreu reached on a grounder that included a Dansby Swanson throwing error. In the fifth, Adley Rutschman singled home Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Anthony to tie the game. Anthony reached again in the seventh and scored on Wong's double to left off Aaron Civale. MLB's official clip of Wong's double shows the hit that converted the comeback into a lead.

Anthony finished with three hits and three runs, while Rutschman drove in two. The production mattered because the Cubs had already shown they could score quickly against Boston's starter. The Red Sox did not respond with one big inning: they scored once in the third, twice in the fifth and once in the seventh. Their pitchers protected the tie after the fifth and then the one-run edge after Wong's double.

Chicago still had the nightcap to play Friday, but this was a completed result of its own. The opener turned on Boston's ability to prevent another Cubs run after the second inning and on Anthony repeatedly getting into position to score. The MLB box score records Boston's 4-3 final and the individual batting lines; the second game's outcome belongs to a separate recap.