Walk-Off Winner: Reds Steal Game 2 From the Red Sox in 11

Cincinnati waited two games to get rolling in 2026, but when it finally happened, it happened the Reds way: loud, chaotic, and finished with a walk-off. The Reds beat the Red Sox 6–5 in 11 innings at Great American Ball Park for their first win of the season.

And yeah—of course it ended with the most unlikely guy in the moment.

Early punch, then the long grind

The Reds came out throwing the first punches. TJ Friedl got things moving, and Sal Stewart cashed it in with a first-inning RBI single. Cincinnati kept stacking pressure, and Stewart stayed in the middle of it—this time with a solo homer in the 3rd to keep the crowd buzzing.

Then Elly De La Cruz did Elly De La Cruz things, jumping on the first pitch he saw in the 5th and sending it out for a solo shot. Just like that, the Reds had built the kind of lead that should be enough at home.

Should be.

Boston’s push (and the one swing you felt coming)

To their credit, the Red Sox didn’t go away. They kept forcing innings, kept making the Reds work, and eventually started landing their counters.

Wilyer Abreu was the headline for Boston—an RBI double in the 7th to tighten it up, then the gut-punch in the 9th: a two-out solo homer off Emilio Pagán to tie it 5–5. That’s the kind of swing that’s supposed to steal a game on the road.

Until the 11th.

Extra innings: one chance, one swing, ballgame

Both sides had their moments in extras, but the Reds stayed in it long enough to get the one matchup they needed.

Justin Slaten took the ball for Boston in the 11th. TJ Friedl started the inning as the designated runner at second. Then Dane Myers stepped in and did the thing nobody’s scripting in March—he lines a single to left, scoring Friedl from third, and the Reds walk it off.

Reds win 6–5. First win of 2026. Everybody exhale.

The toss boss takeaway

That’s a Reds win. Power early, nerves late, and then some random hero shows up and ends it. Abreu tried to rip it away. Myers ripped it right back.

Final: Reds 6, Red Sox 5 (11 innings).Walk-off winner: Dane Myers.