Daily Boston Sports Blog - Sept. 24, 2025
Red Sox vs Blue Jays | Gonzalez Return | Bruins win | Jayson Tatum makes media appearance
By Will Moore
Red Sox
The Red Sox faced off against the Blue Jays last night to begin the last week of the regular season. Lucas Giolito took the mound in the series opener and looked solid, but due to a high pitch count, was relieved in the 5th inning. While Giolito was inefficient, he still only allowed 1 run and delivered in what felt like a must-win game for the Red Sox.
Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman was tough on the Red Sox, striking out 7 batters. However, in the 6th inning with 2 runners on and 2 outs, Carlos Narvaez blasted a base-clearing double to put the Red Sox up 4-1. The blast to right-center added to Narvaez’s long list of clutch moments this year.
The Red Sox bullpen deserves all the credit in the world, as they completely shut down a Blue Jays offense that has taken the league by storm this year. After Giolito was taken out early, it was up to the bullpen to take control of the second half of the game. Through 4.1 innings of work, the bullpen allowed 0 runs.
Garret Whitlock has quietly been one of the Red Sox’s best players this season, as he struck out two batters in a scoreless inning. Whitlock’s ERA now sits at 2.28, and this is by far his best season in Boston. After constant struggles throughout his career, it is great to see a guy of his character find success in the league.
Aroldis Chapman picked up his 32nd save of the season, which is the most he has had in a season since 2019. Chapman’s velocity was noticeably down as he came out of the bullpen throwing 95 MPH, but over the course of the inning was able to reach 100 MPH multiple times. Chapman was still able to take care of business but didn’t record a single strikeout, which is an anomaly for this season. Chapman’s velocity will be important to monitor during this final week of the regular season.
Patriots
The Patriots are looking for a bounce-back win this week against the Panthers after a brutal Week 3 loss to the Steelers. Many questions loom in the minds of Patriots fans right now, but an added boost this week could be just what the team needs to get back on track. If all goes well, the Patriots’ star cornerback Christian Gonzalez is set to make his season debut this week.
Gonzalez put the league on notice in his sophomore season and solidified himself as one of the best defensive backs in the game. While the Patriots haven’t made an announcement on his status for this week, all signs point to him playing, whether it be in a limited or full role.
The Patriots’ defense has held up okay without Gonzalez, but mostly in part due to the pass rush. In last week's game, Patriots cornerback Alex Austin struggled, committing multiple costly pass interference penalties. The Patriots need their star corner if they want to get something out of this season, so keep an eye out for 0 on Sunday.
Bruins
The Bruins traveled to New York on Tuesday to face the Rangers in their 2nd preseason game of the year. While it was another sloppy start for the Bruins, they showed incredible resilience and came back from a 3-goal deficit to win 5-4 in overtime.
The 3rd-period comeback was led by the new addition Mikey Eyssimont. Eyssimont signed a 2.9 million dollar deal with the Bruins this offseason and is already looking like a great addition to the Bruins’ bottom 6. The Bruins were on their heels killing a penalty in the 3rd period when Eyssimont stole the puck from Rangers defenseman Adam Fox and scored a beautiful short-handed goal to cut the Rangers’ lead to 2.
Later in the period, Eyssimont struck for a second time after Jordan Harris intercepted a pass and slid it to him in front of the net. Instead of firing off a quick one-timer, Eyssimont took his time, pump-faked the goalie, and roofed the puck. While Eyssimont is not known for his offense, both of his goals were reminiscent of a true goalscorer.
With the lead cut to one, the Rangers started to panic in their own zone. The Bruins were able to tie it up when Eyssimont slid the puck to Marat Khusnutdinov, who merely had to tap the puck into the open net.
Boston was able to complete the comeback in overtime with a goal from Nikita Zadorov. Zadorov's goal went viral on social media due to his comical celebration. In a typical NHL veteran fashion, Zadorov decided to exit the ice immediately after his goal instead of celebrating a preseason game-winner.
While the game was sloppy through the first two periods, the Bruins showed great resilience and came away with the win.
Celtics
Jayson Tatum made a big media appearance on Tuesday for the first time since tearing his Achilles in last season's playoffs. Tatum admitted to thinking his career was over after tearing his Achilles. However, on par with the competitor he is, Tatum quickly dove right into his recovery and even said that he hasn’t ruled out playing this season.
The word on the street is that Tatum didn’t leave Boston for the entire summer and was rehabbing 6 days a week to maintain strength in his calf muscle. The doctor who performed Jayson Tatum’s surgery, Doctor Martin O’Malley, has been stunned by Tatum’s progress. O’Malley said, “I don’t think I’ve seen a person’s calf look as strong as his.”
While Tatum returning this year is a long shot, all signs point to him making a full recovery and coming back as the player he has always been.
