SAN FRANCISCO — Xander Bogaerts blooped a two-run single to center field with one out in the 10th inning Tuesday night, delivering the Boston Red Sox a 5-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants in the opener of a two-game interleague series.
The win was Boston’s eighth in its last 10 matchups with the Giants and improved its all-time interleague record to 203-148, the second-best in baseball.
Backup catcher Sandy Leon led of the 10th with a double off the fifth Giants pitcher, right-hander Santiago Casilla (1-1).
After pinch-hitter Marco Hernandez drew a walk, a bunt single by Mookie Betts loaded the bases with no outs.
Casilla got Dustin Pedroia to ground out into a fielder’s choice at home plate, but Bogaerts, with two strikes, dropped a soft liner between Giants center fielder Denard Span and a drawn-in infield, providing the game-winning runs.
Right-hander Junichi Tazawa (1-1) pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth to get the win for the Red Sox, who were opening a five-game trip.
Closer Craig Kimbrel brushed aside an inning-opening single by Jarrett Parker to pitch a scoreless 10th to earn his 14th save.
The Red Sox improved to 4-1 in extra-inning games.
Bogaerts, who increased his interleague hitting streak to 12 games with a third-inning single, had two hits and three RBIs for the Red Sox, who improved to 9-4 all-time against the Giants.
Betts also had two hits, including one of Boston’s four doubles. He scored two runs, as did Jackie Bradley Jr.
Jarrett Parker belted a solo homer among two hits for the Giants, who were opening an eight-game homestand.
Span also had two hits for San Francisco, which had won five in a row at home.
The Giants fell to 4-4 in extra innings.
The Red Sox had tied the score at 3-3 in the top of the seventh inning thanks to some fancy baserunning by Chris Young.
After Boston, down 3-2, put runners on first and third with one out, David Ortiz was sent up as a pinch-hitter, and the Giants countered with left-hander Javier Lopez.
Lopez got his former teammate to ground to shortstop Brandon Crawford on the right-field side of second base.
Going for an inning-ending double play, Crawford attempted to tag Young on his way to second. But the veteran fell to the ground to elude the tag, allowing him to reach the base safely after Crawford recoiled and threw to first to get Ortiz.
Meanwhile, Bradley raced home from third with the tying run.
Neither starting pitcher was around for the exciting finish.
Red Sox right-hander Rick Porcello allowed a third-inning homer to Parker and just four other singles in his six innings. He gave up three runs, walked one and struck out six.
Giants righty Albert Suarez, who was pulled after walking Bradley in the seventh, allowed three runs (two earned) in 6 1/3 innings. He gave up five hits, walked one and struck out one.
The Red Sox used three doubles over a two-inning span to give Porcello an early 2-0 lead.
Jackie Bradley Jr. and Chris Young smacked back-to-back, two-out doubles off Suarez in the second inning to open the scoring.
Bogaerts’ infield single scored Mookie Betts, who had doubled, to make it 2-0 in the third.
Parker’s homer, his third of the season and second in two games, got the Giants’ comeback started in the bottom of the third.
Three consecutive singles by Joe Panik, Matt Duffy and Brandon Belt loaded the bases with no outs and set up the Giants’ go-ahead, two-run fourth. A bases-loaded walk to Brandon Crawford and Gregor Blanco’s double-play grounder produced the runs that pushed San Francisco in front for the first time at 3-2.