BOSTON -- Grady Sizemore gave the Red Sox the big hit they were looking for on Tuesday night, delivering a walk-off single off the Green Monster in the bottom of the 12th inning to finish off a 4-3 victory over the Reds.
Interestingly, the Reds were the other team Sizemore considered signing with during the winter, but he instead decided to make his comeback with Boston.
David Ortiz and Mike Napoli set the table for Sizemore's winning hit with singles.
With nobody out, Sizemore took aim at the first pitch he saw from Logan Ondrusek and Ortiz scored easily from second.
 
Red Sox beat Reds 4-3 in 12 on Sizemore's walk-off
 
The Reds might well have gone ahead in the top of the ninth if not for a tremendous catch by Shane Victorino that had a lot of the more veteran Boston fans recalling the grab Dwight Evans made against Joe Morgan in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series against -- yep -- the Reds.
Tucker Barnhart crushed the ball toward the visiting bullpen and Victorino was off at the crack of the bat, making a tremendous catch just in front of the wall.
Zach Cozart tagged and went to third. Chris Heisey reached on a bunt single, but Cozart wasn't able to advance. Koji Uehara got out of the inning by getting Joey Votto on a popup to third.
Felix Doubront gave the Red Sox 5 1/3 innings, allowing five hits and a run. He walked three and struck out three, throwing 97 pitches.
With Doubront in trouble after walking to batters in the sixth, manager John Farrell called on Burke Badenhop, hoping for a double play.
And with his first pitch, Badenhop did the job, thanks to a nice sliding stop by Dustin Pedroia, who flipped to Xander Bogaerts to complete the 4-6-3 double play.
However, the Reds were able to come back against Junichi Tazawa in the eighth. Votto started the rally with a one-out walk. Brandon Phillips followed by lining a double. Todd Frazier's line single to left brought home Votto and it was a one-run game. Ryan Ludwick's fly ball to right was plenty deep enough to be a sacrifice fly, tying the game.
The Red Sox did have an early lead. Pedroia led off the bottom of the first with a walk and Victorino followed with a single up the middle. Napoli made it 1-0 with a fielder's-choice groundout.
The Reds answered in the top of the second. Frazier led off with a walk. Ludwick stepped up next and belted a double to center. Skip Schumaker came through with an RBI single to tie the game.
Pedroia again going the Red sox going in the third, this time with a double that moved Jackie Bradley Jr. to third with nobody out. With one out and first base open, Reds manager Bryan Price called for an intentional walk of Ortiz. That move did not have the desired effect, as Homer Bailey walked Napoli to force in a run. Sizemore laced an RBI single to make it 3-1.
Ian Browne / MLB.com
 

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