BOSTON — For 20 straight games, Trevor Story was flawless. The Red Sox shortstop hadn't committed a single error, locking down the middle infield with the kind of reliability that makes a team dangerous. But on Sunday, that streak came to a screeching halt — and it couldn't have come at a worse time.

With the Rays leading 1-0 in the third inning, Tampa Bay had a man on second and one out. Enter Chandler Simpson, one of the fastest runners in baseball, with a sprint speed that ranks among the top 16 in the league. Simpson chopped a grounder to Story's right, and as runner Nick Fortes broke for third, Story tried to backhand the ball. Instead, it skipped off his glove and trickled into left field.

Fortes scored. Simpson scored two batters later on a Ben Williamson RBI single. What could have been an inning-ending play turned into a two-run disaster, and the Red Sox found themselves in a hole they couldn't climb out of in a 4-1 loss.

After the game, Story didn't shy away. He stood at his locker and owned it.

"I saw it to my right and I saw that he (Fortes) was going to third. I thought for a split second I should get him out and it kinda took my focus off the ball a little bit," Story said. "It's on me."

The indecision was the killer. Story admitted he hesitated, unsure whether to throw to third or first. Against a burner like Simpson, that split-second delay was all it took. "It was more of the hesitation on if I wanted to get the runner at third in front of me or not," he explained. "Just hesitated a bit and that's all it takes. I got the tough hop, and if I was playing more aggressive, I would have gotten a better hop. That's what it came down to."

For a Red Sox team that prides itself on defense, it was a rare and costly slip. "It shows that it's tough to win in this league making mistakes like that," Story said. "Can't happen. You've seen the way we can play when we are playing good defense. It's a strong suit of ours this year. That one's on me and I have to clean that one up."

On the bright side, streaks like Story's don't happen by accident. He's been one of the most reliable gloves in the game, and one error — even a painful one — doesn't erase that. But in a tight division race where every game matters, the margin for error is razor-thin. For Story and the Red Sox, the lesson is clear: stay aggressive, stay decisive, and don't let a moment of hesitation cost you the game.