HOUSTON -- After a long, dizzying game full of lead reversals, replay reviews, big hits, big homers, and seemingly constant pitching changes, the Boston Red Sox outlasted the Houston Astros to take an 8-6 win in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series and a 3-1 lead. The Red Sox are one win from returning to the World Series for the first time since 2013.
Boston struck first, scoring two runs on a Rafael Devers single in the opening inning to grab an early lead against Astros starter Charlie Morton.
The Astros thought they had the game tied up in the bottom of the second, when Jose Altuve drove a ball deep to right field that appeared ticketed for the grandstand. But though Mookie Betts could not make a leaping catch on the flumpiyres ruled that a fan in the front row interfered with Betts and called Altuve out. A replay review did not present enough evidence to overturn the call.
Houston’s offense would not be held down long. A Josh Reddick double followed by a Carlos Correa single in the bottom of the second cut the Red Sox’ lead to one run. Boston would pad its advantage with one in the top of the third on a pair of doubles by Andrew Benintendi and Xander Bogaerts, but the Astros tied it up in the bottom of the inning on a George Springer solo homer and an RBI single by Reddick.
A Tony Kemp homer gave Houston the lead in the bottom of the fourth, but the combination of Benintendi and Bogaerts gave the Red Sox another run in the top of the fifth to tie the game again. Boston tallied an insurance run in the seventh on a single and three walks.
The Astros threatened in the bottom of the seventh, but Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes froze pinch-hitter Tyler White with a two-strike curveball on the outside corner to strand runners on second and third.
Turning point
For the third straight game, Bradley had the biggest hit in his team’s win. After his three-run double put the Sox ahead in Game 2 and his grand slam ended the Astros’ comeback hopes in Game 3, Bradley notched perhaps his most dramatic hit yet in the series with his sixth-inning blast on Wednesday. The 385-foot shot gave Bradley nine RBI through four games of the ALCS.
Man of the moment
Bradley is the obvious choice, but Red Sox manager Alex Cora deserves credit for negotiating his bullpen through the final five innings. Though none of his relievers was overwhelmingly effective, Cora picked the right arms at the right times to limit the Astros’ offense and put his team in position to win.
State of the Red Sox
With Chris Sale not yet ready to return from the stomach ailment that landed him in the hospital after his Game 1 start, Cora has yet to announce his Game 5 starter. David Price was available out of the bullpen on Wednesday but did not pitch, meaning he could get the ball Thursday on three days’ rest. Eduardo Rodriguez, who started 23 games for Boston during the regular season and faced one batter in Game 4, could also be an option.
State of the Astros
In what could be the Astros' last game of 2018, the team will turn to ace Justin Verlander for Thursday’s start. Verlander was atypically wild in Game 1 of the series, walking four Red Sox hitters in only six innings, but negotiated his way around the traffic and yielded only two runs in the win. The 35-year-old is 13-6 with a 3.08 ERA in 24 career postseason appearances.
