The Boston Red Sox are one win away from a World Series berth after a wild 8-6 victory over the reigning champion Houston Astros Wednesday in the American League Championship Series.
The Red Sox took a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series, pushing last season’s winners to the brink of elimination in Houston in a game marked by a controversial denial of what might have been an Astros homer and yet another monster homer from Boston’s Jackie Bradley Jr.
Boston seized the early initiative in the see-saw battle with two runs in the top of the first inning.
In the bottom of the frame, Houston’s Jose Altuve belted what looked to be a game-tying two-run homer to right field off Red Sox starting pitcher Rick Porcello.
Outfielder Mookie Betts leapt at the wall but officials ruled that fans in the stands reached out and interfered with the play — a ruling that was upheld on review.
Astros manager AJ Hinch clearly thought it was a dubious call, but insisted it wasn’t the key to Houston’s defeat.
“It’s convenient to think of it that way, but there was a lot of game left,” Hinch said. “There was a lot of action in that game. I’m not going to go there. It would have been nice to tie the game there, but it’s not the difference.”
Betts thought the call was spot-on, and he’d have made the catch if not for interference from the fan.
“He got it right,” Betts said. “I thought it was going in my glove for sure.”
The Red Sox trailed 4-5 after a string of lead changes heading into the sixth when Bradley struck again for Boston, lasering a two-out, first-pitch changeup from Houston pitcher Josh James into the right field seats for a two-run homer that put Boston up 6-5.
The Red Sox wouldn’t trail again, adding runs in the seventh and eighth before the Astros notched their sixth in the bottom of the eighth.
Houston threatened in the ninth, but Red Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi made a diving catch with the bases loaded for the final out.
Game five was scheduled for later yesterday in Houston, where the Astros send ace Justin Verlander to the mound in a bid to keep their season alive.
The winner of the series will face either the Los Angeles Dodgers or Milwaukee Brewers in Major League Baseball’s championship showcase.
‘Huge’ Dodgers victory
The Dodgers, beaten in seven games by the Astros in last year’s World Series, were one win away from a return trip after a 5-2 victory over the Brewers in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, who endured the shortest post-season outing of his career Los Angeles’ game one loss at Milwaukee last week, bounced back with seven stellar innings.
He gave up one run on three hits, striking out nine and walking two and said heading back to Milwaukee with a 3-2 lead in the National League Championship Series was “huge”.
“It’s a tough place to play,” he said of the Brewers’ roofed stadium. “It’s a great team. And it’s been a battle every single game we’ve played them so far, and we don’t expect anything different when we go back.”
Kershaw was in trouble in the third, when the Brewers scored their only run, but with the bases loaded he struck out Jesus Aguilar in an eight pitch at bat to end the frame and retired the next 12 batters he faced.
“Anytime you can work yourself out of situations like that that’s going to make or break the game,” Kershaw said.
The Dodgers, who led the National League with 235 homers, drove in all but one of their runs with singles.
After getting their first hit in the fourth inning, the Dodgers put up their first run in the fifth, when Chris Taylor got things rolling with a leadoff single, reached second on a throwing error and stole third. He scored on a base hit by Austin Barnes past a drawn-in outfield.
They added two more in the sixth, chasing weary Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff in the process.
The Dodgers stretched the advantage to 5-1 with two runs in the seventh before the Brewers tacked on a run in the ninth.
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