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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 12, 2021 7:51:49 GMT -5
5 reasons Red Sox prevailed over Rays 3:31 AM ADT Bryan Hoch
Bryan Hoch @bryanhoch
BOSTON -- Television cameras panned across the home dugout at Tropicana Field during the late innings of Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Thursday, capturing a glimpse of Randy Arozarena. The Rays wunderkind chomped gleefully on popcorn kernels, resting on the dugout steps to enjoy the show while his team rolled to a convincing victory.
The first postseason meeting of these AL East heavyweights seemed decided, and Arozarena used some of that salty carbohydrate fuel to steal home plate an inning later. But like any big-screen blockbuster, there were plot twists to come: Tampa Bay didn't win another game after that 5-0 victory, and the Red Sox were the ones partying by the end of the ALDS on Monday.
"I didn't even see it during the game," Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts said. "We were losing, so we were trying to get back in the game. But I saw it later and I was like, 'Damn, they were really doing that?' I mean, they felt comfortable. The next day, they came out and hit that grand slam, they were up 5-2. We just chipped, chipped, chipped away."
Postgame, Bogaerts was thrilled to see: "FLIGHT TO TAMPA: CANCELLED" written on a whiteboard in the clubhouse after Boston's series-clinching 6-5 win in Game 4. The Red Sox partied hard, and Bogaerts said he felt the momentum shift soon after Jordan Luplow's first-inning grand slam off Chris Sale in Game 2.
Here's how the Red Sox advanced past the 100-win Rays, earning the right to face the Astros or the White Sox with a pennant on the line:
Bats alive The Red Sox had a staggering 47 hits across the last three games of the ALDS; suffice it to say that they did not panic after Shane McClanahan and three relievers blanked them in the series opener. Boston blamed bad luck, pointing to rockets that found gloves -- for example, Bobby Dalbec came away unrewarded for squaring up two balls at 104.3 mph (lineout) and 105.3 mph (double play grounder).
"You guys looked at it like a shutout, but we were all super confident about it because we all hit the ball hard," outfielder J.D. Martinez said. "We kept talking about that: 'Dude, the ball just didn't bounce our way.'"
Their trust paid dividends, especially when Kiké Hernández savored a turn as the hottest hitter on the planet. Of course, it was Hernández who lifted the sacrifice fly that decided the ALDS. Hernández's nine hits in the final three games tied a Major League postseason record for most in a three-game span.
"We felt very comfortable with him," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. "He was putting good at-bats after good at-bats, and he did an amazing job against a tough pitching staff. We're very proud of him."
What a relief! Tanner Houck didn't expect to hear his number called in the second inning of Game 2 on Friday, but the right-handed rookie was ready for the assignment. Houck had been lifted from a perfect game in his final outing of the regular season on Oct. 2, promised by Cora that there would be more important outs to register.
Houck restored order Friday night by spinning five innings of one-run, two-hit ball, extending a personal string of batters retired to 30 over four appearances before allowing a Wander Franco single. Ji-Man Choi later homered off Houck, but by that point Boston had already taken the lead. Nick Pivetta, Garrett Whitlock and Ryan Brasier were also crucial in the series.
Meanwhile, eyebrows were raised when Rays manager Kevin Cash turned to right-hander Matt Wisler in the fifth inning of a tied Game 2, bypassing Pete Fairbanks and Andrew Kittredge. Battling inflammation in his right middle finger, Wisler hung a slider that Martinez belted for a two-run homer.
"We had everything going our way," the Rays' Kevin Kiermaier said. "They hit some very clutch homers shortly after that to get them back in the game. Then they scored 14 more runs after that, it seemed like. I feel like if we would have gotten two or three shutdown innings right there … it's crazy how momentum works in baseball."
More bounce to the ounce Thirteen innings, spanning five hours and 14 minutes, were necessary to decide Sunday’s Game 3 -- a contest that will probably be remembered for the “magic bullet” hop that Kiermaier's 13th inning drive took off the right-field wall. When the ball hit Hunter Renfroe's right thigh and landed in the Boston bullpen, Yandy Díaz returned to third base, stranded there when Mike Zunino struck out.
The umpires correctly applied Rule 5.06(b)(4)(H), awarding each runner two bases from the time of the pitch; crew chief Sam Holbrook even brought his copy of the 2021 MLB Umpire Manual to read for reporters. Kiermaier called it a "heartbreaker," an outcome made more unfortunate for Tampa Bay when Christian Vázquez hit a walk-off two-run homer in the home half of the 13th.
"I think everybody's frustrated [with] it," said the Rays' Brandon Lowe. "In the long-run of things, I guess it really wouldn't have mattered. Vázquez did hit a two-run homer, not a solo walk-off. It would have been nice to have a one-run lead. It changes a lot of things in it. But when you look back on it, he hit a two-run homer, so that one run might not have made much of a difference."
Home cooking Don't underestimate the impact that two boisterous, frenzied Fenway crowds had on this series. Especially coming off an empty-ballpark pandemic season in which Verdugo said the Red Sox felt like they played a full slate of Spring Training games. Having 35,000-plus packing the seats made a difference.
That seemed especially true in Game 4, when the Boston Marathon festivities spilled through the turnstiles. Cora noted that the crowd seemed to have been -- ahem -- well-lubricated long before first pitch, and their sing-song chanting created an intimidating atmosphere for the visitors. The fans may have even played a part in Boston knocking McClanahan for five runs.
"We had just seen him in the first game, so I think being on the road, being in front of our fan base -- that was a little bit different for him," Verdugo said. "He left a couple of pitches out over the plate, and hey, we didn't miss them."
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 12, 2021 7:58:12 GMT -5
Kiké Hernández, Red Sox fans falling in love as outfielder adds to postseason heroics, ‘This place is special’ | Matt Vautour Updated: 8:15 a.m. | Published: 6:30 a.m.
By Matt Vautour | mvautour@masslive.com
BOSTON — As he jogged in from centerfield after the top of the ninth inning of Game 4 on Monday, Kiké Hernández was thinking about his missed opportunity from the night before.
In the bottom of the 11th inning Sunday with the Game 3 tied and Christian Arroyo on second base, Hernández came up with two outs. Before he stepped into the box, he gave himself a pep talk.
“I was like ‘I’m about to finish this game. I’m about to make this place (Fenway Park) my place’,” he said. “That’s me talking to myself to pump me up, to make myself confident.”
But he grounded out to second and two innings later it was Christian Vazquez who hit a walk-off home run to make Fenway his place.
With the score tied again on Monday night, Hernández was due up fourth in the ninth inning. He started visualizing scenarios while running in from the outfield. If he came to bat in the inning, there would have to be at least one runner on.
“I jogged a little slower than I usually do,” he said. “I was just talking to myself like, ‘All right, this is our chance. If you get up to the plate, you’re going to have a chance to win the game. You can’t let this situation get too big. You’re about to win this game, so you need to work on slowing everything down and making sure that you see the pitch, and you’re not just swinging out of your shoes for no reason, trying to be a hero.’”
He watched Vazquez lead off with a single and move to second on Arroyo’s sacrifice bunt. Vazquez reached third when Travis Shaw’s hustle allowed him to take advantage of a bad throw on a slow grounder, leaving runners on first and third. The crowd chanted “Key-Kay, Key-Kay” in rhythm as Hernández strode into the batters’ box.
With the infield in and pinch-runner Danny Santana now running from third, Shaw alertly stole second to eliminate the double play as Hernández chased a high pitch for strike one.
“That might have been over my head, I don’t know. It felt really high. I was like ‘What are you doing?’” Hernández said.
But he took a breath, calmed down and drove the next pitch deep enough to left for Santana to tag up and score easily. The Red Sox dugout poured onto the field in celebration. The crowd chanted Hernández’s name again.
He had made this place his place, and he reveled in it.
“This place is special,” said Hernández, who’d scarcely played at Fenway before joining the Red Sox and had never experienced an atmosphere like Monday’s.
“This place gets rocking and is a lot of fun to play in. Not that fun to play in when you’re a road team, and that gives us a little bit of an advantage,” he said. “I’m glad I’m wearing white when we play here.”
The Red Sox and their fans are glad to have him. The franchise has a history of unlikely heroes making their mark in the postseason. Hernández will have to keep it going deeper in the playoffs to join the likes of Mark Bellhorn, J.D. Drew, Shane Victorino and Steve Pearce in the elite membership of that club.
But he’s off to a good start. Hernández is hitting .450 with two home runs and six RBIs so far in the postseason including 9-for-16 in the last three games. He’s living the scenario he daydreamed about when he chose to sign with Boston as a free agent before this season.
“I told my mom, ‘I want to go somewhere where I can win the World Series and be in that starting lineup every day,’” he said. “It feels like I’m a little bit more of an important piece than just one more guy on that team. Boston ended up being the greatest of fits.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 12, 2021 7:59:13 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox’s Rafael Devers ‘born to play in October’ Updated: 6:57 a.m. | Published: 6:50 a.m.
By Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BOSTON — Rafael Devers blasted a 404-foot three-run homer to put the Red Sox ahead 3-0 against the Rays in the third inning Monday.
Devers has been dealing with an arm or wrist injury that the Red Sox aren’t acknowledging. But he continues to produce anyway. He stroked three more hits, including his 108.3 mph homer to center field, in Game 4 of the ALDS. He helped the Red Sox beat the Rays 6-5.
Boston advanced to the American League Championship Series and will play either the White Sox or Astros. Game 1 is Friday.
“This kid since 2017, it’s all he knows, right? Playoffs and be good in the playoffs,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said.
Cora pointed back to 2017, when the Red Sox and Astros faced each other in the ALDS. Cora then served as Houston’s bench. Devers went 4-for-11 (.364) with two homers and five RBIs in four games that series.
“When we played him in ‘17, he was always smiling,” Cora said. “There was no pressure, and he put great at-bats. Even the last game here, he hit that inside-the-park home run against Ken Giles, I think it was, and it seemed like he was born to play in October.”
Born to play in October sounds about right. Devers is 20-for-65 (.308) with a .387 on-base percentage, .538 slugging percentage, .925 OPS, five home runs, 14 runs and 20 RBIs in 20 career postseason games.
“He did it in ‘18, and then this year that last game of the regular season kind of like set the tone for the team to keep going and keep pushing. And what he did today, that was a great swing,” Cora said. “He was under control the whole night, put good at-bats, played great defense.”
Devers led Boston to a 7-5 comeback win over the Nationals on the final day of the regular season to clinch the top Wild Card spot. His two-run homer against Washington in the ninth put Boston ahead.
“He’s only 24. Twenty-five in 10 days, I think,” Cora added about Devers who turns 25 on Oct. 24. ”I always said that there’s a lot of young players, very talented players, but this kid, he’s still young, been there, done that. He has a World Series ring. He’s dominated October and we’re very proud of him.”
Devers went 6-for-20 (.300) with two homers, four runs and six RBIs in four games vs. the Rays.
“When I signed here and I looked at the roster and I started looking at their pages and their profiles as far as like whatever their stats and I was beyond impressed with our third base side of our infield,” Kiké Hernández said. “I was like how come nobody talks more about these two guys? Like these numbers are ridiculous. Like nobody’s talking about them.
“Being in the National League, especially on the West Coast, you never get to see them play or really pay attention to what’s going on in the American League,” Hernández added. “I knew they were good players, but I didn’t know they were that good. Spring training was a pleasure to watch those two guys. In the batter’s box. They’re as dangerous as they get. It was fun seeing them, how they prepared and how they went about their business. Getting to know them, it was a pleasure. Getting to see Raffy for 162 was special. Then people are talking about what’s going on with him and his health and all this, but he keeps finding a way to get the job done. And he came up huge for us tonight.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 12, 2021 8:49:08 GMT -5
Jeff Passan @jeffpassan · 11h Alex Cora is now 5-0 as a manager in potential clinchers. That’s the most wins without a loss for a manager in baseball history.
What he’s done with this team — with suspect starting pitching and a bullpen that every night he somehow figures out — is remarkable. What a fun team.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 12, 2021 9:08:45 GMT -5
Scattered thoughts from an ALDS-clinching win
The Red Sox are going to be one of four teams left at the end. By Matt_Collins@MattRyCollins Oct 12, 2021, 9:01am EDT
The Red Sox are going to the ALCS. Boston walked off both of their home games in this series, with Kiké Hernández doing the job on Monday with a sacrifice fly, and they are now going to the American League Championship Series. Let’s go with some postgame scattered thoughts, eh?
Just like we did yesterday, we have to start with the hero. This time around it was the aforementioned Hernández, whose walk-off on Monday was just the cap to a phenomenal all-around series. Earlier in the day I had written that Nick Pivetta was the no-doubt series MVP for the team. I still stand by that because I believe he contributed to three wins — it could have been four if not for the Eduardo Rodriguez performance I’ll get to in a minute — despite only pitching in two, but if I’m being honest with myself I’m probably being stubborn. Hernández went 9-20 in the last three games of this series, driving in six and hitting five extra-base hits. The ALDS MVP doesn’t actually exist so it’s not really worth arguing who it was, and Hernández was phenomenal whatever you want to call him. The bullpen (and by extension, Alex Cora) blowing the lead was stressful at the time, and is still annoying even knowing they win because it canceled out the performance from Eduardo Rodriguez. The southpaw has gotten a lot of criticism this year, some fair, some not, and certainly got a whole lot after his last game. Many, myself included, weren’t really sure he could be trusted again in this series. In fairness, even Cora didn’t plan on starting him, but circumstances made it necessary and Rodriguez stepped up. He was perfect for three innings, giving his team time to jump out to a 5-0 lead, and only allowed one run on the game. All on three days rest. Rodriguez is still immensely frustrating, but he’s a battler, especially coming back from last year. Also good: Garrett Whitlock. I’m going to get to the way he’s being managed in a second, but I think it’s important that we at least talk about the good first, because Whitlock’s dominance should not be the afterthought to when he’s used. Not only did he come in with the go-ahead run in scoring position with nobody out and the heart of the order, but he retired those three — Wander Franco, Brandon Lowe, and Nelson Cruz — in order and then got three more in the ninth, all in 15 pitches. What he’s done this year is absolutely incredible.
And so here’s my rant. Whitlock not being in the game until after it was tied in each of the final two games was inexcusable. It didn’t seem too complicated as to how to handle that eighth inning. Josh Taylor looked good in the seventh and only threw 10 pitches. Tampa Bay had due up: Mike Zunino, Kevin Kiermaier, and then the top of the Rays order starting with Randy Arozarena. The move should have been to stick with Taylor to face Zunino, who is a righty and has some power, but also strikes out a ton. You can take that risk with a two-run lead. Then Kiermaier comes up, and if he stays in Taylor faces him. If they pinch hit, you turn to Whitlock, who’s coming in for the next batter either way. If Arozarena’s spot hadn’t come up until fourth it would have been a different story, but the three-batter rule puts them in a position where Ryan Brasier had to face a key batter despite clearly not having it, and it could have been avoided. They won, so it feels wrong to be complaining like this, but Whitlock needs to be used more aggressively moving forward. In the wise words of Jesse Pinkman, he can’t keep on getting away with it. Another move from Cora that I saw being second guessed was pulling Rodriguez. The lefty came in for the sixth but only to face the left-handed Kevin Kiermaier. That was the first point of confusion, as some thought he was pulled because he gave up a bloop double. He was never going to face Arozarena. Others thought he was pitching well enough to stay in. I get where that is coming from, but he was on three days rest facing a very good top of the lineup for a third time. I thought pulling him was easily the right move, but Tanner Houck didn’t have it. Using Houck felt like the guy you want in the game at that point, so I had no qualms with Cora’s move. But Houck looked clearly gassed after having pitched five innings in Game Two. These next few days off are going to be huge for him. Rafael Devers is doing something special right now. He’s clearly in pain and there are some ugly swings that actually hurt me through the screen, but he’s got a hit in all of these playoff games and hit a huge home run in this game. This is going to be a weird offseason with the CBA stuff, and extensions are obviously a two-way street, but get it done all the same, please. The Red Sox offense was shut out in that first game, but it really should have been evident that they were ready to pounce. They hit the ball extremely hard throughout this whole series. They hit 10 balls at least 100 mph in Game One, 12 in Game Two, 13 in Game Three, and then 13 again in Game Four. The offense is locked in.
A couple more negatives to get to in this game with poor fundamentals almost proving costly twice in this game. The first time was in that eighth inning when Arozarena hit the game-tying base hit. That was bad enough, but Hunter Renfroe made a big mistake in throwing home when he had no chance at the out. That allowed Arozarena to move to second representing the winning run with nobody out. Whitlock made it moot, but it was poor baseball and had a real chance at being a major factor in a loss. Similarly, Alex Verdugo getting thrown out at third to end the bottom of the eighth was bad too. This one wasn’t as bad to me as he was almost safe — replay showed he actually might have been — and it took a really good throw from Kiermaier, but ultimately it’s just not worth the risk with two outs. He’s already in scoring position, and as mentioned the offense is locked in right now. Give them a chance to bring you home. Both Verdugo and Renfroe play the game at one speed, which is full-go. That can be a very good thing a lot of the time, but there are downsides as we saw here. A little aside from the game and an observation from watching FS1: The FOX singing competition shows look bananas. What is going on over there? Are they okay? We said even before the Wildcard Game that this season was a success no matter what, and they just keep winning. But we’ll say it again: This has been glorious and any pain that comes after a possible ALCS loss will be short-lived. (This is not to say they have no chance, because obviously they do after knocking off the AL favorite.) That they’ve gotten this far is great, and that they’ve eliminated the Yankees and Rays in the process is *chef’s kiss*. Looking ahead a bit, there’s no doubt we and the Red Sox should be rooting for the White Sox in this game today. Chicago winning ensures a Game Five, and it goes without saying the Red Sox would rather play a team coming off a five-game series than a four-game one. As for the whole series, we’re going to talk about that later but I am still undecided on who is a better matchup. They are both very talented, and almost equally so. Let’s end it by acknowledging that just overall this was a great series. I’m not complaining about how it turned out, but it probably deserved to be more than a four-game set. The Rays are good and they’re going to continue being good. Wander Franco in particular just scared me this series more than he already had.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 12, 2021 9:13:30 GMT -5
Lou Merloni @loumerloni · 1h Series starts Friday no matter how long Astros/White Sox go but I’m still rooting for a Game 5. You want both teams using everyone. It effects rotation early in series. Innings add up in the bullpen.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 12, 2021 13:25:05 GMT -5
Mike Monaco @mikemonaco_ · 4h José Iglesias still making an impact with the @redsox.
This is Christian Arroyo to @willflemming
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 12, 2021 17:33:54 GMT -5
and the Astros blow the doors off the Pale Hose Red Sox are Houston bound
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 12, 2021 17:44:46 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe ·
Guess that does it.
#RedSox - #Astros on Friday at Minute Maid Park for Game 1 of the ALCS.
Third time in five years they'll meet in the postseason.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Oct 12, 2021 19:18:53 GMT -5
Lou Merloni @loumerloni · 4h Me neither until I saw ERod tonight. Gave me some hope. Eovaldi will be fine. Need some innings from starters. Sale is the question mark. If they hit like they can, they can absolutely beat whoever they play I don't know what the question was, that he responded to, but at this point, I think it is about ERod and Sale, mostly Sale. What else is there? Eovaldi has been on point, as has been the BP, and the hitting. The other team, whoever that is, can always beat you, but we are where we are supposed to be.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Oct 12, 2021 19:20:54 GMT -5
Lou Merloni @loumerloni · 3h So nobody listened to the “Boycott”? Wait, it wasn’t a F’n morgue? I’m so confused, the guys at the Hub keep telling me….oh well. Sox in ALCS. I have 10 more days of this shit.
It’s a morgue. The place is dead. Nobody cares. I kept my receipts. You @toucherandrich ?
Back to back walk offs. Fenway is snapping. Imagine thinking that place would be dead? Going to be a tough week or so for some. Sounds like Lou is at odds with the Boston media again.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Oct 12, 2021 19:24:55 GMT -5
Mike Monaco @mikemonaco_ · 4h José Iglesias still making an impact with the @redsox.
This is Christian Arroyo to @willflemming This is why I like Iglesias. And this is why I like Arroyo. I don't think he thinks a lot. Just figure things out, get better at whatever you are doing, and move on. And I like players that not only teach their teammates, but players that are willing to credit their mentor. I hope Iggy returns.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Oct 12, 2021 19:30:14 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats
“In spring training we knew we had a good team. We just needed to work hard at a few things. Some of them we got better, and others we still stink.” This is why Cora is a great manager. He always says nice things, but is blunt enough and honest enough to say there are certain things we stink at.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Oct 12, 2021 19:33:43 GMT -5
Well that was another great game and a hell of a series
and now we wait....and I really do not care if it is the Astros or Pale Hose, however I would not mind them going into extras in both games...
Red Sox playing with house money now.....
Will start the ALCS thread when we know who we are playing.... I agree 100%. On paper, I am supposed to prefer to face the WS, but those I'm not sure that ever makes a difference. But having the eventually winner have to work extra hard to get there, that could pay off. Of course, I could have checked the Houston final before writing this, since the point is moot, but still....
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Post by Kimmi on Oct 13, 2021 17:11:05 GMT -5
Jon Tayler, Top 0.1% On OnlyJons @jatayler · 4h The Red Sox could lose every game of the ALCS 200–0 and eliminating the Yankees and Rays both still makes it a successful season Obviously I want the Red Sox to win it all, but I can agree with this. Eliminating the Yankees is always sweet. Public enemy #2 is the Rays, and they really needed to be taken down a notch, if you ask me.
Woot!
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