Jason Castro hit a tie breaking RBI single and the Houston Astros scored seven times with two outs in the ninth inning Tuesday night, taking a 9-2 win over the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series. The best of seven is now tied 2-2.
Houston did something in the top of the first inning that they hadn’t done in any of the first three games of the series, and that is get an early lead. Alex Bregman hit a two out solo homerun to left off Boston starter Nick Pivetta for a 1-0 Astros advantage. That lead didn’t last long however as the Sox struck for two in the bottom of the inning off Zack Greinke. They did the damage with two outs, as Rafael Devers walked and then Xander Bogaerts on a 1-0 pitch launched one over the National Car Rental sign over the green monster and down onto Lansdowne Street. The homer was the 21st of the postseason for Boston, a team record.
That lead would hold all the way to the eighth inning as Pivetta went 5.0 solid innings, and Houston pieced together solid relief out of their bullpen as well after Greinke only went 1.1 innings. In his second inning of work for Boston, Garrett Whitlock was greeted with a leadoff solo homerun from Jose Altuve on the first pitch of the top of the eighth to even things 2-2. Whitlock then allowed a single by Michael Brantley, but got out of it when Bregman grounded into a doubleplay and Yordan Alvarez flied out. The visitors took the lead back for good in the ninth against Nathan Eovaldi. Carlos Correa led off with a double over the head of Hunter Renfroe in right. Eovaldi then struck out Kyle Tucker, before intentionally walking Yuli Gurriel, and would also strike out pinch hitter Aledmys Diaz. Jason Castro though, who entered the game as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning, came through with an RBI single to right center to score Correa that turned out to be the game winner. Michael Brantley followed with a three-run double off Martin Perez, Alvarez had an RBI single, Correa reached on an infield single that went as an error, and Tucker reached on an infield single as well to blow it open and allow the Astros to even the series.
Pivetta only allowed one run on two hits with two walks and three strikeouts in the no-decision. Eovaldi (2-1) would end up being charged with the loss allowing four runs on two hits in 2/3 of an inning. Bogaerts had two of the five hits on the night for Boston. Kendall Graveman (1-0) got the relief win for Houston. Brooks Raley, Christian Javier, Phil Maton, Graveman, and Ryan Pressly combined to allow no runs on four hits with 10 strikeouts over the final 7.2 innings. Brantley, Alvarez, and Correa had two hits each. Game 5 from Fenway is scheduled for 5:08 p.m. Wednesday evening. The Red Sox will go with Chris Sale on the hill, and the Astros counter with their left hander Framber Valdez.
