Astros' 7-Run 9th Inning Leads to Game 4 Win vs. Red Sox, Series Tied 2-2
Timothy Rapp@@TRappaRT
Featured Columnist IVOctober 20, 2021
The Boston Red Sox have crushed the baseball for much of the 2021 postseason. But on Tuesday night, it was the Houston Astros who came up with the timely hitting.
Jose Altuve's game-tying homer in the eighth inning and a wild seven-run top of the ninth gave the Astros a 9-2 win in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, evening the series at two games apiece.
Alex Cora's decision to use Game 2 starter Nathan Eovaldi in the top of the ninth—alongside Laz Diaz's strike zone behind the plate—will be questioned and lamented in Boston for the next two days.
Adam Kaufman @AdamMKaufmanThat's game. This "ball" led to Nate Eovaldi being charged four runs and the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RedSox?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RedSox</a> dropping Game 4. Should've been tied, going to the bottom of the ninth. <a href="https://t.co/zjOIOX7oHd">pic.twitter.com/zjOIOX7oHd</a>
Granted, Eovaldi still got rocked after the controversial call. But there will be angst in Boston, no doubt.
It certainly appeared the game was headed for fireworks after a lively first inning. Alex Bregman's solo shot gave the Astros the early lead.
Xander Bogaerts answered with an absolute moon shot:
But both teams' pitching staffs calmed the stormy waters after that, at least until Houston's late heroics. No surprise that Houston heroes Altuve and Carlos Correa tied the game and scored the winning run, respectively. Or that Michael Brantley blew things wide open.
It's something of an October tradition at this point.
Key Stats
Jose Altuve, HOU: 1-for-4, one homer, two runs, one RBI
Michael Brantley, HOU: 2-for-5, three RBI, one run
Houston Bullpen: 7.2 innings, four hits, no runs
Nick Pivetta, BOS: Five innings, two hits, one run, two walks, three strikeouts
Xander Bogaerts, BOS: 2-for-5, one homer, two RBI
Nathan Eovaldi, BOS: 0.2 innings, two hits, four runs, two strikeouts
Welcome Back, Jose Altuve
When Altuve stepped to the plate in the top of the eighth, he was a shocking 1-for-15 in the ALCS. For a player who has been the hero of so many playoff moments for Houston—he has 21 postseason homers, after all, the third-most by an infielder in baseball history, per Baseball Reference—it was a pretty shocking start to this series.
And then, with one swing of the bat, he reminded everybody why he's arguably the greatest October player of his generation.
Stephen Nelson @StephenNelsonAltuve, of course. He breaks a tie with that Derek Jeter guy for third most <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/postseason?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#postseason</a> home runs (21). <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForTheH?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ForTheH</a>
You have to hand it to Altuve—he may only have two hits in this series, but both have been game-tying homers. If nothing else, the man has impeccable timing.
Xander Bogaerts Showed Up Tuesday, His Teammates Didn't
Bogaerts is putting together a superb postseason, hitting .315 with three homers, six RBI and seven runs in nine games.
It's been a revelation for Boston's star man, who has struggled in postseasons past and was hitting just .226 for his career in the playoffs coming into Tuesday night. But he was getting all of the ball in Game 4.
But the rest of his teammates were a complete no-show. While Bogaerts had two hits, the rest of the Red Sox lineup went an abysmal 3-for-29 with seven walks. Boston's hitters have been red-hot for the entirety of the postseason, so perhaps a regression was inevitable. But it sure came at the worst moment.
What's Next?
Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday evening at 5:08 p.m. ET at Fenway Park (FS1). The pitching matchup has not yet been named.