Boston Red Sox eliminate Tampa Bay Rays 6-5 with late sac fly

BOSTON — Kiké Hernandez delivered Boston’s 2nd consecutive walk-off win, scoring pinch-runner Danny Santana with a sacrifice alert successful the ninth inning to nonstop the Red Sox to the AL Championship Series with a 6-5 triumph implicit the Tampa Bay Rays connected Monday night.

After winning Game 3 of their best-of-five AL Division Series connected Sunday with Christian Vázquez’s two-run homer successful the 13th, Boston took Game 4 for its archetypal acceptable of back-to-back walk-off postseason wins since 2004 ALCS Games 4 and 5, some courtesy of David Ortiz against the Yankees.

Rafael Devers had a three-run location tally disconnected rookie Shane McClanahan to ignite a five-run 3rd inning that enactment Boston successful beforehand 5-0. Tampa Bay battled backmost and tied it successful the eighth.

The wild-card Red Sox volition await the victor of the different ALDS matchup betwixt the Houston Astros and Chicago White Sox. Houston leads 2-1 going into Game 4 successful Chicago connected Tuesday, a constitution of Monday’s rainout.

“Since time one, you guys believed successful this group,” manager Alex Cora told his players earlier mounting disconnected a bubbly clubhouse celebration.

He said their content is what got them to this point.

“We ever said we had a bully shot squad that had immoderate holes, and we inactive person immoderate holes, but astatine the end, for however atrocious it looked sometimes, we’re inactive here. We’re inactive successful the dance,” Cora said.

Boston improved to 15-3 successful imaginable clinching postseason games and person won each of their past eight. It brings an abrupt extremity to the play for the Rays, who’d been eyeing back-to-back trips to the World Series aft winning 100 games during the regular play and rolling to the AL East title.

“There’s nary uncertainty there’s disappointment,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. “We had precocious aspirations to get heavy into this thing. We ran into a Red Sox squad that they conscionable bushed america — nary different mode astir it. They got the large hits.”

The Red Sox are the 2nd squad to clinch a postseason bid with consecutive walk-off wins. The different was the Minnesota Twins successful the 1991 World Series, according to STATS.

Vázquez led disconnected the ninth with a azygous done the spread to near tract and moved to 2nd connected a sacrifice bunt by Christian Arroyo. Travis Shaw past deed a bouncing crushed shot to 3rd that went for an infield azygous erstwhile Yandy Díaz bounced his hard propulsion to archetypal baseman Ji-Man Choi. Vázquez got to 3rd and Santana entered to tally for him.

“Old schoolhouse shot close there,” Cora said. “Fundamental baseball, and we won the ALDS playing bully cardinal baseball.”

Hernandez, who was 9 for 20 successful the series, scored Santana with a alert shot to left.

“All I got to bash is bring successful the tally from third,” Hernandez said. “And having Danny astatine 3rd alternatively of Vazqy eased my caput a small bit.”

Rays postseason prima Randy Arozarena ripped a tying azygous with nary outs successful the eighth inning of Ryan Brasier and precocious to 2nd connected the throw. Garrett Whitlock relieved and got done the eighth without further damage, past pitched a scoreless ninth for the victory.

“Once AC said you’ve got to support going, that’s each I was focused on,” Whitlock said.

Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez allowed 2 runs and 3 hits with six strikeouts implicit 5 innings, positive 1 batter. It was redemption aft helium lasted conscionable 1 2/3 innings and gave up 2 runs successful Boston’s 5-1 nonaccomplishment successful Game 1.

Devers finished with 3 hits. Wander Franco had a two-run homer for the Rays.

With the crippled knotted astatine 5 successful the eighth, Alex Verdugo grounded to shortstop Franco, who threw the shot into wildly successful the Red Sox dugout, allowing Verdugo to beforehand to second. With 1 out, Hunter Renfroe flied to halfway and Verdugo tried to tag, but helium was thrown retired astatine 3rd by Kevin Kiermaier.

The Red Sox led 5-0 aft 3 innings but Tampa pulled wrong 5-3 connected Austin Meadows’ RBI azygous successful the 5th and Franco’s two-run homer successful the sixth disconnected Tanner Houck.

Boston’s Josh Taylor pitched a scoreless seventh and handed it disconnected to Braiser.

But Braiser promptly gave up back-to-back doubles to Mike Zunino and Kiermaier that made it 5-4. That was followed by a azygous by Arozarena to necktie it up.

Braiser exited successful favour of Whitlock. He was capable to enactment retired of the jam, getting Franco to alert out, followed by groundouts by Brandon Lowe and Nelson Cruz.

After being coagulated connected the mound passim 2021 and successful a Game 1 win, Tampa Bay’s pitching struggled implicit the past 3 games, with the Red Sox outscoring the Rays 26-15.

Right-hander Collin McHugh served arsenic the opener Monday and pitched 2 scoreless innings, allowing 1 deed earlier handing the shot disconnected to Game 1 starter Shane McClanahan.

The rookie was pitching connected 3 days’ remainder and coming disconnected a beardown show successful the bid opener successful which helium picked up the triumph aft pitching 5 scoreless innings.

Boston had his fig this clip around.

McClanahan rapidly gave up a azygous Vázquez and walked Kyle Schwarber. He seemed connected his mode to getting retired of occupation aft helium got Hernández to alert retired for the 2nd retired of the inning.

But Devers jumped each implicit a first-pitch fastball and launched a enactment thrust into the archetypal enactment of the halfway tract bleachers for a location run.

Xander Bogaerts came up adjacent and singled. That was followed by Verdugo’s treble disconnected the Green Monster that scored Bogaerts. J.D. Martinez kept it going with a azygous disconnected the Monster that brought Verdugo successful to marque it 5-0.

“Down 5-0 thing successful the 3rd inning, that was beauteous devastating,” Cash said. “We claw backmost successful it and we came up abbreviated tonight”

McClanahan was pulled aft that successful favour of J.T. Chargois.

Following a treble by Renfroe, Chargois yet got the Rays got retired of inning, striking retired Vázquez.

McClanahan’s enactment for the night: 5 hits, 5 runs, a locomotion and location run.

Trainer’s room

Red Sox: Manager Alex Cora said reliever Hansel Robles, who gave up a solo location tally to Franco and game-tying treble successful Game 3, remained nether the upwind up of Monday’s game.

Good company

According to STATS, Rodriguez is the 2nd pitcher to past little than 2 innings successful a postseason start, past pitching 5 oregon much innings with 3 oregon less hits successful his adjacent commencement that aforesaid postseason. The different was Don Larsen, who lasted 1 2/3 successful Game 2 of the 1956 World Series earlier his Game 5 cleanable game.

Long at-bat

Meadows made Rodriguez enactment for the archetypal retired of the 3rd inning. The at-bat lasted 17 pitches and included 10 consecutive foul balls earlier Rodriguez struck him retired with a slider.

The 17-pitch conflict is the longest by pitches successful a postseason sheet quality since astatine slightest 1988, erstwhile transportation number information started being tracked.

Up next

Boston volition deed the roadworthy for the ALCS opener Friday night.