Baltimore Sun Sunday

Price right there as Red Sox clinch

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TEAM REC-Team’s Record in games started by today’s pitcher. VS OPP-Pitcher’s record versus this opponent 2017 statistics. Wednesday — Postseason begins. Thursday — Division Series start. Oct. 13 — League Championsh­ip Series start. Oct. 24 — World Series starts. November TBA — Deadline for teams to make qualifying offers to their eligible former players who became free agents, fifth day after World Series.

BOSTON — The hard chopper bounced off first baseman Mitch Moreland’s glove and high into the air. Second baseman Brock Holt jumped to glove the ball and flipped it to first, where David Price was covering.

When the Red Sox needed him, Price was there.

The former ace came out of the bullpen in relief of Drew Pomeranz and squelched a seventh-inning rally Saturday, helping the Red Sox clinch the first back-to-back AL East titles in franchise history with a 6-3 victory over the Astros and avoid a tiebreaker against the Yankees.

“That was important — just get it done today,” Hanley Ramirez said.

The victory set up an immediate rematch with the AL West champion Astros in the ALDS starting Thursday in Houston.

“This is a good team across the way,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “We’re both division champions. We’ll obviously see a lot of each other over the next 10 days.”

Red Sox manager John Farrell had said Price, who threw 24 pitches Friday night, was unavailabl­e.

“He came in today and said, ‘Hey, if the situation presents itself, give me the ball,’ ” Farrell said.

That situation came in the seventh, with two in and two on, nobody out and the tying run at the plate. Price got Brian McCann on the 3-4-1 putout thanks to a fortuitous bounce, struck out Cameron Maybin and walked Tyler White to load the bases. Price then struck out George Springer on three pitches.

“We get a chance to get a couple of days rest,” said Farrell, who scratched Chris Sale from Sunday’s start and said Hector Velazquez would pitch instead. “Chris is deserving of a couple of extra days to just get some rest.” 2017 — Boston Red Sox 2016 — Boston Red Sox 2015 — Toronto Blue Jays 2014 — Baltimore Orioles 2013 — Boston Red Sox 2012 — New York Yankees 2011 — New York Yankees 2010 — Tampa Bay Rays 2009 — New York Yankees HOUSTON Springer cf Bregman 3b Altuve 2b Correa ss Gattis dh Gurriel 1b McCann c Maybin rf Fisher lf a-White ph 1-Kemp pr-lf TOTALS BOSTON Bogaerts ss Benintendi lf Betts rf Moreland 1b Ramirez dh Devers 3b Marrero 3b Vazquez c Holt 2b Bradley Jr. cf TOTALS 33 33 3 6 8 10 3 6 .283 .285 .347 .315 .263 .297 .241 .228 .218 .298 .219 .273 .271 .264 .246 .242 .284 .214 .291 .190 .246

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