Sox close out Yanks
Porcello leads way to ALCS
NEW YORK — There was no debating the better team all year, and there was no debating the better team in this series.
The 108-win Red Sox entered the postseason with more questions than the SATs while the wild card Yankees looked like a team nobody wanted to face this October.
And yet it was the Sox who looked like juggernauts by the time the American League Division Series was over at Yankee Stadium last night.
Rick Porcello earned his first win in a playoff start, Christian Vazquez hit his first home run since June 26 and Chris Sale pitched out of relief in a bizarro Game 4 win, 4-3, that secured the Red Sox’ first playoff series win since 2013.
Next up: the world champion Houston Astros in the seven-game AL Championship Series beginning Saturday night at Fenway Park.
The Sox outclassed the Yankees with better performances in every part of the game over the fourgame set.
For the first time in five years, Red Sox starting pitchers showed up. They combined for 19 innings while allowing six earned runs, while the Yankees got just 13 innings and an astounding 15 runs allowed from theirs.
The Red Sox bullpen appeared to have little trust from their fanbase entering this series, but the relief crew threw 17 innings and allowed just seven runs.
The Yankees bullpen was the class of the league, with four proven closers ready to come out at any time. They had a 3.38 ERA in the regular season. And the Red Sox plated 12 runs off them in 17 innings.
Alex Cora managed circles around Aaron Boone, whose head might not spinning until spring training. It’s possible that Cora didn’t make a single mistake. And if he did, it’ll be overshadowed by his bullpen maneuvering in Game 1, lineup decisions in Games 3 (Brock Holt) and 4 (Ian Kinsler, Eduardo Nunez and Vazquez) and bullpen usage last night.
He got five good innings out of Rick Porcello, who pitched the eighth inning in Game 1.
Then it was an inning each from Matt Barnes, Ryan Brasier and Sale, who became the second starting pitcher to handle the eighth inning this series (Porcello did it in Game 1).
There was sizable risk in that move, given that if it didn’t work, either the Red Sox would have to bring back Sale on one day of rest to pitch Game 5 tomorrow, or turn to David Price.
Sale came out throwing in the mid-90s. Gleyber Torres took him to the warning track on a changeup for the first out, Andrew McCutchen grounded out on a fastball and then Sale struck out Aaron Hicks on a nasty slider to finish the eighth on just 13 pitches.
As good as he was, the ninth inning wasn’t going to be his.
Craig Kimbrel got the ninth, and as usual, he made it interesting.
Wild from the start, he walked Aaron Judge to start the inning, then gave up a single to Didi Gregorius to bring the tying run to the plate in Giancarlo Stanton. But Stanton hasn’t had anything going this series, and Kimbrel got him to chase a slider for strike three.
With one out, Kimbrel walked Luke Voit to load the bases, then plunked Neil Walker on the first pitch to bring in one run. And with two men on, Kimbrel served up a down-the-middle fastball at 98 mph to Gary Sanchez, who demolished it high but to the warning track for an out. Kimbrel the induced a groundout from Torres to end the game and send the Red Sox celebrating on their rivals’ home field for the second time in less than three weeks.