Red Sox take stranglehold on baseball World Series

Second baseman Holt praises team’s character against Dodgers

The Boston Red Sox overcame a late four-run deficit to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 9-6 in Game Four of the World Series on Saturday and take a commanding 3-1 lead in the bestof-seven series.

The Red Sox scored five runs in the top of the ninth behind RBI hits by Rafael Devers, Steve Pearce and Xander Bogaerts to complete the comeback and put themselves one win away from their fourth World Series title since 2004.

“This team has a lot of fight,” first baseman Pearce, whose bases loaded double in the ninth put the game out of reach, said after the game.

Saturday’s game was played the day after the Dodgers won an 18 inning, seven hour and 20 minute contest in Friday’s Game Three that taxed both sides. Red Sox second baseman Brock Holt said his team’s ability to bounce back from that loss showed his club’s resiliency.

“To come out and start out slow but finish like we did it just shows what this team is capable of,” he said.

The Dodgers appeared to have Saturday’s win in hand when Justin Turner scored on an error and Yasiel Puig smashed a three-run home run in the sixth inning to put the home team up 4-0.

Floodgates open

But Dodgers manager Dave Roberts pulled starting pitcher Rich Hill in the seventh inning.

Left-hander Scott Alexander came in and walked the only batter he faced before being replaced by struggling reliever Ryan Madson.

Madson gave up a threerun home run to pinch-hitter Mitch Moreland later in the inning to cut the Dodgers lead to one. The floodgates opened for Boston in the top of the final frame.