FIVE KEY MOMENTS
Arguably more than any other sport, playoff baseball has more pressurized moments from start to finish, whether it’s a key hit, defensive play or managerial move.
Here are five of the key moments from the Astros’ 5-0, pennant-clinching win over the Red Sox in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series on Friday night at Minute Maid Park.
1. MORE TWO-OUT MAGIC
Situation: Bottom of the first inning, two outs, runner on first. Score: Red Sox 0, Astros 0. What happened: With two outs, Alex Bregman singled through the left side. Yordan Alvarez, red-hot at the plate, sent a deep fly ball to the warning track in right-center field. It went off the glove of Red Sox center fielder Kiké Hernández and was ruled a double, scoring Bregman.
What it meant: The team that scored first in this series won every game, so there was that omen for the Astros. They also gave starter Luis Garcia an early lead and made Boston play from behind all night.
2. MATON EXTINGUISHES THREAT
Situation: Top of the sixth inning, two outs, runner on third.
Score: Astros 1, Red Sox 0.
What happened: With two outs, Kiké Hernández halted Astros starter Luis Garcia’s no-hit bid with a triple off the wall in leftcenter field. That ended Garcia’s night after a stellar 52⁄3 innings. Manager Dusty Baker summoned Phil Maton from the bullpen to face the danger Rafael Devers, Boston’s No. 3 hitter. Maton needed just one pitch to get Devers to pop up to shortstop Carlos Correa.
What it meant: The Astros maintained a slim lead after Boston put a runner in scoring position for the second time all night. Maton only threw one pitch and didn’t return, but it was his biggest out as an Astro since arriving in a July 30 trade with Cleveland before the deadline.
3. ALVAREZ’S HEADS-UP RUNNING
Situation: Bottom of the sixth inning, no outs, runners on first and third.
Score: Astros 1, Red Sox 0.
What happened: Yordan Alvarez led off the inning with a triple to right field, and new Red Sox reliever Tanner Houck hit Carlos Correa. Kyle Tucker then grounded into a double play to first, with Kyle Schwarber touching the base and then tagging Correa. Alvarez took off for home and beat Schwarber’s throw to the plate.
What it meant: The Astros had a huge insurance run with nine outs to go. It also made up for a failure to score in the fourth with runners on second and third and no outs. It held as insurance until Kyle Tucker iced the pennant with his three-run homer in the eighth inning.
4. STRIKE ’EM OUT, THROW ’EM OUT
Situation: Top of the seventh inning, one out, runners on first and third.
Score: Astros 2, Red Sox 0
What happened: Astros reliever Kendall Graveman found himself in a jam after issuing a one-out walk to J.D. Martinez and giving up a single to Alex Verdugo. He battled back to a full count against Travis Shaw. Graveman then struck out Shaw and catcher Martín Maldonado threw a bullet to shortstop Carlos Correa to get Verdugo for the final out. What it meant: The inning had the potential to go off the rails thanks to Graveman losing control. He bore down and Maldonado finished off the most electrifying double play at Minute Maid Park since Michael Brantley’s diving catch and throw to double up Aaron Judge in Game 6 of the 2019 ALCS against the Yankees. As it turned out, it was Boston’s last good threat to tie the game.
5. GARCIA GETS BY
Situation: Top of the first inning, two outs, runner on third.
Score: Red Sox 0, Astros 0. What happened: Luis Garcia struck out Kyle Schwarber to start the game, but Schwarber reached on a wild pitch. He was at third with two outs — including a terrific diving stop and throw by Jose Altuve to take a hit away from Kiké Hernández — before retiring cleanup hitter Xander Bogaerts on a grounder to third base to end the inning.
What it meant: For Garcia, who gave up four first-inning runs in Game 2 and only recorded four outs, it had to be a huge boost to get out of early trouble. That inning sent him on his way to taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning in one of the best starting pitching performances in recent Astros history.