Garcia pitches gem as Astros advance
Rookie gives up one hit in 52⁄3 innings and Alvarez provides offense to put Houston in World Series.
HOUSTON — Rookie Luis Garcia showed the poise of an October ace, Yordan Alvarez stayed hot at the plate and the Houston Astros earned another trip to the World Series, beating the Boston Red Sox 5-0 Friday night in Game 6 of the AL Championship Series.
The Astros advanced to the World Series for the fourth time overall and the second time in three seasons. They won the championship in 2017 over the Dodgers, a crown tainted by the team’s signstealing scandal, before losing to the Washington Nationals in seven games in 2019.
Manager Dusty Baker’s team will open the World Series on Tuesday night, either at Dodger Stadium or home against Atlanta. The Braves lead the Dodgers 3-2 in the National League Championship Series going into Game 6 Saturday night.
“There’s four more wins on the board out there,” the 72-year-old Baker said. “There’s four more wins you’ve got to get.”
Garcia pitched no-hit ball into the sixth inning, leaving to a huge ovation with two outs after a triple by Kiké Hernández. It was an impressive bounce-back performance for the 24-year-old, who started Game 2 and gave up a grand slam in the first inning before leaving with no outs in the second because of discomfort in his right knee.
Alvarez continued his scorching streak, a year after watching at home after surgery to both knees as the Astros came one game shy of reaching the World Series. The slugging designated hitter had four hits, including a triple and two doubles. He led a Game 5 win with three hits and three RBIs. He was selected as the MVP of the series.
“I was just focused on doing the job,” Alvarez said through a translator.
“He is just that type of player that single-handedly, he can win you a ballgame,” Boston’s Xander Bogaerts said of Alvarez.
Catcher Martin Maldonado made the defensive play of the game on a strikeout-throwout double play to end the seventh with Houston ahead 2-0.
It will be the 72-year-old Baker’s second trip to the World Series as a manager and first since leading the San Francisco Giants there in 2002, where they lost to the Angels. As a player, he made three trips with the Dodgers, winning it all in 1981.
Boston’s best shot to score came in the seventh. They had runners at first and third with one out in after a single by Alex Verdugo. But Kendall Graveman struck out pinch-hitter Travis Shaw and Maldonado made a perfect throw to Carlos Correa, who was covering second, to beat Verdugo there and end the inning.
Maldonado beat his chest with glee as Graveman and Correa both pumped their fists in celebration to roars from the crowd of 42,718 at Minute Maid Park.
Kyle Tucker broke it open with a three-run homer with two outs in the eighth. Television cameras flashed to Houston’s Hall of Fame duo of Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell, who stood together and cheered as Tucker rounded the bases.
Ryan Pressly closed it out in the ninth. The Red Sox, who looked so formidable at the plate at the start of the series, were held to two hits in their final game.
Alex Bregman singled with two outs in the first before the double by Alvarez put the Astros up 1-0. Hernández. was in position to make the catch, but it hit off his arm below his glove and dropped in for the hit.
After Boston scored a combined 21 runs to win Games 2 and 3, it appeared that the Red Sox were in control of the series.
The Astros, though, buoyed by their young pitchers and rediscovered offense, won the next two games by a combined 18-3 to return home.
Houston had a chance to add to the lead in the fourth when Bregman singled and another double by Alvarez left him at third with no outs. But they came up empty after Nathan Eovaldi worked out of the jam.
Alvarez tripled with no outs in the sixth to chase Josh Taylor and Tanner Houck plunked Correa. Tucker then smacked a grounder right at first baseman Kyle Schwarber who tagged Correa for the unassisted double play as Alvarez slid safely into home to make it 2-0.
Eovaldi got the win in a solid Game 2 start but was charged with the loss in Game 4, where he allowed five hits and one run.
The Red Sox lost a playoff game where he started for the first time after entering the game 5-0 in his starts.