The Houston Astros Crushed the Boston Red Sox on game one of the ALCS.
Astros Strike First
Chris Sale and Justin Verlander squared off on the mound for the first game of the ALCS at Fenway Park. The first inning was no problem for both pitchers as they retired their opposition with relative ease. Houston got on offense at the beginning of the second inning. The Astros loaded the bases before George Springer hit a 2 RBI single to put Houston on the lead. Sale eventually settled on the mound once the damage was already done. Sale had to work hard to get men out. Boston’s starter already had thrown a total of 86 pitches in four innings of work.
Both Teams Traded Blows
Verlander was virtually unhittable during the first four innings of play. Despite settling down on the mound, Sale was out of the game for the start of the fifth. Joe Kelly came in to relieve for the Red Sox. The story was different for Houston’s starter on the bottom of the fifth inning. He struggled on the pitching mound allowing two walks and a single to load up the bases with just one out. Mitch Moreland worked out a walk to bring Steve Pearce home. The lead was sliced in half as the score was now 2-1. Jackie Bradley Jr. then scored on a wild pitch to tie the score. Verlander struck out Andrew Benintendi, leaving the bases loaded to end the inning.
Kelly started the sixth inning with the wrong foot as he hit Alex Bregman. Yuli Gurriel then reached base on a fielding error by third baseman Eduardo Nunez. Kelly seemed to be out of trouble after two outs, that was until Carlos Correa hit an RBI single. Astros were up 3-2 and Kelly’s night on the mound was over. Verlander retired the side in order keeping the Astro lead intact.
And Fenway Went Quiet…
Ryan Pressly came in on relief for the Astros to begin the bottom of the seventh. Verlander threw six full innings, allowed two hits, two runs and, struck out six batters. The Red Sox’s bullpen did a solid job in late innings as they kept the deficit to a single run. Boston played good defense but were unable to generate offense and time was running out for The Crimson Horse to tie the game.
Brandon Workman came in from the bullpen to work in the ninth hoping to keep the score intact. Hopes were crushed early in the inning and Boston’s bullpen problems were evident once again. He was welcomed into the game with a solo home run by Josh Reddick. Houston was up by two with a 4-2 score. Guirriel later did the same with two runners on base. The Astros were now up by five as the score was 7-2. The lead was too big for Boston to overcome and the ninth inning was no problem for Collin McHugh on the mound.
Final Score: Astros 7. Boston 2.
Where To Watch
Both teams will meet again this Sunday. Game starts at 7:09 PM E.T on TBS