Eduardo Rodriguez and Rich Hill pitched a great pitchers’ duel last, but the Rodriguez’s Boston Red Sox pulled off an exciting late inning comeback winning 9-6. E-Rod left with after an unfortunate four-run sixth and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Hill left with a comfortable 4-1 lead.
First of all, that sixth inning was terrifying for Red Sox fans: Max Muncy, who has been killer in this series, came up with a man on, but luckily for Boston struck out. The Justin Turner doubled down the left field line making it second and third for Manny Machado. Boston head coach Alex Cora signaled for the intentional walk, loading the bases for Cody Bellinger. Then, the craziness began. Bellinger grounded the ball to Steve Pearce at first base who fired a high throw home to Christian Vazquez for one out. Vazquez immediately gunned it back to Pearce covering first, but Bellinger got in the way of the throw and it passed into right field, so Turner scored having started the play on second. Cora considered challenging the play and arguing that Bellinger should be out because he obstructed an out at first, but, after a conversation with right field umpire and crew chief Ted Barrett (who was the home plate umpire during the 18 inning Game 3), Cora decided to let it be. He decided to leave E-Rod in to face Yasiel Puig, but El Caballo made him pay with a three-run bomb to left to put LA up 4-0. The Sox got their cuts in the seventh when Mitch Moreland stepped up to the plate as a pinch hitter for pitcher Matt Barnes. With Xander Bogaerts on second and Brock Holt on first, Moreland took a Ryan Madson changeup into the right field stands to make it 4-3 Dodgers. In the top of the eighth, Kenley Jansen peered in at Steve Pearce with no one on base and one out. Seconds later, the game was tied. Pearce drove an absolute blast into the left-center fields stands making him the second Boston legend named Pearce (or Pierce) to make it rain in LA in the championship. 4-4. Remember how the sixth gave BoSox fans heart attacks? The ninth killed Dodgers’ fans. With one out Holt doubled on a chopper down the third base line, beating the shift. Rafael Devers pinch hit for Sandy Leon and singled to center, scoring Holt. Blake Swihart then came in to pinch hit for Joe Kelly and he grounded Devers to second. Dylan Floro was then ordered by head coach Dave Roberts to intentionally walk Mookie Betts. Andrew Benintendi tapped a chopper down the third base line and Justin Turner’s throw to first came late, loading the bases with two out for the Red Sox. Pearce came up again with a huge hit and doubled to right center to drive in all three men on base. Kenta Maeda walked J.D. Martinez to bring up Xander Bogaerts who singled Pearce home. 9-4 heading to the bottom of the ninth. Despite a two-run home run by Kiké Hernández, Craig Kimbrel pitched a sound ninth to win Game 4 and advance to a 3-1 lead over LA. Tonight, David Price will toss for Boston against Clayton Kershaw. Price has thrown some nasty stuff, pitching impeccable baseball since his debacle in Game 2 of the ALDS against the New York Yankees. Kershaw has been strong throughout the playoffs, with the exception of his five earned runs allowed in Game 1 of this series at Fenway Park. Maybe the Dodger Stadium air will be different and the Dodger Dogs will prevail forcing fans to go back to Boston for some Fenway Franks, but the pitching stats look promising for Beantown to earn their fourth banner of the 21st Century tonight. Their offensive stats look different for Boston, though. Their beginning of the lineup has to be better. They have been atrocious this series with the top four going 14 for 74 in the first four games. If you want to take Nathan Eovaldi’s two Game 3 “at-bats,” then 14 for 72 still is not much better. Counting Eovaldi, they’re batting a combined .189 (.194 without Eovaldi’s two at-bats). If they want to win tonight (or at all) Betts, Benintendi, Bogaerts, Pearce, Moreland, and Martinez need to hit better (mainly the first three and the last one mentioned). Jesse A. Cook “Sox Comeback Late, Up 3-1” October 28, 2018
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AuthorJesse Cook: High school junior. Does play-by-play for the Sharon Varsity Eagles softball, soccer, volleyball, basketball, and football teams. Fanatic of the Boston and Cincinnati teams in the Big Four sports. Designs graphics of athletes, politicians, and musicians at Picsart.com. Archives
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