Bad break crushes Red Sox, helps Astros tie series up at 2-2
In what was shaping up to an absolute classic finish, Nate Eovaldi and the Red Sox were one strike away from escaping a two-on, two-out jam in the top of…
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 19: Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros is congratulated by teammates after he scored in the ninth inning against the Boston Red Sox in Game Four of the American League Championship Series at Fenway Park on October 19, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
In what was shaping up to an absolute classic finish, Nate Eovaldi and the Red Sox were one strike away from escaping a two-on, two-out jam in the top of the ninth inning in a then-tied contest.
But home plate umpire Laz Diaz, operating with the strike zone the size of Texas throughout the evening, decided to give the Astros' Jason Castro an extra strike on a pitch that had been a strike through the 50 outs of the game. And as is often the case when non-players get involved in these things, Castro delivered the go-ahead single that gave the Astros the extra run they needed in a series-tying Game 4 win at Fenway Park late Tuesday night.
The Castro single proved to be Boston's undoing, too, as Houston tacked on another six runs before the Red Sox recorded another out, with the bulk of the damage coming on a bases-clearing double from Michael Brantley.
Game 4 brought about more of the same out of the gate for both sides, too, as Xanders Bogaerts outdid Alex Bregman's first-inning solo shot with a two-run bomb that cleared the Green Monster in the bottom half of the inning, while Zach Greinke became the third straight Astro starter unable to escape the second inning.
But the move to the pen actually turned out to be Houston's saving grace.
With Houston's Cristian Javier dealing on the bump, the Red Sox found themselves unable to drive Christian Arroyo home on a one-out triple in the bottom of the fourth, and unable to bring Bogaerts home following his fifth-inning double. Overall, Javier tossed three innings of much-needed shutout baseball with just four baserunners allowed.
And with the Red Sox unable to extend their lead, the Astros found their moment to strike, with a Jose Altuve solo blast off Garrett Whitlock on the first pitch of the eighth inning.
Altuve's solo blast continued the in-game (and really in-series) trend of runs via the long ball, but also snapped him out of an 0-for-12 cold spell, and put the teams back even through seven and a half innings.
Nick Pivetta got the start for the Red Sox in this contest, and in what was the first postseason start of his career, the 6-foot-5 righty surrendered two hits, one run, two walks, and struck out three over five innings of work.
The Red Sox got no help from Diaz, but they also failed to help themselves in this contest, with their one-through-three hitters (Kyle Schwarber, Kiké Hernandez, and Rafael Devers) going a combined 2-for-13 by the night's end, and with both of their hits coming in a garbage-time bottom of the ninth.
The Red Sox and Astros will continue their showdown with a Wednesday afternoon Game 5 on deck, with first pitch scheduled for just after 4 p.m. at Fenway Park.
Ty Anderson is a writer and columnist for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Yell at him on Twitter: @_TyAnderson.
