The Boston Red Sox defeated the New York Yankees 4-3 in Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night, finishing off their divisional rivals with a 3-1 win in their ALDS series.
The Red Sox will now advance to the ALCS, where they’ll face the Houston Astros for the right to play in the World Series.
Replay Review Delays Boston’s Celebration
Game 4 wasn’t without its share of drama. For the second time in the series, Boston jumped out to an early lead, only to see the Yankees claw back to within a single run late in the game.
Trailing 4-1 in the bottom of the ninth, New York loaded the bases, then plated a run when Neil Walker was hit by a pitch from Boston closer Craig Kimbrel. A Gary Sanchez sacrifice play then made the score 4-3 with two outs.
On the final play of the game, Gleyber Torres hit a soft grounder to third base. Eduardo Nunez threw on the run, and Torres was called out at first. The play was close enough for a replay review, but the video was clear: the ball had beaten Torres, and the Red Sox had silenced the Yankee Stadium crowd.
“That’s 2018 baseball; you have to wait for the replay,” said Boston pitcher Rick Porcello, who picked up the win. “It didn’t take away from our celebration. We felt pretty damn good about it.”
The Red Sox, who won a franchise-record 108 games this year, were the latest favorite to advance to the Championship Series round, joining the Brewers, Dodgers, and Astros. And just like when those other three teams clinched, Boston’s players balanced their excitement over advancing with keeping their eyes on the ultimate goal of winning a championship.
“It’s nice to get past the first round, for sure, absolutely,” Porcello told reporters. “I think we’ve been a good enough ball club to do so the last three years, and this year we finally broke through.”
Sabathia Blasts Hernandez After Game
After the game, Yankees starter CC Sabathia criticized umpire Angel Hernandez, who was behind the plate for Game 4 after having seen three of his calls at first base overturned in the first four innings of Game 3.
“He’s absolutely terrible,” Sabathia told reporters after the game. “He was terrible behind the plate today. He was terrible at first base. It’s amazing how he’s getting jobs umpiring in these playoff games.”
Sabathia lasted just three innings in his start, giving up three runs on five hits before being pulled. As the winning pitcher, Porcello naturally disagreed with his opponent’s evaluation of the umpiring.
“Throw the ball over the plate, CC,” Porcello said after the game. “You gotta get the ball over the white part of the plate and then you get the strikes called.”
With only four teams left in the MLB postseason, there are no true longshots remaining, and bookmakers are giving everyone a chance of winning a World Series title. According to William Hill, the Astros (21/10) are a slight favorite over the Red Sox (12/5), with both the Dodgers (3/1) and Brewers (7/2) firmly in the hunt for the championship.
