[ad_1]
The Red Sox offense knew they needed to get Chris Sale back after the first inning on Friday night.
Their left-handed ace – from a Tommy John trade – didn’t have its best advantage on Friday, allowing four hits and five earned runs in a pitched inning. After scoring two runs in the first inning, the Tampa Bay Rays leapt back, scoring five runs to crown the senior executive.
To keep their ace unhooked, Boston followed the first inning by tying the franchise’s playoff record with five home runs. The team became the first in playoff history with 20 hits and five homers in a game. On the back of Tanner Houck – who replaced Sale and put out 11 batters in a row – Boston found a way to come back strong.
“We started one round at a time and started scoring and scoring until we could tie it, then [Houck] kept them there, ”Hernandez told media in Tampa Bay.
Hernández led the way with a 5-6 record with one homer and three doubles. He tied the MLB playoff record with four more hits and became the fifth player of all time to achieve the feat, and the first since Albert Pujols in 2011.
Boston needed a mental adjustment after the roller coaster of a first run. Alex Cora kept the message simple for the team’s offense.
“Don’t panic,” Cora said.
The panic slowly dissipated. Two innings later, Boston reduced the lead with two runs, scoring 5-4 before scoring four more two innings later on the backs of Hernandez and JD Martinez’s home runs. After scoring in the 7th, 8th and 9th innings, Boston looked at the final scoreboard and saw the number 14 next to his team’s runs.
These contributions to a total of 14 races came from top to bottom of the lineup. In addition to Hernandez’s explosion at home plate, shortstop Xander Bogaerts, outfielder Alex Verdugo and Rafael Devers contributed to the homers. Receiver Christian Vázquez hit base three times on three hits while Hunter Renfroe registered a hit and Kyle Schwarber walked in. With four players registering three hits and a homerun, Boston became the team with the most such players in a game in playoff history.
“They took advantage of the mistakes,” Rays pitcher Collin McHugh told media in Tampa Bay.
The offensive explosion represented a rebound for Boston, which was shut out in Game 1 of the series by a 5-0 margin. The 14 points represented the most by a team that was shut out in a previous game in this all-time playoffs. Boston also became the first team with six players with 2 RBIs in a playoff game since RBI became an official statistic. Before Friday night, the Rays were 73-3 this season with a three-point lead, including the playoffs. Boston’s offense had the loss column read four by the end of Friday.
Friday also marked Martinez’s return from a sprained ankle. Cora put Martinez in sixth place in the roster after delaying the submission of the roster card in hopes of playing the Red Sox slugger against a strong Rays pitching staff. Martinez made his presence felt by hitting a right-field single and later hitting a three-run homerun over the center-field wall in the fifth inning that pushed Boston over with the game tied at five points. .
Verdugo credited Cora with helping set the tone in the shelter.
“I just remember [Cora] get on and off the canoe, ”said Verdugo. “Everything is going well, we have quite a game, eight more innings. “
After Friday’s game, Rays manager Kevin Cash didn’t mince words when describing Boston’s offensive performance.
“They kind of told us,” Cash said.
The Red Sox victory ensured that Tampa Bay and Boston will face off for at least two more games, proving Cora’s optimism.
“We’re all happy now,” Verdugo said. “I climb high.”
[ad_2]
Source link