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Red Sox
The Red Sox rose to the No. 1 wildcard in the American League with the victory.
Jose Iglesias gave the green light on Saturday. Photo AP / Nick Wass
WASHINGTON (AP) – Christian Vázquez tripled the ninth inning tie-breaker at home and the Boston Red Sox moved to the brink of a playoff berth with a 5-3 victory over the Nationals of Washington Saturday.
Boston is tied with the Yankees for the best AL wild card entering the final day of the regular season. The Red Sox will send ace Chris Sale to the mound on Sunday needing a win to land a playoff ticket. If they win, they’ll host Tuesday’s wildcard game regardless of New York’s outcome, as Boston won the season series 10-9.
If the Red Sox lose on Sunday, they’ll still be guaranteed a tiebreaker on Monday. The Red Sox are one game ahead of Toronto and 1 1/2 ahead of Seattle, with the Mariners set to face the Angels on Saturday night.
Tanner Houck pitched five perfect innings, striking out eight, but Washington tied the score at 1 in the eighth inning on Juan Soto’s long sacrificial volley loaded with bases to cross Austin Davis (1-2).
JD Martinez started the ninth with a walk for Boston, and Vázquez pierced a ball for closer Tanner Rainey (1-3) who easily scored pinch runner José Iglesias for a 2-1 lead with two withdrawals. Travis Shaw scored to lead to Vázquez, then Kiké Hernández scored in the Boston relieving box against Mason Thompson to extend the lead to 5-1.
Washington’s Andrew Stevenson hit a two-run homer in the ninth before Hansel Robles finished the game for his 14th save.
The Nationals filled the goals with a strikeout in the eighth after center fielder Hunter Renfroe lost a ball in the twilight, leading to a brace, and Adam Ottavino scored two. Soto hit a rising ball through the deep center to tie it, but Josh Bell called with a soft alignment to end the threat.
Rafael Devers’ 36th Homer of the season put Boston ahead 1-0 in the fourth. Devers hit Rainey with bases loaded and two strikeouts in the eighth.
Houck ran through the Nationals’ lineup, needing just 53 shots to pull off eight of the 15 straight strikeouts he has recorded. Washington hit a ball into the infield before Houck was relieved for pinch hitter Christian Arroyo in the sixth.
Houck, a 25-year-old rookie, has pitched 90 shots twice in his 13 starts this season. Both arrived at the end of August. He had not thrown more than 42 shots in his last three appearances, all in relief.
Ahead of the game, Boston manager Alex Cora said there was no limit for Houck, who pitched five innings three times earlier this season. He participated once in the sixth, on August 29.
Gerardo Parra’s sixth single against Garrett Richards produced the Nationals first scorer. Washington loaded the goals with two strikeouts in the seventh against Ryan Brasier, who was pitching for the fourth straight day, before Jordy Mercer was called out in an attempt to end the threat. Mercer was sent off for contesting home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi’s appeal.
Washington starter Josiah Gray pitched six innings, struck out seven and allowed a run.
RETURNING NATS PITCHING COACH
Nationals manager Davey Martinez said on Saturday that pitching coach Jim Hickey, who Washington hired in the 2020 offseason, will return for the 2022 season. Hickey and Martinez previously had a relationship working together at Tampa Bay in 2008. to 2014. The Nationals came into play on Saturday 24 in the ERA squad.
TRAINERS ‘ROOM
Nationals: P Josh Rogers (hamstring strain) was placed on the 10-day injured list on Saturday. OF Parra (knee) was activated to take Rogers’ place.
Red Sox: RHP Garrett Whitlock (right chest strain) was not activated on Saturday after starting a bullpen session on Friday. Whitlock could be activated on Sunday depending on how he recovers, according to Cora.
FOLLOWING
Sale (5-1, 2.90 ERA) will make his ninth start of the season in the final after missing most of the year following Tommy John surgery. Washington had not announced a starter.
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