Red Sox Lose Game 1 In Excruciating Fashion
Top of the first, bases loaded, zero runs.
Top of the third, after what looked like was about to be a HUGE inning, J.D. on third, Renfroe on second, one out, with Framber Valdez shaking like a goddamn autumn leaf, zero runs.
First pitch from Houck RIGHT DOWN THE DICK to Altuve for his 20th career postseason bomb to tie the game.
Two-out, two-strike hanging changeup to Correa for the momentum-shifting, lead-overtaking home run.
And after all that, it took a leadoff walk in the bottom of the 8th to decide the game. Red Sox pitching had yielded FIVE total walks to this point this postseason, two of which came from Matt Barnes at the end of the 14-6 blowout over Tampa. Tonight the Red Sox gave the Astros four free passes (two walks, two HBP) and it ultimately decided the game.
It’s frustrating as fuck. Only grabbing three runs off Valdez didn’t feel like enough for how poorly he pitched in real time. I’ve seen people chirp Cora for how he managed the bullpen and that feels wildly unfair. Tanner Houck and Hansel Robles have been nails since joining this bullpen. I understand the questions about Sawamura entering this game, but looking towards tomorrow you’re probably trying to break the game into thirds between Eovaldi-Pivetta-Whitlock. Whitlock has pitched twice all season on consecutive days, and one of those times was games three and four against Tampa. If that game was tied, you absolutely bring him in.
While I don’t fault the calls for Houck and Robles, I can’t - for the life of me - understand how there wasn’t an effort to take advantage of this umpire. Houston hammered the low and outside, and BOY do I mean outside, all night. J.D. saw four straight balls called strikes over two straight at bats. To Houston’s credit: they took advantage of that spot the rest of the night. Every time they needed a pitch against a righty they went low and away, and every single time - regardless of whether or not the pitch was in the zone - it was a strike. Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa should have seen exclusively low and away heaters. I firmly believe this blog would be 750-3000 words blowing Kiké Hernandez for single-handedly winning this game and taking over the sport of baseball once and for all if those two at bats were nothing but low and outside fastballs.
Sox in 6.