Porcello immediately crapped his pants as George Springer doubled and moved to third on a wild pitch. Josh Reddick walked and Springer scored on the Jose Altuve double play. Carlos Correa walked and Marwin Gonzalez was hit with a pitch, but Porcello struck out Alex Bregman to end the inning with the Astros up 1-0 already.
The Sox immediately fought back although Dustin Pedroia led off with a weak grounder to first to start. Bogaerts ended an 0-14 slump with a line drive home run into the bullpen to tie the game. Andrew Benintendi hit a pathetic grounder to second but Mookie Betts singled off the Monster. Betts swiped second but Mitch Moreland was rung up on a check swing in the dirt to end the inning. Still, the game was tied 1-1.
The rains came in the top of the second inning and so did the Astros as Yuli Guriel hit a routine single to Betts....who threw his glove at the ball and ran away screaming. Guriel motored all the way around for a triple although Porcello did manage to strike out Evan Gattis and Brian McCann. Naturally Springer singled in Guriel to put the Astros on top. Reddick singled and Altuve walked to load the bases, but Rick somehow struck out Correa to keep it a 2-1 game.
The Sox tried to fight back when Hanley Ramirez hit a seeing eye single through the hole in short to begin the bottom of the second. Rafael Devers singled and Christian Vazquez walked to load the bases with nobody out....but naturally Jackie Bradley Jr watched strike three go by. Pedroia was rung up for strike three on a pitch inside and he started screaming at home plate umpire Mark Wegner. All off a sudden John Farrell bolted out of the dug out and jumped in front of the umpire, screaming his head off. John got the HEAVEEEE HO and had to be escorted out of Fenway by security. Naturally Bogaerts popped up to end the inning as the boo-birds rained down on the Red Sox. Yes the umpire didnt help but that was a microcosm of the season, bases loaded and no one out yet they don't score.
Porcello returned for the top of the third and got Gonzalez to ground out to a diving Pedroia at second to start. Bregman popped up to right and it looked like it would be an easy inning....but Guriel doubled over the head of JBJ. Gattis did pop up to second to end the inning. Andrew Benintendi finally woke up with a single to lead off the bottom of the third....but was doubled off on a scolding liner by Betts. More bad luck for the Sox as Moreland smashed a double down the left field line that would have scored Benintendi. Ramirez then hit a broken bat single....but idiot third base coach Brian Butterfield sent the slow Moreland home and he was thrown out by a mile to end the inning.
Acting manager Gary DiScarcina took no chances and brought in Chris Sale in the top of the fourth inning. Sale froze McCann on a nasty slider before getting Springer to pop up to Pedroia in shallow center. Guriel hit a comebacker to Sale to end the inning. Morton finally settled down in the bottom of the fourth as Devers whiffed badly on a slider down and in, Vazquez whiffed badly on another slider down and in. JBJ whiffed to end the inning.
Sale returned for the top of the fifth inning and Devers snuffed out a bunt attempt by Altuve to start. Correa watched strike three go by and Gonzalez flied out to end the inning. In a total shocker, the Sox took the lead in the bottom of the fifth although Pedroia grounded out to start. Bogaerts walked and that was it for Morton. Astros manager AJ Hinch brought in none other than Justin Verlander to save the day. The opposite happened as Benintendi greeted him with a 2 run home run into right to give the Sox the lead. Betts grounded out to short but Moreland walked. Ramirez popped up to center but the Sox were 12 outs from victory and led 3-2.
Sale returned for the top of the sixth inning to get Bregman to pop up to center and get Guriel to hit a routine grounder to third.....but Devers went OLE and Guriel ended up on second due to the error. Sale froze Gattis and whiffed McCann to end the inning with no damage done. Verlander returned for the bottom of the sixth and walked Devers to begin, but Vazquez popped up to center. JBJ banged into a double play to end the inning.
The Astros almost struck back in the top of the seventh when Springer singled to left off Sale to start. Sale did manage to get Reddick to pop up to left. Altuve was rung up on a questionable call but Correa singled to left. With the season on the line, Sale whiffed Gonzalez to end the inning. 4 shutout innings by Sale to keep the Sox in front. Verlander shut down the Sox in the bottom of the seventh as Pedroia grounded out again, Bogaerts popped up to center and Benintendi flied out to right to end the inning.
The Astros effectively ended the season due to Gary DiScarcina leaving in Sale in the top of the eighth. Bregman blasted a 27,968,160 foot bomb into the Baltic Sea to tie the game immediately. Guriel grounded out to short but Gattis hit a ball down the left field line that was ruled fair, but the sideline ball-boy fielded it which was ruled automatic interference. Gattis went to second but had to go back to first where he was removed for pinch runner Cameron Maybin. Sale got lucky when McCann lined out to right and that was it for him. Sale did great for 4 innings but was pushed too long and was now on the hook.
Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel came in and a passed ball moved Maybin to second before Springer walked. Reddick gave one final "screw you" to the Sox for getting rid of him with a base hit to score Maybin with the go-ahead run. Altuve popped up to to center to end the inning but the Astros were up for good 4-3.
Astros closer Ken Giles came in for the bottom of the eighth but the life was gone from the Sox. Betts reverted to July when he pulled a pitch heading to the backstop back to Giles for the first out. Moreland grounded out to short and Ramirez hit a weak tapper to the mound to end the inning. Goodbye Red Sox.
The Astros put the game away in the top of the ninth although Kimbrel struck out Correa to start. Kimbrel fell apart as Gonzalez was plunked but Bregman flied out to center. Guriel inside-outed a single to right then Carlos Beltran pinch hit for Maybin and doubled off the Monster to score Gonzalez with the insurance run. McCann flied out to center to end the inning but the game was all but over 5-3.
The Sox had one last tease for the fans when Devers struck an inside the park homerun past the diving Springer in center to begin the bottom of the ninth. That was it as Vazquez grounded out to short and JBJ whiffed badly on a pitch in the dirt. Pedroia grounded out to second to end the season The Astros had won it 5-4 and moved on to the ALCS.
Jackass of The Night is Craig Kimbrel. He allowed the go-ahead run to score then fell apart in the top of the ninth inning allowing 2 more runs. He pulled a Tom Gordon from 1998, money all season but blows the last game of the year.
The Good:
Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 3 with a walk, 2 runs scored and a solo home run.
Andrew Benintendi was 2 for 4 with a 2 run blast.
Mitch Moreland was 1 for 3 with a walk.
Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 4.
Rafael Devers was 2 for 3 with an inside the park home run.
The Bad:
Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.
Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.
The Ugly:
Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4.
Christian Vazquez was 0 for 3 but walked.
Rick Porcello allowed 2 runs in just 3 innings but made some big strikeouts to limit the damage.
Chris Sale pitched 4 2/3 innings but allowed the game tying home run.
Final Thoughts:
Thank friggin god this miserable season is over. What started out with so much promise turned into one of the most agonizing seasons in history. The Sox could not hit for most of the season and couldn't pitch when it mattered in the post-season. The Astros were no joke but the starting pitching failed to show up and there were several mistakes in Game 4. Leaving Sale in too long, leaving Kimbrel in too long, having Moreland thrown out at home, letting Pedroia bat in the ninth.....all of it contributed to the loss. Unlike last season, there really is nothing that can be done to improve the team. They sold the farm to put together this team and they're still not better than the Astros, the Cleveland Indians and I'm sorry to say, the New York Yankees. Aaron Judge may have a sophomore slump but he makes Benintendi look like Bob Zupzic and Gary Sanchez makes Christian Vazquez look like Scott Hatteberg. The first thing the Sox can do is fire the manager and the entire coaching staff. Butterfield cost them the season by having so many runners thrown out on the basepaths, the offense totally collapsed under Chili Davis and what can Farrell possibly do at this point after back to back first round exits? Still, a 93 win season and Division title should be celebrated, but they could and should have been much, much better. Maybe next year a healthy Price and Tyler Thornburg along with an improved Porcello could make the difference but for now, it doesn't look good heading into 2018. As for the 2017 Sox.....get out and stay out!
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