Boston Red Sox advance to ALCS with 6-5 win over Rays; Kiké Hernández hits walk-off sacrifice fly in ninth inning of Game 4

Boston Red Sox Rafael Devers (11) is congratulated by teammates after hitting a three-run home run during the third inning against the Tampa Bay Rays during Game 4 of a baseball American League Division Series, Monday, Oct. 11, 2021, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
  • 2,511 shares

BOSTON -- Faced with the prospect of extra innings, Kiké Hernández decided one marathon was enough for Boston on Monday.

Hernández hit a walk-off sacrifice fly as the Red Sox beat the Rays, 6-5, to clinch the ALDS in four games. With one out in the ninth inning, Hernández lifted a fly ball to left field and pinch-runner Danny Santana scored standing up to send the Sox to the ALCS.

After being shut out in Game 1, the Sox rebounded to win three games in a row, outscoring Tampa Bay, 26-15, in that span. The ALCS will start Friday in either Houston or Chicago.

Boston’s series-clinching win did not come without drama. After jumping out to an early 5-0 lead, the Sox allowed the Rays to crawl back and tie things in the eighth inning. In the ninth, a little bit of small ball led to a big win. Christian Vázquez led off the frame with a single, then advanced to second on a Christian Arroyo sacrifice bunt and to third on a Travis Shaw infield single before Hernández lifted an 0-1 J.P. Feyereisen pitch deep enough into left field.

After a quiet couple innings against opener Collin McHugh, the Sox’ offense jumped to life with a two-out outburst against lefty Shane McClanahan in the third. Rafael Devers launched a three-run homer to center to break a scoreless tie, starting a parade of six hits in a row. Xander Bogaerts singled, then Alex Verdugo made it 4-0 with a double off the Green Monster. J.D. Martinez then continued the assault on the Monster with an RBI single that gave Boston a five-run cushion.

Eduardo Rodriguez, who lasted just 1 ⅔ innings in Game 1, rebounded nicely with a 5+ inning, two-run performance on short rest. He cruised through four innings before Tampa Bay cut the deficit to four runs on an Austin Meadows RBI groundout in the fifth.

Rodriguez was lifted after Kevin Kiermaier smacked a double to lead off the sixth, with Tanner Houck entering in relief. Rookie sensation Wander Franco cut the lead to 5-3 by blasting a two-run homer off Houck with one out in the sixth.

Shortly after Bogaerts grounded into a double play with two runners on in the seventh, things unraveled for the Sox and reliever Ryan Brasier. Mike Zunino and Kiermaier led things off with back-to-back doubles to make it a 5-4 game, then Randy Arozarena tied it up with an RBI single and advanced to second on the throw. Garrett Whitlock entered and retired all three batters he faced, preserving the tie.

Boston had a chance to reclaim the lead in the eighth, when Alex Verdugo took second base on a Franco error to lead off the inning. But Kiermaier ended the inning by catching a Renfroe fly ball and gunning down Verdugo trying to advance to third base. Whitlock then needed just seven pitches to retire the Rays in order in the top of the ninth.

Devers led the way with three of Boston’s 12 hits and Martinez pitched in two more.

ALCS starts Friday on road

The Red Sox will need to wait a bit to find out who they will battle for the American League pennant. The Astros-White Sox ALDS, which Houston leads, 2-1, will resume Tuesday after Monday’s game was postponed due to inclement weather. Game 4 is slated for 2:07 p.m. ET in Chicago; if the White Sox win, a decisive Game 5 will be played Wednesday night in Houston at 9:07 p.m. ET.

The ALCS will begin Friday with the Red Sox going on the road for the first two games. Here’s a full schedule:

Game 1 -- Friday, Oct. 15, TBA-- Red Sox @ Astros/White Sox -- FOX

Game 2 -- Saturday, Oct. 16, TBA -- Red Sox @ Astros/White Sox -- FOX or FS1

Game 3 -- Monday, Oct. 18, TBA -- Astros/White Sox @ Red Sox -- FS1

Game 4 -- Tuesday, Oct. 19, TBA -- Astros/White Sox @ Red Sox -- FS1

Game 5 (if necessary) -- Wednesday, Oct. 20, TBA -- Astros/White Sox @ Red Sox -- FS1

Game 6 (if necessary) -- Friday, Oct. 22, TBA -- Red Sox @ Astros/White Sox -- FS1

Game 7 (if necessary) -- Saturday, Oct. 23, TBA -- Red Sox @ Astros/White Sox -- FOX or FS1

Related links:

Why aren’t Boston Red Sox wearing yellow uniforms on Marathon Monday? Alex Cora explains

Nick Pivetta earning Red Sox cult-hero status after a fiery extra-inning effort | Matt Vautour

Boston Red Sox use little bit of luck, whole lot of fun to win instant classic and take 2-1 lead over Rays in ALDS | Chris Cotillo

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

X

Opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information

If you opt out, we won’t sell or share your personal information to inform the ads you see. You may still see interest-based ads if your information is sold or shared by other companies or was sold or shared previously.