Boston Red Sox: Top 5 performances from a victorious ALDS series

Despite being underdogs heading into the series, the Boston Red Sox have emerged victorious from their American League Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays finished as the top team in the American League, while the Sox needed a dramatic come from behind victory in Game 162 against the Washington Nationals just to hold onto a Wild Card spot.

Once the best of five series kicked off though, it was clear all of that was irrelevant. The Red Sox knew they had to win three games before the Rays did, and they were able to accomplish that. For most of the second half of the season, it seemed like Boston would be lucky to hold onto a Wild Card spot. Now they are going to be one of the last four teams playing baseball this season.

A lot of things had to go right for Boston to come out on top in this series, and for most part, those things went right. The pitching was solid up and down the roster for the most part, and they accomplished their most important challenge of the series, which was to limit the walks. Boston’s lineup on the other hand tormented a Tampa Bay pitching staff that had generally kept the Sox in check during the regular season.

While not everyone performed as expected in this series (a reminder that Chris Sale only pitched one inning this series) most of the roster stepped up and delivered when their team needed them the most. Let’s take a look at the Boston Red Sox top five performances from their thrilling ALDS victory over the Rays.