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.

Top 5 performances from the Boston Red Sox ALDS victory

No. 5: Garrett Whitlock shutting the door in Game 4

It will probably get overlooked due to some of the other Herculean efforts the Sox got from their bullpen (more on that in a minute), but there’s a very good chance that Garrett Whitlock saved the team’s season last night.

Ryan Brasier was initially brought on in the top of the eighth and was tasked with protecting a two run lead. That didn’t happen, as Brasier gave up three straight hits, including a pair of the doubles, that allowed Tampa to tie the game at five. Whitlock was quickly called upon, and inherited the go-ahead run on second base with nobody out.

Whitlock proceeded to do what he has done all season; get guys out. He got Wander Franco, who was easily Tampa’s best player in the series, to fly out to shallow right field, forcing the runner on second (Randy Arozarena) to stay put. He then induced a pair of ground ball outs from Brandon Lowe and Nelson Cruz to kill the threat, keeping the score tied at five.

The impact of Whitlock’s clutch pitching cannot be overexaggerated. The Rays had been chipping away at a five run deficit the entire game, and finally evened the score. And just when it seemed like they were about to find a way to send this series back to Tampa Bay for Game 5, Whitlock stepped in and saved the day.

Whitlock came back out for the top of the ninth inning, and did pretty much the same thing he did the inning before, minus the suspense of a runner on second. Whitlock kept the game tied, and set the stage for the heroics that would follow in the bottom of the inning. There were flashier performances for sure, but Whitlock stepped up and delivered in the most important situation the team has faced this season.

No. 4: Tanner Houck’s five huge innings in Game 2

It’s safe to say that ten innings into this series, things weren’t looking good for Boston. After getting shut out in Game 1, the team found themselves down 5-2 after just one inning in Game 2, which resulted in their top starter, Chris Sale, getting knocked out of the game earlier than expected. Tanner Houck was summoned from the bullpen, and he did not disappoint.

Houck came up huge for the Sox, and kept them in a game that very easily could have gotten away from them. He got through five innings while only giving up two hits and one run while striking out five. When Houck entered the game, the score was 5-2 Tampa; when he left, it was 9-6 Boston.

That right there highlights the impact of Houck’s standout performance. This game had the potential to go off the rails for the Sox, but Houck came in and held down the fort admirably. He gave Boston the chance to make their way back into the game, and it ended up resulting in a huge victory for the Sox.

In a bullpen that has struggled to find consistent pitching all season long, Houck has quickly emerged as one of manager Alex Cora’s top options. Sure, he struggled a bit in Game 4, giving up an untimely two run home run to Franco, but Houck still managed to get out of the inning, which is something some of his peers cannot say. Houck was mightily important against Tampa, and he will continue to be as long as this team is playing baseball this season.

No. 3: Christian Vazquez’s Game 3 heroics

It’s probably safe to say that Christian Vazquez’s walk-off home run in the 13th inning of Game 3 was the most important play of the series. Just a few minutes before this, it seemed like the Rays had taken the lead thanks to Kevin Kiermaier, only to have the call reversed, ensuring the Sox could win the game with just one run in the bottom half of the inning. Vazquez decided one wasn’t enough, and got two instead.

Much has been made about the Kiermaier play, but it ultimately is irrelevant considering Vazquez would have ended the game either way with one swing. It felt like the balance of the series was up in the air, and was beginning to swing towards Tampa Bay’s side. Vazquez stepped up and ensured that wouldn’t be the case, and gave Boston the ammunition they needed to make sure there wouldn’t be a Game 5.

Vazquez had to be at the bottom of the list of people who were expected to end this game, which makes it all the more enjoyable. Vazquez seemingly lost his power stroke this season, but proved that when his team needed a home run the most, he was capable of stepping up and delivering.

It felt like Boston needed to win Game 3 in order to have a shot at winning the series, especially after they coughed a lead earlier in the game. Vazquez made sure that the lead wouldn’t be squandered, and sent the fans home happy after a 13 inning marathon. While Vazquez had the play of the night, he was ultimately outdone by the pitcher who saved them on the other side.

No. 2: Nick Pivetta’s game-saving heroics in Game 3

Nick Pivetta was supposed to be Boston’s starting pitcher in Game 4. But when Game 3 ended up going to extra-innings, Cora quickly changed his plan. He brought Pivetta out of the pen, and the move probably couldn’t have ended up working out better than it did.

Pivetta ended up going four innings, despite the fact he went 4.2 innings in Game 1. All in all, Pivetta threw 140 pitches within a 72 hour span. That makes Pivetta’s brilliant outing in Game 3 all the more special.

Pivetta only gave up three hits and a walk during his four inning stint in extra innings. Pivetta’s ability to limit the traffic on the bases was crucial, as even one fluke run could have ended Boston’s night. To top if off, Pivetta picked up seven strikeouts, and was fired up each and every time he escaped another inning unscathed. His infectious attitude certainly gave Boston’s lineup the boost it needed to end the contest.

While it wasn’t the same as Nathan Eovaldi’s legendary six inning performance in extra innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2018 World Series, this was probably as close as we are going to get to a follow up on Eovaldi’s game.

Pivetta had to be perfect in order to keep the Red Sox alive, and he was. The most trouble he ran into was in the top of the 13th with Kiermaier’s double, but he stranded two runners in scoring position by picking up a huge strikeout against Mike Zunino. Boston would win the game only a few minutes later.

You can never have too many good arms in the postseason, and Pivetta was the best of the bunch thanks to his clutch pitching in Game 3. Without him, Boston doesn’t win this game. The Red Sox haven’t exactly gotten great outings from their starters, so expect to see Pivetta early and often in the ALCS again.

No. 1: Kike Hernandez’s performance during the entire series

Kike Hernandez chose the right time to become the hottest hitter in all of baseball, and he powered Boston’s offense to their four game victory over the Rays. Whether it was his five hit outing in Game 2, or when he got a hit in seven straight at-bats, or his walk-off sacrifice fly in Game 4, Hernandez was at the center of the action throughout the entire series, and was easily the Red Sox most important player throughout.

Hernandez finished the series with a .450 batting average to go along with two home runs and six runs batted in. He got more than half of those hits in Game 2, when he went 5-6 at the plate, and helped jumpstart the offense after they were shutout in Game 1. Of those five hits, one was a home run, and three were doubles. Simply put, Hernandez was on fire.

Hernandez followed that up with a 3-6 line in Game 3, which was equally important. He had a clutch RBI single in the third inning that helped tie the game at two, and then hit a solo home run in the fifth that ended up being massively important due to Tampa rallying to tie the game later on.

And then Hernandez found himself with a chance to end the series last night in Game 4. As he had done the entire series, he got the job done. Hernandez hit a fly ball into left that was deep enough to allow Danny Santana to tag up and score, sending Boston to the ALCS.

Hernandez was the biggest piece of the offense’s success, which says a lot about his performance. Despite Xander Bogaerts‘ consistent hitting, J.D. Martinez’s return to the lineup, or Rafael Devers‘ penchant for timely hits, it was Hernandez who stood out among the rest. Without Hernandez, Boston wouldn’t be moving onto the next round, and they are certainly going to need him to continue hitting if they intend on making it out of the Championship round.