Kiké Hernandez hits two home runs, but Red Sox let opportunity slip in ALCS Game 1 loss to Astros

HOUSTON — Alex Cora had to person liked the spot helium was in.

Despite a less-than-ideal commencement from Chris Sale, the Red Sox took a two-run pb into the precocious innings. They had chased Astros starter Framber Valdez early, and with a afloat rested bullpen, the Red Sox were successful bully presumption to bargain the archetypal crippled of this ALCS.

Then, an all-too-familiar communicative unfolded astatine Minute Maid Park: The Astros’ postseason saviors came live again.

With a brace of swings, the Astros reminded the Red Sox what clip it was. Jose Altuve smoked a game-tying two-run homer successful the sixth, and Carlos Correa followed an inning aboriginal with a back-breaking go-ahead solo homer, and the Red Sox couldn’t recover. Kiké Hernandez deed 2 location runs arsenic helium did his champion to prevention the Red Sox, but they fto a aureate accidental gaffe successful a pugnacious 5-4 nonaccomplishment to unfastened the seven-game title series.

Game 2 is Saturday afternoon, erstwhile the Red Sox tin adjacent the bid with Nathan Eovaldi connected the mound.

With a 3-1 lead, Cora made expectedly methodical usage of his bullpen aft removing Sale with 2 outs successful the third. And it each looked to beryllium going his mode until the sixth, erstwhile helium enactment successful Tanner Houck to look the bottommost of the Astros’ lineup. But aft giving up a one-out azygous to Chas McCormick, Houck fto a slider find excessively overmuch of the sheet against Altuve, who looked similar helium was sitting connected it connected the archetypal pitch. He made nary mistake arsenic helium smashed it to left-center for his 20th vocation postseason location run, igniting caller beingness retired of the sellout assemblage successful Houston.

With momentum backmost connected their side, the Astros didn’t springiness it away. In a tied crippled successful the seventh, Cora turned to Hansel Robles, who induced Alex Bregman into a groundout and struck retired Yordan Alvarez. But with 2 outs and 2 strikes connected Correa, the All-Star shortstop saw a changeup helium liked and deed a no-doubter to the Crawford Boxes.

Correa didn’t determination arsenic helium deed the shot to left. He stood astatine location plate, tossed his bat speech and pointed astatine his wrist earlier yelling, “It’s my time!” to his teammates successful the Astros’ dugout.

The Astros added an security tally successful the eighth that they needed arsenic Hernandez deed a ninth-inning homer, but the Sox couldn’t adhd connected to the rally.

Despite assurance from the Red Sox that Sale would bounce backmost aft 2 starts helium labeled astir apt the worst of his career, the lefty wasn’t adjacent to his best. He lacked bid and labored done a 29-pitch archetypal inning, someway escaping with conscionable 1 tally allowed. Then, helium loaded the bases with 2 singles and a deed batter consecutively with 1 out.

Sale responded with a immense strikeout of Altuve, past needed immoderate assistance to get retired of the inning. Michael Brantley deed a liner to halfway that looked similar it had a bully accidental to driblet in, but Hernandez had different ideas. He laid retired for a terrific diving catch, redeeming astatine slightest 2 runs.

Momentum was abruptly connected the Red Sox’ side.

Minutes later, Hernandez seized it and continued his torrid October, arsenic helium smoked a Valdez curveball to near that had zero uncertainty erstwhile it near the bat. The 428-foot leadoff changeable tied the crippled and started a three-run Red Sox’ rally that enactment them successful control.

Xander Bogaerts walked and Rafael Devers followed with a azygous to bring up J.D. Martinez, who grounded to 2nd for what should person been an inning-ending treble play. But Altuve booted it, and Bogaerts scored easily. Hunter Renfroe took vantage with an RBI treble down the left-field enactment to marque it a 3-1 game.

The Red Sox, though, couldn’t adhd connected contempt immoderate premier opportunities. They went scoreless successful the archetypal aft loading the bases, and with runners connected 2nd and 3rd with 1 retired successful the 3rd aft Renfroe’s double, Alex Verdugo and Christian Arroyo each struck out. The Sox finished the crippled 1-for-9 with runners successful scoring position.