Ladies and gentleman, we have a series.
One night after getting shellacked by the Houston Astros in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series, the Boston Red Sox responded Sunday night with a 7-5 win in Game 2 at Fenway Park.
Both teams exchanged leads early on, but Jackie Bradley Jr.’s three-run double in the third inning gave the Red Sox a lead they would not relinquish, thanks to solid work from starter David Price and 4 1/3 innings from the bullpen.
The series is tied at 1-1.
Here’s how it all went down:
GAME IN A WORD
Even.
After suffering an embarrassing loss in Game 1, Boston bounced back to knot the ALCS at one game apiece.
ON THE BUMP
— Price struggled with his command in the first inning. The Red Sox left-hander issued back-to-back one-out walks to Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman to put runners on first and second and make the Fenway Park crowd tense up early. Price bounced back, though, as the lefty froze Yuli Gurriel with a cutter for out No. 2, and then blew Tyler White away with a high fastball to end the frame.
Houston got to Price in the second when Carlos Correa reached on a one-out infield single and Martin Maldonado followed with a double down the left field line. The lefty got Josh Redick to pop up to shallow center for the second out, but he was unable to escape the inning unscathed, as George Springer tied the game at two by flaring a two-run double down the right field line.
The Astros took the lead in the third. Gurriel laced a one-out single to center and scored when Marwin Gonzalez hammered a two-out two-run home run over the Green Monster.
Price worked a 1-2-3 fourth but was unable to get through the fifth. The left-hander issued a one-out walk to Bregman and then a two-out free pass to White to put runners on first and second, ending his night.
— Matt Barnes struck out Gonzalez to end the fifth. He pitched a 1-2-3 sixth.
— Ryan Brasier worked around a two-out walk to Bregman in the seventh.
— Rick Porcello recorded a perfect eighth with two strikeouts.
— Craig Kimbrel got the first two outs and then surrendered a double to Springer and a single to Altuve to make it 7-5. But the Sox closer got Bregman to fly out to the warning track in left to end the game.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— The Red Sox jumped on Gerrit Cole early in the first inning. Mookie Betts led off the frame with a double to center and scored on an RBI single by Andrew Benintendi.
After J.D. Martinez lined out to second base, Xander Bogaerts tapped one back to the mound but Cole airmailed the throw to first, allowing Benintendi to take third and Bogaerts to scamper to second. Cole then issued a four-pitch walk to Steve Pearce to load the bases for Rafael Devers. The Red Sox third baseman smacked a 2-2 fastball to left field to plate Benintendi and make it 2-0. Cole struck out Ian Kinsler and got Bradley to groundout to end the frame.
— Boston retook the lead in the bottom of the third inning. Bogaerts started the rally with a one-out single and moved to third on a Pearce double off the Green Monster. After a Devers walk loaded the bases, Cole struck out Kinsler for the second out, but Bradley smoked a double off the Monster to clear the bases and make it 5-4.
— Boston added a run in the seventh when Betts led off the inning with a walk. He moved to second on a Lance McCullers Jr. wild pitch and scooted to third on a passed ball. After McCullers struck out Martinez, he bounced a curveball to Bogaerts that skipped away from Maldonado and allowed Betts to scamper home, increasing the Sox’s lead to 6-4.
— The Red Sox further extended their lead in the eighth inning when Betts ripped a two-out RBI single to score Devers.
— Devers and Betts each had two hits.
— Benintendi, Bogaerts, Pearce, Bradley and Mitch Moreland each had a hit.
— Martinez, Kinsler and Vazquez each went hitless.
TWEET OF THE GAME
Mood.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox and Astros will resume their series Tuesday when they play Game 3 at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Nathan Eovaldi is expected to start for Boston, while the ‘Stros will turn to Dallas Keuchel. First pitch is set for 5:09 p.m. ET.
