What a decade this was in New England sports! As we move into the 2020s, join NESN.com in counting down the best moments in New England sports from 2010-2019. (And check out the rest of our “Best of the Decade” content here.)
When people talk about the 2018 Boston Red Sox, they remember a team that dominated its competition (franchise-record 119 wins) en route to a World Series championship. As such, it’s easy to forget the many moments in which the season hung in the balance.
There was no play more pivotal than what Andrew Benintendi did to end Game 4 of the American League Championship Series. A play so good, in fact, that it was chosen by NESN.com as the No. 7 moment of the decade in New England sports.
Trailing 8-6 in the bottom of the ninth in Houston, the Astros loaded the bases with two outs against Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel, who struggled mightily throughout the 2018 postseason. With star third baseman Alex Bregman at the plate, the Astros had a great chance at stealing a win and tying the series at two games apiece. When Bregman hit a sinking line drive to left field, you could hear a pin drop across Red Sox nation.
Then Benintendi did this:
You know the rest: The Red Sox eliminated the Astros the next night and only needed five games to knock off the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Fall Classic. The 2018 Sox now rightly are viewed by many as the greatest baseball team Boston ever has seen.
However, a far different story might have been written had Benintendi not made one of the greatest catches in Red Sox history.
