Michael Brantley looked as if he was going to put Game 1 of the American League Championship Series between the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox out of reach with a bases-loaded line drive. But then Kiké Hernández happened.
Brantley drove the ball to center field but Hernández made a spectacular diving catch in the bottom of the second inning to save at least two runs. It was a bit Andrew Benintendi-esque from 2018 and helped keep the Red Sox from going into a bigger hole.
It looked like a near-impossible catch off the jump, but Hernández was confident all along he’d make it.
“I didn’t think I had a good first step on that one because when (Chris) Sale is on the mound, it’s a little tough because he crosses up so much, and his slider starts so — like basically it started at Brantley, and then I kind of lost the ball because of Sale’s body and stuff,” Hernández told reporters after the ultimate 5-4 loss, per ASAP Sports. “I knew it was a slider, and sliders down and away that get hit out front usually go to my left, and that ball got hit to my right.
“And I haven’t gone back and looked at my step, but I want to say that my first step was either a little left or I froze for a second. But off the bat, I knew that I was going to have a chance to catch it. It was just a matter of whether I had to dive or not, and the ball hung up enough for me to make a dive play.”
While Hernández’s catch was one for the highlight reel, it was the Astros who ultimately got the last laugh went up 1-0 in the ALCS with a 5-4 win.
The Red Sox look to even the series Saturday at 4:20 p.m. ET. You can watch a full hour of pregame coverage on NESN.
