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They needed one, they got it. Now they need two against a very familiar foe.
That game on Friday felt very similar to the finale in Toronto.
The Detroit Tigers, in an almighty tailspin, kept getting on base. The Red Sox kept getting out of jams and not giving up any runs. But you can only manage to pull a Houdini so many times.
In Toronto the runs came in the sixth inning. At Fenway, the Tigers scored three in the top of the fourth.
Then Alex Cora did what Alex Cora does in big moments. He managed his bullpen masterfully.
When Cora pulled Kyle Harrison, Detroit had runners on second and third with no outs. They didn’t score again as Justin Slaten and Steven Matz combined for the three necessary outs.
Then, just like against the Blue Jays, Boston immediately scored a run in the bottom half of the inning. Masataka Yoshida, who suddenly can’t miss, drove in Alex Bregman. 3-1 Tigers.
Matz was followed by Greg Weissert who was followed by Zack Kelly as the Red Sox bullpen held the visitors to a two run lead through the top of the seventh.
Yoshida hit a single in the seventh before Ceddanne Rafaela crushed a ball off the top of the monster to give Nathaniel Lowe a chance to get an RBI. The first baseman’s sacrifice fly halved the deficit as Yoshida scored. On to the eighth.
Enter Garrett Whitlock.
What a joy it is to have Whitlock pitching at his absolute best again. Aroldis Chapman has been lauded this season for his exploits and rightfully so, but his set up man has been every bit as good. In fact the right handed Whitlock has the lowest Earned Run Average of any reliever in baseball since July first.
The Red Sox have an incredible luxury of knowing if they’re leading or tied after seven innings, it is extremely unlikely their opponent will score another run if Whitlock and Chapman are coming into the game.
Three Tigers batters came up to face Whitlock and three batters made their way back to their dugout. To borrow a phrase from San Diego Padres broadcaster Don Orsillo, “all down by way of the K.”
Rookie catcher Carlos Narváez, after his two massive hits north of the border, hit a single before Nate Eaton replaced him as a pinch runner. Eaton stole second and when the ball hit him then rolled into the outfield, he advanced to third. All Jarren Duran had to do was put the ball in play. The Red Sox leadoff hitter scorched a base hit to left field and Eaton trotted home to tie the game up 3-3.
In stalked Chapman.
Other than two mishaps earlier this month, the Red Sox closer has been so good, words cannot do him justice. At one point he hadn’t given up a hit to 50 consecutive batters.
On Friday however, he gave up a leadoff double, then had to face two batters with a man 90 feet away from giving Detroit a 4-3 lead. He struck them both out in disgusting fashion.
Bring forth the bottom of the ninth at a raucous Fenway with the Red Sox playing in their green city connects. The team leading the majors in walk offs with 11 that is. To that point they had won six games in the Fenway green uniforms. All of them were walk off wins.
For the first time all day Yoshida failed to make it on base but Romy Gonzalez singled to bring Rafaela to the plate.
Last week, the center fielder was pinch hit for late in a game with the Sox needing offense. A brutal display of the lack of confidence his manager had in him to make the correct play in the moment.
But over the last two series Rafaela’s notoriously streaky bat has heated up again. The double he hit in the seventh inning was about a foot short of being a game tying two run homerun. More importantly Rafaela has a propensity for the big moment.
In July, he clobbered a homerun to walk off the Tampa Bay Rays in these very uniforms and earlier this month he hit a monster two run blast to salvage Garrett Crochet’s worst start of the year against the Cleveland Guardians.
That night he swung at the first pitch he saw. This time he displayed infinite patience.
On the second pitch of the at bat, Rafaela thrashed a ball to deep center field, it hit the wall, bounced back onto the field and sent the Red Sox into the postseason.
Gonzalez scored the winning run but the lasting image is Rafaela sliding into third then, while on his knees, curling over to put the top of his head on the base.
He’s stays there for a few seconds before third base coach Kyle Hudson runs over to him.
The pair roar at each other with joy then Rafaela is swamped by his teammates.
It was the perfect way to get back to October.
The other two games weren’t really important except for the fact Sunday’s win ensured the Red Sox are heading to the Bronx to play the Evil Empire in a best of three series. The winner of which, will take on the American East Division winning Toronto Blue Jays.
Boston had the Yankees number this season. At one point they won eight consecutive games against the old enemy. The playoffs, however, are a completely different animal. This team is young and very exciting but as green as their Friday uniforms.
That being said, they only need to win two games. They’re very good at doing that.
Especially when one of those games will be started by Garrett Crochet, who very well could win the American League Cy Young Award. And he has been magnificent against New York’s Yankees.
Now go play pinball with those pinstripes.
Go Sox.