You’ve heard of legendary MLBbro Boston Red Sox sluggers like Jim Rice and Mo Vaughn. Guys whose games were designed around putting sh*t into the bleachers. Well, top prospect Jeter Downs was recently called up to the majors and could be the next great, Black BoSox rocket launcher. The 23-year-old, drafted in 2017, is finally getting his shot.
Charles Nyonga gives us some intel about the rookie on “Take That.”
Boston Red Sox outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. — renown for his elite glove work — hit his fourth double of the season against the Minnesota Twins on Monday.
In the moment where it seems the Houston Astros were ready to be delivered their last rites, they found a way to keep hope alive.
Dusty Baker’s cool resolve was tested by Boston’s offense but he once again made sure his team’s confidence remained intact. The top of Dusty’s lineup — which had begun hibernating for the winter in the first three games of the series — woke up with a vengeance in Game 4 returning as the catalyst to their 9-2 win at Fenway Park.
Dusty Baker has spent the last 14 1/2 innings outmaneuvering Alex Cora inside Fenway Park. #Astros
— Brian T. Smith (@ChronBrianSmith) October 20, 2021
MLBbro Michael Brantley broke the game open in the ninth inning with a bases-clearing hit.
Michael Brantley clears the basespic.twitter.com/szhk2y7i1i
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) October 20, 2021
Brantley swatted two more hits and the Astros offense kept pounding on the Red Sox pitching again in Game 5, leaving them staggered and heading back to Houston after a 9-1 victory.
The Astros are now in position to clinch their second pennant in three years on Friday at Minute Maid Park.
“That [game four] was a huge win,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said. “To tie that up, to guarantee us to go back home and have some more games at home.”
The Fabulous Baker Boys have erupted for 16 runs and 23 hits off a Boston staff that couldn’t get the final out of an inning for the last 10 in the bean. Houston’s 36 two-out runs were the most by a team through eight games in a single postseason. Fenway Park had been a house of horrors for the Astros until Tuesday night’s historic rally, but like their manager, they keep fighting back.
“I’m just glad that we didn’t quit,” Baker said. “Just a great job overall by the whole team.”
No matter how Dusty Baker plays things behind the mask of cool the Houston Astros won’t beat the Boston Red Sox without the bat of MLBbro Michael Brantley AKA “The Professional.”
His record tying 15-game postseason hit streak came to an end as the Boston Red Sox pounded the Astros 9-5 and evened the series heading back to the bean.
One of the AL’s most prolific offensive players was a bystander in the batter’s box Saturday finishing 0-for-4 in an early evening matchup where those south Texas batting eyes were smiling on something other than the Astros.
They were done in by two historic grand slams in the first inning from J.D. Martinez and in the second inning from Rafael Devers.
Once down 8-0 Houston never quit though. They pecked away at Boston’s lead but could never get a crucial hit to put any real pressure on the Red Sox.
Brantley had a chance to deliver in fifth inning with two runners on base and two outs.
However, the at bat ended in a whimper when he grounded to second off Nathan Eovaldy to kill the rally which deflated a crowd whose energy had finally returned following the grand slams of the first two innings.
Traditionally Eovaldi and game one starter Chris Sale had been Brantley’s kryptonite. Coming into the 2021 ALCS, he was a combined 10-for-51 lifetime against the top two starters for Boston.
During his sizzling postseason run Brantley had 23 hits in 64 at-bats, with two doubles, three home runs, and 13 runs RBI.
He had previously hit safely in every playoff game he’d played in for the Astros. Brantley, was not only driving in runs, he scored eight times.
Heading to Boston, they hoped things would change. Brantley went 1-for-3, but the game got out of hand early as Boston took a 9-0 lead by the third inning, en route to an 12-3 Red Sox win.
Houston wasn’t able to recover from that early death blow and the heart of the AL’s top offense continues to struggle.
Baker will have to find the tonic that will jump start the top of his lineup because the Astros can’t afford Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Brantley to remain in a slumber when they have been catalysts to their prodigious attack all season.
With Boston up 2-1, the ALCS remains up for grabs and the Astros are due for some big blasts of their own.
#MLBbro Ellis Burks had a stellar 18-year MLB career in which he swatted 352 homers and had a career batting average of .291.
He also knows a thing or two about rivalries having played for the Boston Red Sox and the San Francisco Giants. Burks joins Mark Gray on “The Pushback” to talk 2021 MLB Playoffs.