Tuesday, October 19, 2021 • ALCS Game 4 • Fenway Park • Boston, MA
RHP Nick Pivetta (1-0, 3.12) vs. RHP Zack Greinke (0-0, 0.00)
HOUSTON ASTROS NOTES
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Astros and Red Sox will play Game 4 of the 2021 American League Championship Series tonight in the second of three games at Boston’s Fenway Park…RHP Zack Greinke will get the start for the Astros, in what will be his 20th career postseason start…he’ll be opposed by RHP Nick Pivetta, who’s gone 1-0 with a 3.12 ERA in two relief appearances for the Red Sox this postseason.
TONIGHT’S STARTER: RHP Zack Greinke was one of the Astros most reliable starters this season, as he made a club high 29 starts, while racking up 15 quality starts, which ranked tied for sixth in the AL… he worked out of the rotation for most of the season before being slowed in September by two IL stints (COVID-19, neck soreness) and finished the season in the bullpen…Greinke made one elief appearance in the ALDS at CWS, tossing 1.0 scoreless inning… tonight will be his first start in exactly a month (Sept. 19 vs. ARI) and his 20th career postseason start. LCS HISTORY: This marks the Astros fifth straight trip to the ALCS and their ninth appearance overall in a League Championship Series (1980, 1986, 2004-05, 2017-21)…they are the third team in MLB history to advance to five straight LCS (since 1969)…the other clubs to do so: the Braves (1991-99) and A’s (1971-75).
LAST FIVE ALCS MATCHUPS RESULT
2017 Astros vs. Yankees Astros in 7
2018 Astros vs. Red Sox Red Sox in 5
2019 Astros vs. Yankees Astros in 6
2020 Astros vs. Rays Rays in 7
2021 Astros vs. Red Sox —
VS. THE RED SOX: This series features the AL West Champion Astros vs. the Wild Card Red Sox… the Astros went 5-2 against the Red Sox in the regular season, including a 2-1 record in Boston…this series features two of the top offenses in the AL, with the two clubs ranking in the top three in the AL in hits, doubles, batting average, SLG and OPS.
WE MEET AGAIN: This is the third postseason series between the Astros and Red Sox (2017 ALDS, 2018 ALCS)…in their first, the Astros downed the Red Sox in 2017 in four games en route to their World Series title…the Red Sox returned the favor in 2018, downing the Astros in five games en route to their title.
ABOUT GAME 3: The Astros were handed a 12-3 loss last night in Game 3 of the ALCS in Boston…the Red Sox once again jumped out to an early lead, as they held a 9-0 advantage after the first three frames… RF Kyle Tucker provided the only offense for Houston,
as he connected for a three-run homer in the 4th…1B Yuli Gurriel went 2×3 and now has multi-hit games in two of his last three contests
THE LONG BALL: The Astros (5) and Red Sox (9) have combined to hit 14 home runs this series… the Astros now have hit nine homers this postseason, homering at least once in all seven of their contests.
CAPTAIN CLUTCH: With five RBI this postseason, SS Carlos Correa has upped his postseason RBI total to 55, which ranks sixth in MLB history…ten of those are considered game-winning RBI, a total that ranks second in MLB history, trailing only Manny Ramirez, who had 11 game-winning RBI in his postseason career.
ALL-TIME POSTSEASON RBI IN MLB HISTORY
1. Bernie Williams: 80 T4. David Ortiz: 61
2. Manny Ramirez: 78 6. Carlos Correa: 55
3. David Justice: 63 7. Albert Pujols: 54
T4. Derek Jeter: 61 8. Reggie Jackson: 48
FOUR HORSEMAN: Per Elias, including seven games this season, 2B Jose Altuve, 3B Alex Bregman, SS Carlos Correa and 1B Yuli Gurriel have played in more postseason games together than any four teammates in MLB history (64 games)…Altuve and Correa have played 67 postseason games together in the field, the most by any 2B/SS duo in MLB history
TONIGHT’S ASTROS STARTER: RHP ZACK GREINKE
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
2021: 11-6 4.16 30 29 171.0 164 82 79 36 120
CAREER: 219-132 3.41 530 488 3110.0 2892 1263 1179 712 2809
vs. BOS W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
2021: 0-0 12.00 1 1 3.0 7 4 4 1 2
CAREER: 2-5 5.09 9 8 46.0 56 27 26 14 35
Career Complete Games: 17 Last CG: 6/4/21 at TOR
Career Shutouts: 5 Last SHO: 6/7/16 vs. TB
CAREER MLB GAME-HIGHS: 2021 GAME-HIGHS:
Strikeouts: 15, 8/25/09 vs. CLE 8 (2x), last, 7/4 at CLE
Walks: 7 (2x), last, 7/3/13 at COL 4, 5/4 at NYY
Hits: 15, 6/10/05 at ARI 10 (2x), last, 4/17 vs. LAA
Earned Runs: 11, 6/10/05 at ARI 7, 9/14 at TEX
Innings Pitched: 9.0 (11x), last, 6/4/21 at TOR 9.0, 6/4 at TOR
Low-Hit CG: 1, 8/3/09 at SEA 6, 6/4/21 at TOR
CAREER MLB SPLITS:
Home: 124-50-1, 3.19 ERA, 269G/248GS, 567ER/1601.2IP
Away: 95-82, 3.65 ERA, 261G/240GS, 612ER/1508.1IP
Day: 66-40, 3.60 ERA, 162G/151GS, 374ER/936.0IP
Night: 153-92, 3.33 ERA, 368G/337GS, 805ER/2174IP
Longest Winning Streak: 10, 8/23/14-5/5/15
Longest Losing Streak: 8, 9/14/04-5/25/05
2021 SPLITS:
Home: 5-4, 4.87 ERA, 16G/15GS, 46ER/85IP
Away: 6-2, 3.45 ERA, 14G/GS, 33ER/86IP
Day: 2-1, 5.36 ERA, 9G/8GS, 28ER/47IP
Night: 9-5, 3.70 ERA, 21G/GS, 51ER/124IP
Longest Winning Streak: 4, 5/30-6/22
Longest Losing Streak: 3, 8/23-current
BOSTON RED SOX NOTES
STATE OF THE SOX: The Red Sox lead the Astros in the ALCS, 2 games to 1…After losing Game 1 (5-4), the Sox won Games 2 (9-5) and 3 (12-3). This is the 3rd time the Sox have held a 2-1 lead in the ALCS (also 2013 and 2018)…In the previous 2 instances, the Sox went on to win the series. This marks the 28th time since the best-of-7 ALCS format began in 1985 that a team is ahead 2-1 after 3 games…In those 27 previous series, 20 clubs with a 2-1 lead went on to win the ALCS (74%).
GRAND ENTRANCE: The Red Sox hit 2 grand slams in Game 2 of the ALCS and added another in Game 3…They are the only team to hit 3+ grand slams in a Postseason series. The Sox are the 2nd team ever to hit 3+ grand slams in a single Postseason (ATL had 3 in 1998). The Sox are the 5th team to hit a grand slam in backto-back games in a single Postseason, joining the 1977 Dodgers, 2011 Diamondbacks, and 2020 Yankees.
DUCKS ON THE POND: In the Postseason, the Red Sox have hit 3 grand slams and 2 three-run HR…In the regular season, they led the majors with 40 HR with at least 2 runners on base, including a franchise-record 37 three-run HR. 3 of those 5 HR with at least 2 runners on base have given the Sox a lead…In Game 2 of the ALDS, J.D. Martinez broke a 5-5 tie with a 3-run HR in the 5th inning…In Game 4, Rafael Devers broke a scoreless tie with a 3-run HR in the 3rd…In Game 2 of the ALCS, Martinez’s grand slam broke a scoreless tie.
HOW WE GOT HERE: After earning a Postseason berth on the final day of the regular season, the Red Sox defeated the Yankees in the AL Wild Card Game at Fenway Park, 6-2. In the ALDS, the Sox defeated the Rays, 3 games to 1.
DOWN, NOT OUT: The Red Sox began their season by getting swept in a 3-game series vs. BAL…They closed their season by sweeping a 3-game series at WSH. In their season finale on 10/3 at WSH, the Sox trailed 5-1 after 5 innings; they came back to win, 7-5. The Sox lost Game 1 of the ALDS, 5-0, then won the next 3 games…They lost Game 1 of the ALCS, 5-4, then came back to win Games 2 and 3.
COMEBACK KIDS: The Red Sox came from behind to win Games 2 and 3 of the ALDS…During the regular season, the Sox led the majors with 47 come-from-behind wins. The Sox’ largest deficit overcome to win a Postseason game is 7 runs (2008 ALCS-G5, trailed 0-7, won 8-7).
b The Red Sox are 6-2 this Postseason… They are 23-13 (.639) since the start of September, including 17-7 (.708) in their last 24 games, 10-3 (.769) in their last 13, 9-2 (.818) in their last 11, and 5-1 (.833) in their last 6. The Sox are 17-5 in Postseason games since 2018, including 14-3 in their last 17 and 8-2 in their last 10. The Sox are 108-88-1 in 25 trips to the Postseason… They are 1-0 in Wild Card Games and 23-15 in 38 series, having gone 8-6 in 14 trips to the ALDS (26- 26 in games), 6-5 in the ALCS (32-33), and 9-4 in the
World Series (49-29-1).
b The Red Sox have won their last 7 Postseason games played at Fenway Park, the franchise’s longest streak in the venue’s history…They are 58-37-1 all time in home Postseason games (51-35-1 at Fenway). Only 5 teams have won 8+ consecutive home Postseason games: the 1998-2000 Yankees (10), 1987-96 Cardinals (9), 1927-36 Yankees (8), 1995-96 Braves (8), and 2008-09 Phillies (8). The Sox are 43-21 (.672) in their last 64 games at Fenway Park (reg. season + postseason).
IN OUR DEFENSE: The Red Sox have been charged with only 1 error in 8 Postseason games, including none in their last 4 games…They have been charged with only 5 errors in their last 22 games (beginning 9/17).
LEAD THE WAY: Alex Cora is 17-5 (.773) as a manager in the Postseason (all with BOS)…According to Elias, that is the highest winning percentage ever for a manager through their first 22 Postseason games. Under Alex Cora, the Sox are 5-0 in the Postseason in games immediately following a loss. Cora is 5-0 in potential Postseason series-clinching games…According to Elias, the only other managers to begin their careers with a streak that long are Terry Francona (6), Tony La Russa (5), and Casey Stengel (5).
TIEBREAKERS: This marked the 24th time in 52 ALCS that the series had been tied at 1-1 after 2 games…In those 23 previous series, the team that won Game 3 went on to win the ALCS 18 times (78%). This series marked the 4th time the Red Sox lost Game 1 of a best-of-7 ALCS and came back to win Game 2 (also 1986, 2013, ‘18)…In each of the previous 3 instances, they went on to win the series. The last 3 times the Sox lost Game 1 of the ALCS, they went on to win the World Series (2004, ‘13, ‘18).
SOX IN THE ALCS: The Red Sox are making their 12th trip to the ALCS…They are 32-33 all time in the ALCS, including 21-11 in their last 32 games and 10-3 in their last 13. The Sox’ 7 trips to the ALCS since 2003 are tied with the Yankees for the most in that time. In 4 of their last 5 trips to the ALCS, the Sox went on to win the World Series (lost 2008 ALCS to the Rays).
FLAIR FOR THE DRAMATIC: The Red Sox have earned 14 walk-off wins in Postseason history…Since the start of 2004, their 9 walk-off wins in the Postseason rank 1st in the majors; the only other teams with more than 5 walk-off wins in that time are the Astros (7) and Cardinals (6).
WALK IT OFF: The Red Sox earned walk-off wins in Games 3 and 4 of the ALDS…After Christian Vázquez hit a 2-run HR in the 13th inning of Game 3, Kiké Hernández brought in the winning run with a sacrifice fly in the 9th inning of Game 4. This is the 3rd time the Sox have earned multiple walk-off wins in a single Postseason (3 in 2004, 2 in ‘08). The Sox became the 2nd team in MLB Postseason history to clinch a series with back-to-back walk-off wins, joining the 1991 Twins in the World Series (source: STATS).
TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHER
37-NICK PIVETTA, RHP 1-0, 3.12 ERA, 2 appearances
W-L ERA G GS IP ER HR BB SO AVG WHIP
2021 9-8 4.53 31 30 155.0 78 24 65 175 .234 1.30
CAREER 30-38 5.16 125 103 561.1 322 97 218 609 .262 1.39
POSTSEASON 1-0 3.12 2 0 8.2 3 2 3 11 .226 1.15
Recent Trends: Making his first career postseason start.
Pitched in relief in ALDS-G3 vs. TB and tossed scoreless 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th
innings, earning the win (4.0 IP, 3 H, BB, 7 SO).
Is the 5th Red Sox pitcher with 4.0+ scoreless IP in relief during a Postseason game…The others were Ray Collins (1912 WS Game 6, 7.0 IP), Tex Hughson (1946 WS Game 6, 4.1 IP), Pedro Martinez (1999 ALDS Game 5, 6.0 IP), and David Price (2017 ALDS Game 3, .0 IP). Made his postseason debut in Game 1 of the ALDS at TB…Allowed 3 R in 4.2 relief innings (4 H, 2 BB, 4 SO, 2 HR).
Became the 8th pitcher in Red Sox postseason history to throw at least 4.2 innings in relief, the 1st since Nathan Eovaldi in the 2018 World Series.
vs. HOU: Is 0-2 with a 5.25 ERA (7 ER/12.0 IP) in 2 career outings vs. HOU (both starts). Started vs. HOU on 7/25/17 with PHI (6.0 IP, 5 R, 6 H, 1 BB, 7 SO) and 6/2/21 with BOS (6.0 IP, 2 R, 3 H, 2 BB, 9 SO).
2021 Highlights: Posted career bests in wins (9) and ERA (4.53)…His 30 starts, 155.0 IP, 10.16 SO/9.0 IP, and 1.39 HR/9.0 IP were all the 2nd-highest single-season marks of his career.
Led Sox starters in opponent AVG (.234), ranked 2nd in SO/9.0 IP (10.16) and WHIP (1.33), and was 3rd in strikeouts (175).
His 10.16 SO/9.0 IP ranked 6th in the AL (min. 150.0 IP).
Helped the Sox clinch a Postseason berth by earning the save on 10/3 at WSH in his only relief appearance of the season…Threw a perfect 9th inning, striking out Juan Soto (looking) for the final out.
Was 1 of 4 pitchers to make as many as 5 scoreless starts with 5.0+ IP and 2 or fewer hits allowed (also Freddy Peralta-6, Carlos Rodon-6, and Max Scherzer-5).
