Jose Altuve put the exclamation point on game four of the ALDS with a three-run home run in the ninth to push the Houston Astros back into the ALCS with a 10-1 win. The Astros now head to their fifth-straight ALCS to face former bench coach Alex Cora and the Boston Red Sox. With their defeat of the Chicago White Sox in the ALDS, the Astros became only the third team to make five consecutive League Championship Series appearances (Oakland Athletics, 1971-1975; Atlanta Braves, 1991-1999).
Game Four Recap
The Astros got behind early on, then took a 2-1 lead in the third when Carlos Correa doubled off White Sox starter Carlos Rodon, bringing in Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman. They would then add to their lead in the fourth inning. Martin Maldonado would single to center and scored Kyle Tucker after he stole second and third base. An Alex Bregman double that would score Altuve and Maldonado would make it 5-1. Michael Brantley would single in the sixth to bring in Chas McCormick to make 6-1. He would single again in the eight to plate Altuve and make it 7-1. Altuve would then go on to make it 10-1 with his homer in the ninth.
Lance McCullers Jr. started for the Astros, going four innings and allowing one run on five hits while striking out five. He was not as great as he was in game one but was good enough. He exited the game due to forearm tightness and hopefully will be available for the ALCS. The bullpen would finish the game off with five scoreless innings, with Yimi Garcia picking up the win.
Looking Ahead
The Astros will get ready to appear in their fifth consecutive ALCS, where they will face the Red Sox in a rematch of the 2018 ALCS. The Red Sox would win that series in five games en route to their World Series title. The Red Sox are coming off their ALDS win where they ousted the number one seed Tampa Bay Rays three games to one. Game one will be on Friday night at Minute Maid Park. The Astros and Red Sox faced each other twice in the regular season, with Houston winning the season series four games to two. This series will be fun to watch. Friday cannot get here fast enough.