Astros vs. Red Sox score: Houston advances to World Series by shutting out


The Houston Astros defeated the Boston Red Sox 5-0 (box score) in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series on Friday night. As a result, the Astros win the 2021 American League pennant and will advance to their third World Series in five years. The Red Sox, conversely, will head home for the winter, having lost the best-of-seven series by a 4-2 margin.

The Astros received a stellar start from rookie right-hander Luis Garcia, atoning for his poor performance in Game 2. Garcia threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings, holding the Red Sox to a single hit (an Enrique Hernández triple in the sixth) and a walk. He struck out seven batters and showed no ill effects from the knee injury that plagued him earlier in the series.

The Astros were paced offensively by Yordan Alvarez. He delivered a pair of doubles as well as a triple. He drove in one run and scored the other. 

Nathan Eovaldi, pitching just two days after his Game 5 relief appearance, permitted five hits and a walk across 4 1/3 innings. He gave up a run and struck out four batters. 

The Astros will await the winner of the National League Championship Series between the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Braves lead that series by a 3-2 margin heading into Saturday’s Game 6 at Truist Park in Atlanta. 

Now for some takeaways from the decisive Game 6. 

Luis Garcia had a strong start

Luis Garcia came into his Game 6 start having struggled in the postseason. After one ALDS start and a start in ALCS Game 2, Garcia had a 24.55 ERA, more walks than strikeouts, and batters owned a line of .389/.542/.778 against him in these playoffs. To compound matters, Garcia was forced to exit that Game 2 start against Boston with knee discomfort. 

Given all that, expectations were somewhat low for Garcia coming into Game 6. As it turns out, they should not have been. In 5 2/3 shutout innings, Garcia allowed only one hit — he exited after giving up that lone hit — and struck out seven against one walk. Of his 76 pitches, 52 went for strikes. 

Maybe the extra day of rest between starts helped, but for the most part it was probably some mechanical tweaks that allowed Garcia to level up. Prior to Game 6, Garcia adjusted his drive foot on the mound, which not only helped ease the strain on his knee but also unlocked his stuff. The velocity on the fastball was up significantly: 

And the late movement on his pitches, particularly his cutter, was truly impressive. In related matters, Boston couldn’t sniff his cutter all night, as they swung at the offering 13 times and whiffed on it 12 times. 

What’s further encouraging for Houston is that since a mechanical adjustment underpins the improved velocity and movement, there’s a solid chance it’s sustainable going into the World Series. 

Martín Maldonado helped save Game 6 for Houston

Seventh inning, one out, Astros up 2-0, but the Red Sox have runners on the corners. Take it away, Kendall Graveman and — most of all — Martín Maldonado: 

That’s a strikeout-throwout to cut down Alex Verdugo on his attempted steal of second and end the threat. That’s also a museum-worthy throw by Maldonado that perfectly tailed into Carlos Correa’s…



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