Can you survive watching the final three outs of ALDS Game 4?
When the Red Sox took the field in the bottom of the ninth inning of Tuesday night's ALDS Game 4 with a 4-1 lead, victory seemed pretty well in hand. They had one of the best and most consistent closers of the last decade on the mound in
If you're looking to relive the excitement of the bottom of the ninth, come along for the ride.
The inning didn't take long to get going. There was no quick first out to lull Red Sox fans into a false sense of security. Instead, Kimbrel walked Judge on four pitches to get a runner on base from the start.
Four-pitch walk to Aaron Judge to start off the 9th inning... pic.twitter.com/eudHnkFqtm
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) October 10, 2018
After
Unfortunately for the Red Sox -- but fortunately for thrill-seekers -- Kimbrel did not immediately settle down from there. Kimbrel followed the strikeout of Stanton by walking
Kimbrel did not allow Walker to drive himself home and win the game. Instead, he hit him with the first pitch to bring in the first Yankees run of the inning.
65% odds this is about to become The Neil Walker Game.
— Jon Tayler, Smiling Politely (@JATayler) October 10, 2018
If this comforts you at all, Joe Kelly is warming up.
— Ian Browne (@IanMBrowne) October 10, 2018
The thing with the Yankees' lineup is that there's danger lurking everywhere in the order. With the bases still loaded, Sanchez came to the plate. After a couple massive swings earlier in the at-bat, he got ahold of Kimbrel's 3-2 pitch and ... very nearly walked it off.
Talk about just missing it... 107.1 MPH at a 46 degree launch angle.
— Daren Willman (@darenw) October 10, 2018
Now with two outs,
Thanks to some great defense from
Let's take another look at that stretch:
THE STEVE PEARCE STRETCH WILL LIVE ON FOREVER pic.twitter.com/SSYjeDhWgN
— Cespedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) October 10, 2018
Thanks to that stretch and Kimbrel's tightrope walking, the two winningest teams in baseball (Red Sox and Astros) will face off in the ALCS, beginning Saturday.