With the first stage of the Major League Baseball playoffs overcome, the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox will meet starting this Friday in the series for the American League pennant in a dream cap.
With an offense of 14 hits, the Astros crushed the Chicago White Sox 10 × 1 on Tuesday and advanced to the ‘New Circuit’ Championship, while the ‘Reds’ had done so on Monday in another dramatic game against the Rays. from Tampa Bay 6 × 5.
The Astros and Red Sox are teams that have recently savored the honeys of victory in the World Series, the former won it in 2017 and the Boston team did so in 2018 (they had also been crowned in 2013).
The Astros could win the American League Championship for the third time in the last five years, accumulating wins in the 2017 and 2019 editions, being World Series champions the first time around.
– Astros for revenge –
With their triumph over the White Sox, the Astros removed a thorn from many years since they had taken the opportunity to shout champion in the World Series in 2005.
Now they will also be able to retaliate against the ´patirrojos´, a team that beat them in 2018 in that instance. The Red Sox won the World Series that year against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
According to the results of the first round of the playoffs, the Championship Series – the best of seven games – should be full of sparks.
The Astros scored 31 runs with their offense in four games and their pitching allowed 18 against the White Sox, for a good average, while the “Reds” finished with 26 and 20, respectively, somewhat closer results.
Both the Venezuelan José Altuve and the Puerto Rican Carlos Correa looked great for Houston as they usually do in the playoffs, while the Dominican Rafael Devers and the Puerto Ricans Kike Hernández and Christian Vázquez, among others, also looked for the Red Sox.
«It is not surprising to anyone. They are special moments, and we usually reach our best when October arrives, “Correa said when they got the ticket.
For their part, the ´patirrojos´ also reach this stage with their usual formula of good baseball.
The Red Sox knocked out the Tampa Bay Rays, champions last year in the American League and then lost to the Dodgers in the World Series.
The Boston boys were very aggressive in this first stage, leaving the Florida ninth on the field for two games in a row.
In both Houston Park and Fenway Park that noisy and enthusiastic atmosphere will continue to be seen as in the first stage of the playoffs.
Saturday will kick off the National League Championship Series, where the Atlanta Braves, who eliminated the Milwaukee Brewers, await the winner of the other Division Series between the San Francisco Giants and the defending champions Los Angeles Dodgers. , which is tied at two wins per side.
The Braves eliminated the Brewers in a close 5×4 game Tuesday thanks to a home run by star Freddy Freeman.
In the series, the winners came out with a defeat in the first game and then won three in a row, to now go on to discuss the league title at the ‘Old Circuit’ for the second consecutive year, since last year they lost in that instance to the Dodgers. AFP (HN)