The Houston Astros are now one win away from the World Series after a dominating 9-1 win over the Boston Red Sox.
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This was perhaps the most complete game for the Astros combining both hitting and pitching.
On the mound, Framber Valdez put together the deepest start of any Astros starting pitcher so far this series, which includes his own effort in Game 1. In this game, Valdez was nothing short of dominant, pitching eight innings, with a Rafael Devers solo homer as the only blemish. In total, Valdez gave up three hits while striking out five and walking one.
Offensively, Yordan Alvarez led the way to start with hits in his first three at-bats off Red Sox starter Chris Sale. Those hits were productive - Alvarez had a home run, drove in three, and scored twice. After Alvarez had driven in all three runs for an Astros 3-0 lead, the rest of the offense picked it up and added some wiggle room. Yuli Gurriel, Jose Siri, and Michael Brantley all had run-scoring hits to help the Astros to a 7-0 advantage. After Devers’ homer for the Red Sox, Gurriel drove in two more in the ninth for the final margin.
The Astros now come home to Houston with two chances for the one win needed to clinch the ALCS and to also clinch their ticket to the World Series. Game 6 is Friday night, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:08 p.m. Central time.