*Photo from MassLive*
They were supposed to finish in 4th place. They were supposed to underachieve, hover around .500 all year. Now, they're heading to the playoffs. Rafael Devers homered twice, Alex Verdugo drove in two runs, and the Boston Red Sox clinched a playoff spot with a 7-5 win over the Washington Nationals on Sunday afternoon.
With the win, the Red Sox remained tied in the wild card standings with their archrivals, the New York Yankees, who also clinched a playoff spot. But, since the Red Sox won the season series against the Yankees 10-9, the Red Sox will play host to New York in the wild card game. It's a big statement for a team that wasn't supposed to be anywhere near a playoff spot this season.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of facing the Yankees in the wild card game that "We'll be ready. It should be fun. I think baseball enjoys it. I think our fans will show up on Tuesday and make Fenway feel like home. We wanted to play at home for a lot of reasons. At the same time, having that last at-bat is always important. It should be a fun atmosphere at Fenway Park. Always amazing."
The game started in favor of the Nationals. Jordy Mercer gave the Nats a 1-0 lead with an RBI double in the second inning. In the 3rd, a bases loaded walk drawn by Ryan Zimmerman gave Washington a 2-0 lead to start. In the 4th, Devers answered for the Red Sox with a solo home run to center field, cutting the lead in half and making it a 2-1 score. In the 5th, the Nationals took a 5-1 lead on an RBI groundout and a two run double.
In the 6th inning, the Red Sox started inching back when an infield single by Christian Vazquez scored Jose Iglesias and cut the Washington lead to 5-2. In the 7th, Devers made it a 5-3 game by lacing an RBI single. Later that inning, Verdugo roped a two run double to right center field, tying the game 5-5 in dramatic fashion. In the 9th, Devers provided a missile of a two run home run, putting Boston ahead 7-5 and sending the bench into bedlam.
Devers said postgame that "I just kept talking to myself, ‘I’ve got to help the team, I’ve got to help the team. I’ve got to come through for our team.’ And we came through. Obviously this is just our first celebration. But with God leading the way, we’ll win the next game, and we’ll get to the division series."
Chris Sale got the start for the Red Sox, but was yanked after 2 1/3 innings, after issuing the bases loaded walk to Zimmerman. It was Eduardo Rodriguez who got the win in relief, needing just 8 pitches to cruise through the 8th inning, improving to 13-8 this season. Nick Pivetta picked up the save, his first of the season, to secure the playoff spot. Hirokazu Sawamura, Garrett Richards, Martin Perez, and Garrett Whitlock also made relief appearances.
Kyle Finnegan got hit with the loss for Washington, allowing the two run homer to Devers in the 9th. It ruined a spectacular start for Joan Adon, making his MLB debut in the season finale. Adon allowed two runs on 6 hits and 3 walks, racking up 9 strikeouts while pitching 5 1/3 innings. Patrick Murphy, Erick Fedde, Andres Machado, and Jhon Romero also pitched.
Nationals manager Dave Martinez, asked about a disappointing end to a disappointing season, said he was "Bummed. Obviously, you grind out this whole year for one expectation and that’s to get to the playoffs and World Series. That didn’t happen this year. We're going to get better. We're going to get better really quick."
The Nationals honored longtime players and current Nats Zimmerman and Alex Avila in the 9th inning, with each getting rousing ovations from the hometown crowd, as well as the players on both teams, for their long and incredible careers, as both look to have played their final MLB games. Zimmerman also got a long ovation in the second inning as well, wiping tears from his eyes before he came up to bat.
For the Red Sox, they face the Yankees to see who goes to the ALDS on Tuesday, with Nathan Eovaldi starting the wild card game. The Nationals go home for the winter as they look to reload for next season.
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