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SPORTS Friday 26 OctOber 2018

Price pitches Red Sox past

Dodgers for 2-0 Series lead

By JIMMY GOLEN troit or Boston, his team had the game before Martinez,
AP Sports Writer never won a playoff game who had 130 RBIs in the
BOSTON (AP) — From play- he started before this year. regular season, dropped a
off flop to October ace in But the Red Sox have now flare in front of right fielder
two legacy-shifting starts, won his last three postsea- Yasiel Puig for a two-run sin-
David Price earned his sec- son starts, including the gle that gave Boston a 4-2
ond postseason victory in a ALCS Game 5 clincher lead.
row and moved the Boston against the defending BIG FINISH
Red Sox halfway to yet an- World Series champion As- Price and three relievers re-
other World Series title. tros in which he pitched six tired the last 16 Los Angeles
The Red Sox left-hander shutout innings. batters, with Craig Kimbrel
pitched six innings of three- "I get it, the numbers and all closing out the Dodgers in
hit ball, and major league that. But this guy is a great the ninth for his sixth save
RBI leader J.D. Martinez pitcher," Boston manager this postseason . Not since
broke a fifth-inning tie dur- Alex Cora said. "He's been Don Larsen's 1956 perfect
ing another two-out rally one of the best pitchers in game for the Yankees
to beat the Los Angeles the big leagues for a while, against the Brooklyn Dodg-
Dodgers 4-2 on Wednes- and he cares." ers has an AL team retired
day night. On a frigid night at Fen- as many consecutive hit-
Game 3 is Friday in Los An- way Park, Price held the ters to finish a World Series
geles. The Dodgers need a highest-scoring team in the game, according to STATS.
win to avoid an 0-3 deficit NL hitless through three in- "We had him. We had him
that no World Series team nings and retired the last on the ropes," Los Ange-
has ever recovered from. seven batters he faced. He les manager Dave Roberts
"This is the biggest stage struggled only in the fourth, said. "The difference is they
in baseball," Price said af- loading the bases with no- got the big hit when they
ter his longest postseason body out on two singles needed, and we didn't."
outing since signing a sev- and a walk as the Dodgers Boston's other run came
en-year, $217 million con- took a 2-1 lead — their first on Kinsler's two-out single
tract to come to Boston of the Series. in the second. The Red
in 2016. "To be able to do "I'm so happy for him and Sox, who led the majors in
that, it feels good, for sure. proud of him," Martinez two-out runs in the regular
I'm pumped for myself, said. "Going through all that season, have scored 36 of
pumped for all my team- criticism that he's been get- their 68 runs this postseason
mates and coaches for us ting here, to bounce back — and nine of their 12 in the
to be two wins away." to what he's been doing." Series — with two outs.
Mookie Betts had three hits And the Red Sox batters IN A HOLE
for the Red Sox, who have did what they've been do- The last 10 teams to win the Boston Red Sox starting pitcher David Price throws during the first
won 14 of their last 16 World ing: scoring with two outs. first two games of the World inning of Game 2 of the World Series baseball game against the
Series games dating to a In an uncanny stretch of Series — and 16 of the last Los Angeles Dodgers Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018, in Boston.
four-game sweep of the clutch hitting that's been 17 — have gone on to Associated Press
St. Louis Cardinals in 2004. their hallmark throughout win it all. And the NL West
They have won two more their 108-win season, the champions will need to do Andrew Benintendi made Dodgers center fielder
championships since then, Red Sox scored all their runs it against a team that has a leaping, spread-eagle Cody Bellinger may have
in '07 and '13. in Game 2 with two outs, won six straight postseason catch to rob Brian Dozier done him one better, slid-
Not bad for a team that including a three-run rally games and five in a row on of an extra-base hit lead- ing under Martinez's long
went the previous 86 years in the fifth that only started the road. ing off the fifth. With the drive to make a nice grab
without a title. after Hyun-Jin Ryu set down "We're just in the middle of ball tailing away from him in the eighth.
And Price had battled a Ian Kinsler and Jackie Brad- the World Series," Dodgers toward the corner, Benin- UP NEXT
curse of his own. ley Jr. first baseman David Freese tendi jumped, kicked and The teams head to the
The one-time Dodgers draft Christian Vazquez singled, said. "We're down 2-0, we pulled it in a few feet in West Coast for Game 3 at
pick has pitched like an Betts did the same and An- get that. We just under- front of the Green Monster Dodger Stadium on Friday.
ace in the regular season drew Benintendi worked stand that Game 3 is a ne- scoreboard. Rookie right-hander Walk-
but was 0-9 in his first 10 the count full before walk- cessity, just like Game 2." "Me and Mookie work on er Buehler is scheduled
postseason starts before ing to load the bases, GREAT CATCH our ballet a lot, especially to pitch for Los Angeles
this October. Whether with chasing Ryu. Ryan Madson One night after getting in spring training," Beninten- against likely Boston starter
Tampa Bay, Toronto, De- walked Steve Pearce to tie four hits, Red Sox left fielder di said. Rick Porcello.q