All series long, Rays pitchers could not find ways to get Enrique Hernández out. Even when they finally did, it proved to be the end of Tampa Bay's season.
Hernández hit a walk-off sacrifice fly in Tuesday's Game 4 of the ALDS, lifting the Red Sox to a 6-5 win and a spot in the ALCS. It was Hernández's sixth RBI of the series, capping a 9-for-20 performance in which he spearheaded Boston's high-powered offense.
The Red Sox took a 5-0 lead in the third on four consecutive two-out hits against Rays pitcher Shane McClanahan. Boston broke the scoreless tie on a three-run home run by third baseman Rafael Devers, who crushed the first pitch of the at-bat to straightaway center field.
The Rays clawed their way back into the game with a run in the fifth and a two-run home run by rookie shortstop Wander Franco in the sixth. Tampa Bay tied the game in the eighth and had a runner on second base with no outs, but was unable to grab the lead.
Catcher Cristian Vázquez, who ended Sunday night's Game 4 with a walk-off home run, led off the ninth inning with a single and advanced to third before being lifted for pinch runner Danny Santana, who scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly.
The win puts the Red Sox back in the ALCS for the first time since 2018, when they won the franchise's ninth World Series title. Boston will face the winner of the series between the Astros and White Sox.
