Game 1 had a home run and three
RBIs in Game 1.
Framber Valdez of the Astros was matched up against
Chris Sale of the Red Sox, but the game would soon turn into a bullpen affair. The Red Sox
loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the first, but were unable to score. The Astros scored a run in the bottom of the first;
Jose Altuve, who had drawn a leadoff walk, scored on a
sacrifice fly by
Yordan Alvarez. In the bottom of the second, Houston loaded the bases with one out but did not score. A leadoff home run by
Kiké Hernández in the top of the third tied the game. A one-out walk by
Xander Bogaerts, followed by a single and an
error, gave Boston a 2–1 lead, and
Hunter Renfroe then doubled to make it a 3–1 game. With two out in the top of the third,
Yimi García relieved Houston starter
Framber Valdez. In the bottom of the frame, Sale left with two on and two out, relieved by
Adam Ottavino. The game stayed this way for the next few innings as both teams would use seven relievers. A two-run homer by Altuve off of
Tanner Houck with two out in the bottom of the sixth tied the game, 3–3. It was the 20th postseason homer of Altuve's career, tying him with
Derek Jeter for third on the MLB all-time list while also marking him as the fastest hitter to 20 home runs in the postseason.
Carlos Correa put Houston ahead, 4–3, with a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh off of
Hansel Robles. After the Astros loaded the bases with none out in the bottom of the eighth off of Red Sox reliever
Hirokazu Sawamura, an Altuve sacrifice fly gave Houston a 5–3 lead. Boston got a run back to start the ninth, as Hernández homered off of Houston
closer Ryan Pressly. Pressly then retired the next three batters, giving Houston the win and a 1–0 lead in the series. The teams combined to use 16 total pitchers in the game, eight each. Hernández went 4-for-5 with two home runs while falling a triple short of the
cycle. It gave him 29
total bases in his four most recent postseason games, tying the mark for the most total bases in a four-game span in postseason history with
Reggie Jackson.
Game 2 Boston tied the series at one game each, with a 9–5 win in Game 2. Starting pitchers were
Nathan Eovaldi for Boston, and
Luis García for Houston.
J. D. Martinez hit a
grand slam in the top of the first to give Boston a 4–0 lead over the Astros. It was the first
postseason grand slam in the first inning by a Red Sox player since
J. D. Drew in
2007 ALCS Game 6. García left early in the top of the second due to knee discomfort.
Rafael Devers hit a second grand slam in the top of the second, making the Red Sox the first team in postseason history to hit two grand slams in one game. A fourth-inning homer by
Kiké Hernández, his third of the series, made it 9–0. The Astros rallied with two outs in the bottom of the fourth for three runs, trimming Boston's lead to 9–3.
Yuli Gurriel and
Jason Castro each hit solo home runs in the bottom of the ninth, making it 9–5, the final score. The teams combined to use 10 total pitchers in the game, five each. Hernández was 2-for-4 with a home run and a single, setting a new Major League record for the most
total bases in a five-game playoff span, with 34; it also set a new Red Sox franchise record for the most total bases in
any five-game span.
Game 3 earned the win in Game 3. Boston won Game 3, 12–3, to take a 2–1 lead in the series.
Eduardo Rodríguez started for Boston and
José Urquidy started for Houston. The Red Sox sent 11 men to the plate in the bottom of the second, scoring six runs. Four of the runs came on a
grand slam by
Kyle Schwarber, the third by a Red Sox batter in two games. Urquidy left with two outs in the second, having allowed six runs (five earned) on five hits and two walks while striking out one batter. Boston added three runs in the bottom of the third, including a two-run homer by
Christian Arroyo, extending the Red Sox' lead to 9–0. Astros right fielder
Kyle Tucker hit a three-run homer with two out in the top of the fourth, making it a 9–3 game. Boston made it 11–3 in the bottom of the sixth via a two-run homer by
J. D. Martinez.
Hansel Robles relieved Rodríguez in the top of the seventh, Rodríguez having allowed three runs on five hits and no walks while striking out seven.
Rafael Devers hit a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth, extending the lead to 12–3, the final score. The Astros used six pitchers, while the Red Sox used four. Boston's three grand slams—two in Game 2 and one in Game 3—was the first time a major league team hit three slams in any postseason series.
Game 4 drove in the go-ahead run in Houston's seven-run ninth inning of Game 4.
Nick Pivetta started for Boston and
Zack Greinke started for Houston. The Astros took an early 1–0 lead via a solo home run by
Alex Bregman with two outs in the top of the first. In the bottom of the first,
Rafael Devers walked with two outs, then
Xander Bogaerts homered to give the Red Sox a 2–1 lead. Greinke left with one out in the bottom of the second, having allowed two runs on one hit and three walks; he did not strike out a batter.
Christian Arroyo hit a one-out triple in the bottom of the fourth, but the Red Sox were unable to score him. Bogaerts hit a one-out double in the bottom of the fifth and was also left stranded. Pivetta left after the fifth inning, having allowed one run on two hits and two walks; he struck out three.
Jose Altuve tied the game, 2–2, with a home run off of
Garrett Whitlock to lead off the eighth inning.
Nate Eovaldi came in to pitch the top of the ninth, and
Carlos Correa led off with a double over
Hunter Renfroe in right field. With two outs and after a controversial non-strike three call by home plate umpire
Laz Díaz,
Jason Castro singled to drive in Correa and give the Astros a 3–2 lead. Houston was able to
load the bases, and Boston brought in
Martín Pérez.
Michael Brantley hit his first pitch for a double that scored three runs, giving Houston a 6–2 lead. A single by
Yordan Alvarez plated another run, making it 7–2. Correa, batting for the second time in the inning, hit a ball fielded by Pérez that was thrown away for an
error, allowing another run to score, and a single by
Kyle Tucker drove in the Astros' seventh and final run of the inning, which was the most scored in a postseason inning in Astros history. It was also the first time a team had scored seven runs in the 9th inning (or later) in a postseason game since
2007 and sixth time overall. Houston
closer Ryan Pressly came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth; he allowed two singles, but prevented Boston from scoring as Houston evened the series, 2–2. Altuve's home run was the 21st of his postseason career, which moved him to third on the all-time list and set the record for most career postseason home runs by an infielder, breaking the tie with
Derek Jeter. Earlier on the day of the game, an
MD-87 jet carrying 18 Astros fans and three crew members crashed near
Houston Executive Airport as they were departing for the game; there were no significant injuries reported.
Game 5 had three hits, including a home run, and three RBIs in Game 5.
Chris Sale started for the Red Sox and
Framber Valdez started for the Astros. Houston took a 1–0 lead on a solo home run by
Yordan Alvarez in the top of the second inning, to the opposite field over the
Green Monster. Valdez did not allow a Boston baserunner until the fifth inning. The Astros scored five runs in the top of the sixth, chasing Sale with one out. Houston's runs came on four hits, a walk, and an
error, giving the Astros a 6–0 lead. The teams traded runs in the seventh, making it 7–1. Boston's only run of the game was a solo homer by
Rafael Devers. Houston added two more runs in the top of the ninth, for the 9–1 final. Both Alvarez and
Yuli Gurriel had three hits and three RBIs. All of Alvarez' hits landed to the opposite field, marking the first occasion in Alvarez' career in which he collected at least three opposite-field hits. Sale took the loss, having pitched innings while allowing four runs (two earned) on three hits and two walks while striking out seven batters. Valdez went eight innings and got the win, limiting Boston to one run on three hits and a walk while striking out five. The Astros took a 3–2 lead in the series, the third ALCS in a row to go at least six games.
Game 6 had a three-run home run in Game 6.
Luis García started for Houston and
Nathan Eovaldi for Boston, a rematch of Game 2. The Astros took a 1–0 lead in the bottom of the first; with two outs,
Alex Bregman singled then was driven in on a double by
Yordan Alvarez that hit off the glove of Red Sox center fielder
Kiké Hernández. In the bottom of the fourth, Houston had runners on second and third with no outs, but Eovaldi struck out the next two batters,
intentionally walked Yuli Gurriel, and then struck out
Chas McCormick to end the threat. Eovaldi left with one out in the bottom of the fifth, having allowed one run on five hits while striking out four; he was relieved by
Josh Taylor. García held the Red Sox hitless through five innings; he left in the top of the sixth after allowing a two-out triple to Hernández. His
no-hit bid of innings before allowing a hit was the second most by a rookie pitcher in postseason history. García was relieved by
Phil Maton, who ended the threat by getting
Rafael Devers to pop out. Alvarez opened the bottom of the sixth with a triple off of Taylor near the right-field line. After
Carlos Correa was
hit by a pitch from
Tanner Houck,
Kyle Tucker grounded into a double play, scoring Alvarez and giving Houston a 2–0 lead. In the top of the seventh, Boston had runners at first and third with one out;
Kendall Graveman struck out
Travis Shaw and catcher
Martín Maldonado threw out
Alex Verdugo, who had been running on the pitch, at second base to end the inning. Alvarez collected his fourth hit of the game in the bottom of the eighth, singling to give the Astros runners at first and second with one out. After Correa grounded out, Tucker homered off of
Adam Ottavino, extending Houston's lead to 5–0. Astros
closer Ryan Pressly entered to pitch the top of the ninth. He retired the side in order, as Houston advanced to the
World Series. With the win, 72-year-old
Dusty Baker became the oldest manager to win an American League pennant, while being the second-oldest manager to reach the World Series after
Jack McKeon in
2003. After the game, Alvarez was named the
ALCS MVP, having batted 12-for-23 (.522) in the series. Seven of his hits came in the last two games; he out-hit the entire Red Sox team in those games, which was the first time in postseason history a player had done so in the final two games of a series. The Red Sox, having scored 27 runs in the first 28 innings of the Series, then scored only one run in the last 26 innings.
Composite line score 2021 ALCS
(4–2):
Houston Astros beat
Boston Red Sox ==See also==