Highlights of Sunday's MLB playoff games

[October 09, 2017]  (The Sports Xchange) - Highlights of Sunday's Major League Baseball playoff games:

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Yankees 1, Indians 0

Greg Bird led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a homer, and Aroldis Chapman posted a five-out save as the New York Yankees staved off elimination Sunday night with a 1-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians in Game 3 of the American League Division Series.

Bird helped the Yankees force Game 4 on Monday night when he lifted a 95 mph fastball on a 1-1 count from left-hander Andrew Miller (0-1) about halfway up in the second deck in right field.

It was only the second homer allowed by Miller to a left-handed hitter this season.

After Miller gave up Bird's homer, David Robertson recorded the first out of the eighth but walked Michael Brantley, earning a hook from manager Joe Girardi.

Chapman struck out pinch hitter Yan Gomes on a 102 mph fastball after making three pickoff attempts at first on pinch runner Greg Allen. The left-hander ended the eighth by blowing a 102 mph fastball by Giovanny Urshela.

With one out in the ninth, Chapman gave up a single to Jason Kipnis and an infield hit to Jose Ramirez, putting runners at first and second. Chapman secured the win by fanning Jay Bruce and retiring Carlos Santana on a fly ball to deep center field.

Masahiro Tanaka (1-0) scattered three hits in seven outstanding innings. He struck out seven, walked one, threw 92 pitches, induced two double plays and received defensive help from right fielder Aaron Judge.

Cleveland's Carlos Carrasco, who missed last year's postseason recovering from a hand injury, allowed three hits in 5 2/3 scoreless innings but exited after loading the bases in the sixth.

Cleveland's first real threat occurred in the fourth inning when Kipnis tripled to deep right field. Judge's misplay of the ball (he was not given an error) featured him kicking the ball toward right-center field as Kipnis sped into third base.

Tanaka rebounded by striking out Jose Ramirez and Bruce.

The Yankees got their first hit when Didi Gregorius singled up the middle but he was stranded when Castro chased a breaking ball for Carrasco's sixth strikeout to end the fourth.

The Indians threatened again in the fifth when Carlos Santana led off with a walk and Austin Jackson fouled off four consecutive pitches. Tanaka used his curveball to retire Jackson on a fly ball to the warning track in right field before getting a double play three pitches later.

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Red Sox 10, Astros 3

Boston staved off elimination with a one-sided victory over Houston in Game Three of their American League Division Series.

Game Four is in Boston on Monday with Houston, which leads the best-of-five series 2-1, trying to close out the Red Sox.

Rafael Devers hit a go-ahead two-run home run, the first of the 20-year-old's postseason career, in the third inning to give the Red Sox a 4-3 lead, their first of the series.

 

Yankees first baseman Greg Bird (33) reacts after he hit a solo home run during the seventh inning against the Cleveland Indians in game three of the 2017 ALDS at Yankee Stadium. Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Devers, who finished with three runs batted in, became the youngest Red Sox player ever (20 years, 349 days) to hit a home run in a playoff game and just the sixth player in major league history to homer in the postseason before turning 21.

Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a three-run homer, also his first career playoff blast, while Hanley Ramirez went 4-for-4 with three RBIs and Sandy Leon drove in another run for the Red Sox.

Boston received four shutout innings of relief and four strikeouts from David Price to keep them in front in a close game early on. Joe Kelly (1-0) earned the win with 1 2/3 scoreless innings in relief of starter Doug Fister.

Carlos Correa hit a two-run homer, his second of the series, and Josh Reddick added an RBI for the Astros.

Fister was pulled after giving up three runs in 1 1/3 innings, marking the shortest postseason outing for a Red Sox starter since Bret Saberhagen (one inning) on Oct. 11, 1999.

Fister allowed four hits, walked one and struck out one.

Houston starter Brad Peacock departed after 2 2/3 innings having allowed three runs on six hits with one walk and four strikeouts in his first career postseason appearance.

Astros reliever Francisco Liriano (0-1) gave up the go-ahead homer to Devers and took the loss.

Houston enjoyed another fast start against a shaky Fister, scoring three runs in the first inning.

Reddick's RBI single two batters into the game opened the scoring and was followed by Correa's blast of approximately 385 feet to center field the next at-bat to make it 3-0.

Boston got one run back on Leon's single with the bases loaded and nobody out in the second, but Peacock retired the next three batters to escape the jam.

Ramirez brought the Red Sox within a run on his two-out RBI single before Devers delivered his homer of an estimated 430 feet over the bullpens in right-center to put Boston ahead.

A bases-loaded single with nobody out in the seventh by Ramirez and a bloop RBI single from Devers the next at-bat put Boston ahead 7-3.

Bradley smacked his homer to right two batters later to make it 10-3.

(Editing by Gene Cherry)

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