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J.D. Martinez homers off former teammate Verlander.
Ex-Tigers Justin Verlander, David Price and J.D. Martinez played key roles in Thursday night's 4-1 Boston Red Sox victory over the Houston Astros. The Red Sox move on to the World Series.
Verlander was the losing pitcher and David Price, who had a sorry history of pitching in playoffs, was the winner. Verlander gave up all four runs. Martinez hit a solo homer in the third off Verlander, his former teammate.
Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle writes of Verlander:
Verlander had not yielded a run during an elimination game since 2011. Twenty-six straight scoreless innings in do-or-die duels established another major league record in a career chock full of them. In five starts during elimination games, Verlander threw 37 ⅓ innings. Five earned runs crossed...
Verlander survived only six innings. The Red Sox shellacked him as they did the cavalcade of others Houston paraded onto the mound in this series. Three of the seven hits he ceded went for extra bases. Two left the ballpark.
David Price
Bill Baer of NBC Sports says of Price:
Price looked locked in on the mound, repeatedly peppering the corners of the strike zone. Of his nine strikeouts, three were looking and six were swinging. He limited the Astros to just three hits without issuing a walk over six innings of work. May the “David Price can’t pitch in the playoffs” narrative rest in peace.
