Astros 5, Red Sox 4: Bregman, Reddick send Houston first ALCS

The Houston Astros were dead.

Andrew Benintendi hit a two-run home run off Justin Verlander in his first career relief appearance to put Boston Red Sox up 3-2.

But Alex Bregman and Josh Reddick help Houston live again.

Bregman and Reddick came up huge to help the Astros storm back to a 5-4 win and punch the franchise's first tick to the American League Championship series.

The threat of Chris Sale and Craig Kimbrel was a present danger for the Astros if they fell behind early on Monday. That fear was realized with Sale pitching four scoreless innings of relief before the eighth inning.

Enter Alex Bregman.

Bregman had already collected a home run off Sale in game one, sat on a 2-1 count and stepped into an 88 MPH changeup. The swing lifted the ball high off over the most and off an advertisement for his second home run the season.

The ballgame was now tied. Houston went hunting for the lead.

Evan Gattis should have had a double on fan interference but was given a single. Pinch-runner Cameron Maybin moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on single from Josh Reddick.

The game seemed on track to be in favor of the Astros with Ken Giles on the mound. Giles got through the eighth inning no problem.

But Rafael Devers made an insurance run by Carlos Beltran extremely important after an inside the park home run to start the ninth.

The insurance run came in the top of the ninth after Beltran settled into pinch hit and blasted a ball off the Green Monster to score Marwin Gonzalez.

After the Devers home run, Giles got Christian Vazquez and Jackie Bradley Jr. The only thing standing between Houston and the ALCS was Dustin Pedroia. He went 3-2 to Pedroia.

Pedroia smacked a pitch to Jose Altuve and the Astros second baseman sent Houston to the ALCS without a problem.

A sea of orange and blue stormed the field and now the Indians or Yankees await the Astros.