Facing the possibility of heading back to Anaheim for a deciding fifth game, Boston Red Sox shortstop Jed Lowrie delivered the final blow to the Los Angeles Angels with a game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the ninth for a 3-2, walk-off victory and an American League Division Series win for Boston over Los Angeles for the third time in five seasons. In the series, the Red Sox had won the first two in Anaheim by scores of 4-1 and 7-5 to extend their post-season winning streak over the Angels to a MLB-record 11 games, dating back to Game Five of the 1986 ALCS, while also setting a new team record of nine consecutive post-season wins dating back to Game Five of the 2007 American League Championship Series. But Boston could not pull off a series sweep as Los Angeles staved off elimination in Game 3 with a 12-inning, 5-4 win at Fenway Park Sunday night; the win not only ended the Red Sox’s extensive post-season dominance of the Angels, it gave the American League West Division winners, who had won eight-of-nine regular season meetings over the Sox, hope that they might become the fifth team to win a five-game division series after losing the first two contests.

It was not meant to be, however, as the Red Sox now head to the ALCS for the fourth time in six years to face the Tampa Bay Rays, who bested the Sox 10-8 during the regular season in which they won eight-of-nine at home in Tropicana Field against its division rival. The Red Sox will look to advance to the World Series for the third time in five seasons under manager Terry Francona while the Rays, having won their first-ever playoff series over the Chicago White Sox in four games, look to continue their unbelievable run towards a championship after going the first ten years of their existence without having even posted a winning regular season record. In 2008, the Rays became the first team since 1997 other than the Red Sox or the New York Yankees to win the American League East division, posting 97 wins under manager Joe Madden. The Red Sox, meanwhile, finished two games behind the Rays and advanced to the playoffs as the wild card.

Tags: ALCS, ALDS, Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park, Jed Lowrie, Los Angeles Angels, Tampa Bay Rays, Terry Francona, World Series