HIDEKI MATSUI

Carlos Correa hit a tiebreaking home run in the seventh inning that helped the Houston Astros beat the Boston Red Sox 5-4 in Game 1 of the AL Championship Series.

Fellow All-Star Jared Walsh homered twice for the Angels, who won for the sixth time in seven games and took two of three from the AL-leading Red Sox. Ohtani broke Hideki Matsui's record with his 433-foot shot to right off Eduardo Rodríguez (6-5), putting the Angels ahead to stay in the fifth inning. Walsh drove in three runs for the Angels as they moved two games above .500 for the first time since April 21. Xander Bogaerts had three hits and drove in a run for the Red Sox, who lost for just the third time in 13 games while finishing 3-3 on their six-game California road swing. Boston didn’t manage a hit off Heaney until Xander Bogaerts’ two-out single in the fourth, but the Red Sox tied it on four singles in the fifth.

Shohei Ohtani hit his major league-leading 32nd homer and broke the single-season major league record for homers by a Japanese player during the Los Angeles Angels’ 5-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

Ohtani surpassed Matsui's full-season record before the All-Star break with his solo shot to right in the fifth inning against Boston on Wednesday. Matsui issued a statement through the Angels immediately after Ohtani broke his mark, praising the achievement as "just a passing point for a hitter like Shohei. He extended his own Angels franchise record for homers before an All-Star break. His 32 homers before the All-Star break are the most by an AL player since Chris Davis hit 37 in 2013. Ohtani will participate in the Home Run Derby before the All-Star Game next week in Denver.

Shohei Ohtani has hit his MLB-leading 32nd homer for the Los Angeles Angels, breaking Hideki Matsui’s record for homers in a major league season by a Japanese player.

Aaron Boone hit a game-ending leadoff homer in the 11th, sending New York to the World Series. 2015 WORLD SERIES GAME 5Matt Harvey and the New York Mets held a 2-0 lead, needing a win to send the Series back to Kansas City. 2016 WORLD SERIES GAME 7The Chicago Cubs led the Cleveland Indians 5-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth. 2019 WORLD SERIES GAME 7Too bad for Houston fans, the last time they saw Gerrit Cole throw, it was in the bullpen rather than on the mound. “I wasn’t going to pitch him unless we were going to win the World Series and have a lead,” Hinch said.

... Theres going to be a lot of excuses thrown around by a lot of different players and teams. Eleven different pitchers earned at least one save in 2019, and the shortened season will pose new challenges. The Rays hold a team option for 2021, however the 36-year-old right-hander isnt sure how much longer he wants to play. With the minor league season cancelled because of the pandemic, the Rays hope the experience will be beneficial to his development. There arent many guys across baseball that possess the talent he has, Rays general manager Erik Neander said entering spring training.