Jackie Bradley Jr. Homers In Boston Victory; Clayton Kershaw Dominates Brewers As Dodgers Take Game Five

Players of the Day for Wednesday, October 17, 2018

American League

AL Championship Series Game Four: Boston Red Sox 8 Houston Astros 6

Bradley Jr. does it again!

Jackie Bradley Jr. did it again. The Boston center fielder belted a two-run homer in the sixth inning, turning a 5-4 deficit into a 6-5 Boston lead that the Red Sox would never relinquish.

Bradley Jr. has become an instant superstar, reminiscent of the Reggie Jackson heroics in the 70s that earned him the name "Mr. October."

In four games against Houston in the Championship Series, Bradley is hitting only .250 (3-for-12), but his hits have been timely and game-changing. In game two, he doubled and drove in three runs. Game three's grand slam sealed Boston's win and another homer put Boston ahead in game four.

The win leaves Boston with a 3-1 lead in the series, with game five scheduled for Thursday at 8:09 pm ET in Houston. A Boston win sends the Red Sox to the World Series. A Houston victory sends the series back to Boston for game six and, if necessary, game seven.

National League

NL Championship Series Game Five: LA Dodgers 5 Milwaukee Brewers 2

Kershaw: 7IP, 3H, 1R, 9K

Clayton Kershaw was at his best, holding the Brewers to one run over seven innings, taking the Dodgers to the brink of their second straight World Series appearance with a 5-2 win over Milwaukee and a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven championship series.

On Lorenzo Cain's double with two aboard, the Brewers took a 1-0 lead in the third, but that was all they would get off Kershaw, who struck out Christian Yelich, walked Ryan Braun, and struck out Jesus Aguilar to end the bases-loaded threat. After that, he was perfect, retiring the next twelve batters in order from the fourth through seventh innings. He walked two and fanned nine.

During that stretch, the Dodgers rallied with a run in the fifth inning, two in the sixth, and two more in the bottom of the seventh. Kershaw walked in the seventh and came around to score on Justin Turner's single.

With the lead safely in hand, the Dodgers went to the bullpen, needing four relievers to hold down the Brewers. Milwaukee struck for a run in the ninth, but, with Curtis Granderson on second base, Kenley Jansen fanned Jesus Aguilar to shut down the rally and end the game.

The Dodgers find themselves one win away from the World Series as the series heads back to Milwaukee on Friday for game six and seven, if necessary, on Saturday.