HOUSTON -- For all intents and purposes, left fielder Andrew Benintendi saved Boston's 6-5 win over Houston on Sunday night.
With the bases loaded and the Red Sox leading, 6-4, in the bottom of the eighth inning, Astros designated hitter Carlos Beltran ripped an RBI single into left field, scoring Carlos Correa from third.
Trailing Correa closely was Jose Altuve from second base. Benintendi rifled a 91-mph, 237-foot outfield assist from left field, according to Statcast™, which met Boston catcher Christian Vazquez's glove without a bounce and just in time to tag Altuve before the game was tied at 6.
"I put my head down and I didn't see anybody, coaches, anything. I just ran," Altuve said. "It was a close play, but at the end of the day, I was out. You know, this is frustrating for me because the game ended up a one-run difference, but you have to keep playing."
"Beltran hit it off the end and I just fell in front and got it, threw it home and luckily had enough to get him out," said Benintendi, who leads the Red Sox with five outfield assists.
Vazquez explained the throw without as much deliberation: "It was perfect. Great throw."
"Benintendi's got a good arm," said Astros manager A.J. Hinch. "They were playing shallow because of the dimensions, so it's not as long a throw as it normally is or he's not playing as far back as he normally does. I thought Altuve got a good read and cut the base pretty quickly.
"Then a perfect throw."