Josh Reddick's RBI Single Lifts Astros Past Red Sox, into 2017 ALCS

The Houston Astros are the first team to clinch a spot in the next round of the playoffs after their 5-4 Game 4 win Monday over the Boston Red Sox.

In a game where both Chris Sale and Justin Verlander were used out of the bullpen to keep the score close, Alex Bregman and Josh Reddick came through with the big hits in the eighth to help win it for Houston.

The victory gave the Astros the 3-1 division series victory, sending the AL West winners to the American League Championship Series to take on either the Cleveland Indians or New York Yankees.

The Red Sox appeared ready to send the series to Game 5 with a 3-2 lead into the eighth inning and Sale cruising in relief. However, Bregman changed the game with a game-tying solo home run:

A few batters later, Reddick hit a two-out, RBI single off Craig Kimbrel to give Houston the one-run advantage.

Carlos Beltran's pinch-hit double provided some much-needed insurance in the ninth inning before Ken Giles could close out the two-inning save, giving the Astros the win in the game and the series.

Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle captured the ensuing celebration:

Both sides had a chance to take over the game at different points, with the starting pitchers especially fortunate to avoid more damage than they did.

Each team missed opportunities, with the Astros stranding six base-runners in the first three innings, including four in scoring position. Of course, the bases-loaded disappointment was matched by the Red Sox, who couldn't score despite three runners on and no outs.

Some outside calls for strikes during the second inning led to the ejection of Red Sox manager John Farrell, as captured by Fox Sports:

The Astros also saved themselves when Marwin Gonzalez threw out Mitch Moreland at home in the third inning:

Boston got one run on the board with a solo home run from Xander Bogaerts, while George Springer scored and hit an RBI single to give Houston a 2-1 lead through three innings.

This was enough to chase Red Sox starter Rick Porcello, who allowed two runs on five hits and three walks in three innings. Houston's Charlie Morton settled in a bit after his fortunate breaks, completing 4.1 innings with two runs allowed on seven hits.

It created a battle of the bullpens, which really was a battle of aces as each team turned to their Game 1 starter in relief.

Peter Gammons of MLB Network summed up the excitement:

This was followed by plenty of second-guessing, as Andrew Benintendi greeted Verlander with a two-run home run to take the lead. 

That ended up being the only hit Verlander allowed, though, as he ended up lasting 2.2 innings with one run charged to him in his first career relief appearance. 

Conversely, Sale cruised early with three scoreless innings, but Bregman's homer changed the tone. He was also responsible for the run scored on Reddick's clutch hit, ending his day with two runs allowed in 4.2 innings.

Brian McTaggart of MLB.com described the atmosphere:

After Beltran plated the fifth run with a double in the ninth, Rafael Devers made things interesting with the first inside-the-park home run for the Red Sox in the playoffs since 1916, per Fox Sports.

This simply delayed the inevitable as a Dustin Pedroia ground out officially ended the series.

The Astros will now try to continue their magical season with a trip to the ALCS. While they did win 101 games this season, it was easy to look past a young squad in a franchise that hadn't won a playoff series since 2005.

However, they showed this series that they are a legitimate contender to win it all.