McAdam: Bullpen plan works like a charm -- until the ninth

NEW YORK -- After all that, after all the angst, it wasn't the eighth inning -- or the seventh or sixth, for that matter -- that the Red Sox had to worry about.

It was ... the ninth.

Getting the last three outs was the last thing the Red Sox had been worrying about.

For much of the season, the team's middle-to-late inning relief incited plenty of worries. And when the team didn't upgrade its bullpen at the non-waiver trade deadline, it seemed like relief pitching would ultimately represent their fatal flaw.

But with a ticket to the ALCS up for grabs, the Red Sox navigated their way through the sixth, seventh and eighth without incident, if with a slightly altered game plan.

Leading 4-1 after five, Alex Cora turned first to Matt Barnes, who got the Yankees in order, retiring the team's formidable trio of Aaron Judge, Didi Gregorius and Giancarlo Stanton. Next came Ryan Brasier, who took care of the next three hitters in succession.

Then came the curveball. Hours before the game, asked about the notion of Chris Sale pitching out of the bullpen on what would be his normal "throw'' day, Cora coyly all but dismissed the suggestion, noting that while Sale had done his fair share of lobbying, he could envision it happening.

"It has to be something that's too perfect,'' said Cora of scenario, concluding that the likelihood was "very slim, very slim.''

Then, slim showed up in the eighth inning - all 6-foot-6 of him, trotting out of the visitors' bullpen.

"It was the first thing I said to A.C. when I came into the clubhouse today,'' said Sale. "I told him I wanted the ball at some point. I just told him and walked away and he started laughing. I didn't know if that was a good or bad thing, but it worked out.''

Indeed, Sale toyed with the Yankees, getting a flyout, an infield grounder and a called strikeout.

Cora had done his homework. He got permission from the training staff to use Sale three days after his last start and two days prior to possibly his next one.

Then, it was time to start spreading the news.

"I even shouted to the dugout: 'Hey, we're all in; he's coming in!' '' recounted Cora afterward.

Nine up, nine down from the sixth through the eighth, with the outs recorded by, respectively, the eighth-inning guy, the journeyman castoff who wasn't part of the organization when spring training began, and of course, their ace starting pitcher.

Just like they drew it up.

Then, inexplicably, came the hard part: the ninth.

Closer Craig Kimbrel has been dependable all season, having saved 42 games while blowing only five. The worst was over. They had set down nine in a row in the minefield that stretched from the sixth through eighth. Now it was time to hand the ball to Kimbrel, get three outs before the Yankees got three runs, and move on to the next round.

But it wasn't that easy. Kimbrel walked Judge, then yielded a seeing-eye single to right by Gregorius. After a strikeout of Stanton, another walk filled the bases and Kimbrel plunked Neil Walker to force in a run. A sacrifice fly by Gary Sanchez scored another.

The tying run stood on second. The potential winning run on first. The Stadium rocked from the noise, and if you looked closely, you could almost see the field tilt in the Yankees' favor, so strong was their sudden momentum.

But Kimbrel, who had bent, wouldn't completely break. He got rookie Gleyber Torres to hit a slow roller. Eduardo Nunez charged and fired. Steve Pearce caught, then stretched.

The call at first was out, but replay was needed.

The Red Sox milled around the infield awkwardly, wanting to begin their celebration while the replay crew watched the play at first.

For a change, justice delayed was not justice denied.

"Kimbrel didn't have it,'' conceded shortstop Xander Bogaerts, "but that's why he's one of the best closers. He found a way to finish the job.''

Asked how he escaped, Kimbrel, nearly bored by the question in the chaos of the celebration, "Make one pitch at a time.''