Rangers 4, Rays 3
Adrian Beltre homered three times and the Texas Rangers wrapped up the American League Division Series in four games with a 4-3 victory over the host Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday.
Ian Kinsler also homered and Matt Harrison (1-0) struck out nine in five innings in Game 4 as Texas advances to meet either Detroit or New York in the AL Championship Series.
Beltre became just the seventh player to hit three homers in a postseason game and the first since Adam Kennedy of the Anaheim Angels hit three during the 2002 ALCS. Beltre is the only player to go deep three times in a divisional series game.
Beltre homered in the second and fourth innings off Tampa Bay starter Jeremy Hellickson (0-1) and added a seventh-inning blast against Matt Moore.
Neftali Feliz allowed a run-scoring single in the ninth to Casey Kotchman before retiring Matt Joyce on a foul pop and Desmond Jennings on a fielder’s choice for his third save of the series.
Kinsler led off the game with a homer for the fifth time this season.
Tampa Bay also scored runs on Joyce’s second-inning double and Kotchman’s fourth-inning single. Sean Rodriguez scored all three runs and barreled over Texas catcher Mike Napoli in the second.
Harrison allowed two runs and five hits in five innings. Hellickson gave up three runs and four hits in four innings.