ALCS Bracket 2018: Game Times, Odds, Live-Stream Schedule and More

The Boston Red Sox defeated the Houston Astros 8-6 in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series to take a 3-1 series lead and climb within one victory of their first pennant since 2013.

The four-hour, 33-minute game was one of the more dramatic postseason contests in recent years, and we'll examine some takeaways below.

You can also find other information, including up-to-date AL playoff results, the remaining ALCS schedule and World Series odds (per OddsShark).

American League Playoff Bracket

Wild Card Game: No. 4 New York Yankees 7, No. 5 Oakland Athletics 2

ALDS (best three-of-five): No. 1 Boston Red Sox 3, No. 4 New York Yankees 1

ALDS (best three-of-five): No. 2 Houston Astros 3, No. 3 Cleveland Indians 0

ALCS (best four-of-seven): No. 1 Boston Red Sox 3, No. 2 Houston Astros 1

American League Championship Series Game Times, Days and Schedule

Game 5 (Thursday at 8:09 p.m. ET): Boston at Houston on TBS and Watch TBS app

*Game 6 (Saturday at 5:09 p.m. ET): Houston at Boston on TBS and Watch TBS app

*Game 7 (Sunday at 7:39 p.m. ET): Houston at Boston on TBS and Watch TBS app

*If necessary

World Series Champion Odds as of Thursday at 3 a.m. ET (per OddShark)

Boston Red Sox: 43/25

Los Angeles Dodgers: 11/4

Houston Astros: 13/4

Milwaukee Brewers: 93/20

ALCS Game 4 Notes

At the bottom of the first inning, Astros second baseman Jose Altuve hit a right-field shot headed for the seats. Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts leaped to make the catch, but his effort was hindered by a fan reaching for the ball:

Here's a still photo:

Altuve was immediately declared out due to fan interference, and that call stood following a replay review. Umpire and crew chief Joe West provided comments to Houston Chronicle reporter David Barron postgame:

The question is whether the fan reached into the field of play (as opposed to reaching out and keeping his hands and arms in the adjacent space behind the wall outline, which is not considered part of the field).

If he did, fan interference was the correct call. If he did not, the hit should have been ruled a home run. Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle and Baseball America posted MLB rule 6.01 (e) regarding the situation:

Altuve was called out, the game continued and Houston eventually lost to create a do-or-die Game 5 Thursday.

Although the call was an unfortunate blow for the Astros, it's hard to gauge how much of an impact the play had on the game.

The Red Sox were up 2-0 at the time, and Houston had outfielder George Springer on base. If the hit is called a two-run blast, the entire game would have played out differently, with managers using their bullpens and benches in varied fashions.

Maybe Houston would use the momentum from the home run to knock Red Sox starter Rick Porcello out of the game earlier, leading to a win. Or maybe Boston would have hit the Astro bullpen hard regardless (as it did in Game 4) and won anyway.

The bottom line is this: Houston took leads of 4-3 and 5-4 and couldn't hold either. The Astros also left 13 runners on base and went 3-for-12 with runners in scoring position.

Houston right fielder Josh Reddick acknowledged one of those facts postgame:

Three of those failed runners in scoring position have an asterisk next to their names, however, as Red Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi snared an Alex Bregman line drive with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning to win the game:

According to ESPN commentator John Brickley, MLB Statcast pegged the catch probability at 21 percent:

If Benintendi doesn't make the catch, he blocks the ball in front of him at best (likely leading to two runs) or the ball gets by him at worse (likely leading to three runs and a loss).

While Benintendi's catch may be the one that helps catapult the Red Sox to the World Series, the early favorite for ALCS MVP is outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr., who has now produced huge hits in each of his team's last three games (all wins).

In Game 2, Bradley hit a bases-clearing double to give the Red Sox a 5-4 lead (they won 7-5).

In Game 3, Bradley smacked a grand slam to turn a 4-2 nail-biter into an 8-2 blowout.

In Game 4, Bradley hit a go-ahead two-run home run to give the Red Sox a 6-5 lead.

Bradley struggled at the plate this season, hitting just .234 alongside a .314 on-base percentage. However, he's been the difference in October, to the point where his clutch hitting is the No. 1 reason why Boston is ahead 3-1 in the ALCS.

The Red Sox and Astros now move to Game 5 on Thursday. David Price will start on three days rest for Boston, while Justin Verlander goes for the Astros.