BOSTON — An ALCS between the Tigers and Red Sox that was predicted to be very close opened Saturday night at Fenway Park, following the script from start to finish and featuring the hosts not getting a hit until there was one out in the ninth.
The Tigers didn’t punish Jon Lester and three other Red Sox pitchers but the run driven in by Jhonny Peralta in the sixth with a two-out single was enough to provide the Tigers a 1-0 victory in front of a sold-out Game 1 gathering of 38,210.
Daniel Nava’s soft single to center on a 1-2 pitch from Joaquin Benoit with one out in the ninth ruined the combined no-hit bid and gave the crowd life.
But Benoit didn’t crumble as he retired Stephen Drew on a stress-free fly to right and ended the pitching duel by getting Xander Bogaerts to pop out with pinch-runner Quintin Berry on second after a stolen base.
The best-of-seven series resumes Sunday night in New England’s living room with AL Cy Young favorite Max Scherzer going for the visitors and Clay Buchholz starting for the Red Sox.
Tigers starter Anibal Sanchez didn’t allow a hit through six innings, but was removed from the game because of a 116-pitch count and the fact he loaded the bases via walks in his final frame. He walked six and fanned a dozen. Sanchez is the first pitcher since the Washington Senators’ Walter Johnson in the 1924 World Series to walk six and whiff 12 in a postseason game.
“It’s not about the no-hitter. As long as you throw zeroes,’’ Sanchez said. “The win is more important than the no-hitter at this point.’’
Al Alburquerque, Jose Veras, Drew Smyly and Benoit, who recorded the final three outs, followed Sanchez. They combined to whiff 17 Red Sox. That ties the record for a postseason game set by the Cardinals’ Bob Gibson in the 1968 World Series against the Tigers and by the Padres in the 1998 NLDS against the Astros.
“In a place like [Fenway Park] you almost feel like you are behind with one run,’’ Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. “You never feel comfortable. I wasn’t worried about the no-hitter. It would have been nice.’’
Lester allowed a run and six hits in 6¹/₃ innings, but left with the Tigers leading, 1-0, thanks to Sanchez working around six walks in six innings in which the Red Sox went hitless in five at-bats with runners in scoring position.
“We got some big opportunities in the first, second and sixth innings,’’ Red Sox manager John Farrell said. “The two-out hit was elusive.’’
The Red Sox stranded two in the first, two in the second and three in the sixth, when Sanchez walked the bases loaded. They went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position.
Peralta’s two-out single to center scored Miguel Cabrera from third with the game’s only run in the sixth inning.
Cabrera, who is bothered by multiple lower half body parts barking, walked with one out and moved to second when Prince Fielder was hit by a Lester pitch.
Victor Martinez forced Fielder at second and Cabrera moved to third. The next batter, Peralta, dumped a single in front of a charging Jacoby Ellsbury in center for a 1-0 lead.
Sanchez walked the bases loaded in the sixth when he issued consecutive two-out passes to Mike Napoli and Nava. But Sanchez’s 116th pitch fanned Stephen Drew and left three runners on base and the Red Sox searching for their first hit.
After walking himself into trouble in the first and second innings, Sanchez retired 11 in a row from the final out of the second to the first out of the sixth. Five of those outs were strikeouts. The streak was stopped when Dustin Pedroia drew a 3-1 walk.