After 4⅔ innings of five-hit ball, the Fenway faithful recognized that although he wasn’t going to factor in the decision, Price pitched just well enough to keep his team in the ballgame. About four innings later, the Red Sox earned a 7-5 win over the Houston Astros, evening the ALCS at 1-1.

Price had gone 0-10 in the 10 career postseason starts he had made.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that was by far the most consecutive losses for a pitcher’s team to start a postseason career in major league history. Vida Blue’s and Doyle Alexander’s teams went winless across each pitcher’s first six career postseason starts.

Clearly, the 33-year-old lefty has been troubled by his ignominious postseason record. He said he believes it doesn’t showcase just how good of a pitcher he is. Nor does it suggest that he wants to be a winner, he adds.

“You can ask any of my teammates for the 10 years I’ve been in the big leagues — or coaches or anybody that’s been around me. All I want to do is win,” Price said. “I expect myself to be great in big moments, and I haven’t done that thus far in my career.

“But I came here to win — period. I came here to win a World Series and to do it multiple times. … I understand the narratives. I get that. I deserve those narratives. But this is bigger than David Price. This isn’t about me. This is about the Boston Red Sox.”

David Price was cheered by the Fenway Park crowd after pitching 4⅔ innings of five-hit ball and keeping his team in the game.

“It’s definitely appreciated,” Price said of the ovation. “It wasn’t the line I dreamed up to have, but our offense, our defense, everybody rallied together. That’s what we’ve done all year. Whenever starters needed to be picked up, they picked us up, and vice versa.”

Cora was generally pleased with the outing.

“He gave his team a chance to win,” Cora said. “We got to clean a few things up, but overall his stuff was good. Command was good, and he gave us a chance to win.”

The Red Sox inked David Price to a seven-year, $217 million contract in December 2015. It is the richest deal ever for a pitcher. Price can opt out of his contract after the 2018 season. 

But why would he? He’s making 30 million plus a season.