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October 14, 2007
By JOE McDONALD
Journal Sports Writer
BOSTON -- And you thought the highly intense marathon games were only played when the Red Sox and the Yankees met in October.
That wasn’t the case Saturday night into Sunday morning, as Boston and the Cleveland Indians mounted a new type of postseason spectacular in Game Two of the American League Championship Series. In the end, after five hours and 14 minutes, the Indians emerged victorious with a dramatic 13-6 win in 11 innings. The series is now tied, 1-1.
And of all people to stick it to the Red Sox, former outfielder and fan favorite Trot Nixon provided the game-winning, pinch-hit RBI single for the Indians as his liner to right-center field scored Grady Sizemore for the go-ahead run. The Indians added six more insurance runs in the inning, capped by a three-run homer by Franklin Gutierrez.
Even before the Indians scored the seven runs in the 11th inning, Red Sox relief pitcher Eric Gagne continued to implode. He came on for the 11th with the score tied 6-6. After striking out Casey Blake, he allowed a single to Sizemore and issued a walk to Asdrubal Cabrera. With two on, Red Sox manger Terry Francona pulled Gagne in favor of reliever Javier Lopez.
The lefty allowed the eventual game-winning hit to Nixon.
Almost lost in the marathon game was the fact that Boston starter Curt Schilling proved he is human and hittable in the postseason.
The Indians pounded the veteran right-hander into submission as he lasted just 4 2/3 innings and allowed five runs on nine hits with no walks and three strikeouts. The nine hits matched a career postseason high, and it was his second shortest postseason start.
Sizemore set the tone early with a double to left field, leading off the game. Two outs later, Victor Martinez also doubled to left to give Cleveland an early 1-0 lead.
Boston pushed across three runs in the third, including a bases-loaded walk to Manny Ramirez and a two-run double by Mike Lowell, to gain a 3-1 advantage. But Cleveland quickly answered with its own three-spot in the top of the fourth inning on Jhonny Peralta’s three-run blast to deep center field to regain the lead, 4-3.
The Indians added to their lead in the top of the fifth when Sizemore launched a solo home run into the Sox’ bullpen for a 5-3 lead. Schilling allowed two more hits after the roundtripper before getting the hook from Francona and replaced with reliever Manny Delcarmen.
The nine hits Schilling allowed tied a personal career postseason high for the veteran right-hander.
So many times in the past Schilling led the Red Sox to victory. After he faltered, however, his teammates picked him up.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Boston ran Cleveland starter Fausto Carmona from the game after Kevin Youkilis provided a lead-off single. Then the Red Sox absolutely abused the Indians’ bullpen.
With Youkilis on first, Ortiz hit a ground to the right side of the infield when Cleveland attempted to turn a double play. While Youkilis was forced out at second, a lumbering Ortiz legged out the play at first, which proved crucial because Ramirez followed with a two-run homer to tie the game at 5-5.
The fans in attendance wanted a curtain call, and Ramirez gave it to them just as Mike Lowell smoked a solo shot high above the Monster Seats to give Boston a 6-5 advantage.
But The Indians pushed across the tying run in the top of the sixth off Manny Delcarmen, before he was pulled in favor of lefty Hideki Okajima, who worked out of a bases-loaded jam to keep the damage to a minimum.
With the game still knotted at 6-6 in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Sox’ Dustin Pedroia provided a two-out single to left, was replaced with pinch-runner Jacoby Ellsbury, who subsequently stole second uncontested. Kevin Youkilis produced an 11-pitch at-bat off Indians’ reliever Rafael Betancourt, but eventually flied out to center field to end the inning and the threat.
The teams will have Sunday off with Game Three set for Monday in Cleveland with the Sox’ Daisuke Matsuzaka facing the Indians’ Jake Westbrook.
If the excitement and adrenaline of Saturday night’s game was any indication, the rest of this series could be one for the ages.
Who needs the Yankees?
Posted by Joe McDonald 
at 1:37 AM | Permalink
