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October 14, 2007
By STEVEN KRASNER
Journal Sports Writer
BOSTON -- Kevin Youkilis had a chance to be a hero in the bottom of the ninth.
A two-out single by Dustin Pedroia and a stolen base by pinch runner Jacoby Ellsbury put the winning run at second base in a 6-6 tie in Game Two at Fenway Park.
Youkilis was facing hard-throwing Rafael Betancourt, a former Boston farmhand who had been converted by the Sox from a shortstop to a pitcher.
On deck was David Ortiz, so Betancourt wasn't about to try to pitch around Youkilis with first base open. The count went to 2-and-2, with the right-hander firing in one fastball after another, in the 92-94-mph range.
That's when the intensity of the battle heated up. Betancourt kept firing fastballs and Youkilis kept fouling them back. He fouled six in a row.
And on the 11th pitch of the taut duel, Youklis laced a line drive to center. The moment it left the bat it looked as if the ball might fall for a game-winning hit. But it hung up enough for Cleveland center fielder Grady Sizemore to run it down, diving a bit to make the grab and keep the game tied at 6-6, setting the stage for Boston's disappointing 13-6, 11-inning loss.
"It was one of those things where you do everything right and it doesn't pay off," said Youkilis of his at-bat. "There's a lot of luck in this game. It was just a line drive that got caught. That's what happened."
Posted by Steven Krasner 
at 2:40 AM | Permalink
