Sox: 8 Rays: 7
Wowza! What a comeback! Things looked downright funereal for the Sox until that 7th inning, when the lights came back on after a two-and-a-half game blackout. Down 7-0, the Sox offense came out of their coma with a Lowrie double, a Coco single, and an RBI single by Pedey (so long shutout). Then up to the plate strode Big Papi. Any other October, Sox fans would have been banking on a huge hit with Mr. Clutch up with two men on. This year, it didn't look so promising, as Papi had been 1 for 17. Well, shut my mouth! Papi takes Balfour deep and closes the gap to 7-4! The Fenway crowd springs to their feet and starts making some long overdue noise! There's life in them bats after all!
Fast forward to the bottom of the 8th, after Paps shuts down the Rays in the top of the inning. Bay walks and Drew takes Wheeler yard to make it a one-run game. Wheeler gets Lowrie out and then Casey pinch-hits for Tek. Wheeler whiffs Casey, but Kotsay lines a double off of him. Coco comes up with two outs and drives Wheeler berserk by fouling off pitch after pitch before lining one into right. Coco rounds first and heads for second as Kotsay scores the tying run. He gets thrown out at second, but the damage is done. Three more Sox runs in the 8th with a chance to win the game and stay alive in the series.
Top of the 9th, Masterson has come on in relief of Paps. He gives up a single to Bartlett and gets Aki to fly out, but not deep enough to advance Bartlett. He pitches carefully around Upton, trying to keep Bartlett close, and Upton works the walk. Now the young rookie is in a jam that has Sox Nation wondering why Pap wasn't brought out for another inning. Lest we forget, however, that this kid has a knack for getting the double play ball and that he does. Pena hits a grounder to second. Pedey flips to Lowrie, who throws to Kotsay and the threat is erased, paving the way for a truly Red Soxian bottom of the 9th.
After two quick outs retiring Pedey and Papi, J.P. Howell (now does that name sound like a banker or what?) has a tough time with Youk, who studied Coco's 8th inning at-bat intently and keeps fouling off pitches. He hits one to third and Longoria, who is a pet of Chip & Buck, makes a long throw to first, where Pena can't get a grip on the ball. It bounces into the stands as Youk takes second. Howell pitches around Bay to take his chances with Drew, favoring the lefty-lefty matchup. Dangerous move, young banker! J.D. makes J.P. pay dearly as he lines the 3-1 offering into right, plating the winning run! Deja 2004, anyone? It had a bit more of a 2004 feeling than a 2007 feeling, given the long odds of such a comeback against a team that has been raking for the better part of the series. Game 5 in 2007 had Beckett dominating and the offense producing from the beginning of the game. This Game 5 looked like a miserable end to a depressing series up until the last three innings, when the fortunes reversed dramatically. I'll even admit that I stopped watching for about an inning and a half because I couldn't bear to see it end the way it looked like it would in the fifth--a humiliating shutout at home and a third consecutive thrashing by a younger and playoff-inexperienced team, no matter how talented they may be. I came back in the bottom of the 7th, right after Lowrie's double, just to check on the game. Good thing I did!
So, now that they've managed to stay alive, they still have a lot of work to do. Beckett must return to form for Game 6 if they're to have a chance to force a Game 7. While it's tempting to think of Lester pitching on Saturday instead, the Sox are in a position where they're going to have to either live by Beckett or die by Beckett. I previously blogged about wanting Byrd to pitch Game 6, but his Game 3 outing made me think better of it. They can't pull another pitcher out of thin air. Beckett it is. Let's hope for the best!
LET'S GO RED SOX!!!! CONGRATS ON AN AMAZING COMEBACK!!!
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