A Memorable Game Two

Unbelievable!!! Un-freakin believable! Shut out through the first fourteen innings of the ALCS; setting post-season records for the most strikeouts in back to back games; unable even to get a hit through the first five and two-thirds last night, only one night after being one-hit; and coming within a whisker of heading off to Detroit, down 0-2, with Verlander on the mound; the Sox suddenly came to life, got up off the canvas, and knocked out the Tigers in the eighth and ninth innings. 

In a way, it was even crazier than 2004. That year, Games Four and Five were actually see-saw affairs, and the Sox trailed by no more than two runs. Their comebacks were so amazing because Boston had to score on the invincible Rivera, their nemesis for so many years. But in each of those games, when the Red Sox tied it up late, they had only to score a single run. Last night though, the Sox were completely dormant through five innings. For the second night in a row, they had not only been shut out; they were hitless. And even worse, they seemed unable even to make contact with the ball. Sanchez and Scherzer were striking out Boston's bats at the rate of two per inning; the Sox had gone almost fifteen innings without a run; and in those fifteen innings, they had set a post-season record for most Ks. Coming to bat in the sixth, they trailed by five runs. In a word, they looked beaten.

Suddenly, in the eighth, Middlebrooks doubled into the left field corner, and Ellsbury walked, just barely. The Tigers had been getting all those close calls for two nights, but now the Sox had two on base. Pedroiia singled, and how many times this year had Boston been thrown out at the plate? But last night Butterfield held up Middlebrooks, loading the bases for Papi. One pitch later, the game was tied at 5. It happened like lightning, even faster than the Patriots' final drive yesterday. (More on that in a minute.)

Then in the ninth inning, didn’t it seem inevitable that Boston was going to walk off? The Tigers had played flawlessly for two nights, but then an error, a wild pitch, and Salty’s single through the drawn in infield brought home a run. Jonny Gomes, who so often this year seemed to play a role in walk-off wins, had started the rally, and scored the winning run. Boston improbably walked off 6-5 for Game Two.  And with the ALCS headed for Detroit, Boston had knotted up the series after facing two of the most dominating starting performances anyone had seen all year long.

Earlier on Sunday, I watched another miraculous finish, when Tom Brady led the Patriots back against the undefeated Saints. Twice in the last three minutes, the Pats gave the ball back to New Orleans, once on downs (and that led to a Saints field goal, which gave them a four point lead) and once with an interception. But each time, they got the ball back. And in the end, after not throwing  a TD pass for seven quarters, and without any of his leading receivers on the field, Brady marched the Pats down the field with one minute to go, and no time-outs. The winning throw came with five seconds on the clock, and was caught by an undrafted rookie free agent. I’m not a Pats fan (not a hater either), and was watching just to see a good football game - Brees v. Brady. The undefeated Saints v. the perennially tough Patriots.  But watching the Pats’ miraculous comeback, I thought, maybe there’s something in the air today in New England, and maybe there was. But it didn’t reach Fenway until after eleven o’clock -- after any normal fan would have given up, and resigned himself to falling behind 0-2.

Not that Boston has any advantage despite the comeback. The Tigers managed a win in Fenway; the Sox still have to face Verlander; and despite the late-inning dramatics, Detroit still has an overpowering rotation. But if they could make a game of it last night, then maybe they can make a game of it on any night. For my way of thinking, let’s just win one in Detroit, so this thing returns to Fenway. Go Sox. B Strong.