Indians 13, Red Sox 6: Trot, Tribe even it up
When Eric Gagne was summoned from the bullpen in the 11th inning, it was understandable if any Red Sox fan still watching the game felt a sense of apprehension. Gagne has underachieved since joining Boston, and another poor outing last night is partly why the American League Championship Series is now tied.
Gagne, Javier Lopez and Jon Lester all struggled in the 11th inning. The Indians ended up scoring seven runs in the frame, which enabled Cleveland to subdue the Red Sox, 13-6, in a game that lasted 5:14 and didn't end until 1:37 a.m.
The Indians' victory sends the ALCS to Cleveland deadlocked, 1-1. The third game will be played tomorrow night at Jacobs Field.
Things started promisingly in the 11th when Gagne began with a strikeout. He then gave up a single to Grady Sizemore and walked Asdrubal Cabrera, which resulted in Gagne suffering the loss. Javier Lopez was then brought in to face someone who played nine seasons with the Red Sox. Trot Nixon responded with a pinch-hit single to give the Indians the lead.
Lopez threw a wild pitch to let another run score. Franklin Gutierrez capped the explosion by hitting a three-run homer off Lester.
"We tried to have an answer for everything they were going to do in the 11th," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona, whose team suffered its first loss in the postseason. "Trot had a good at-bat and things unraveled from there."
"It's kind of ridiculous to be playing at 1:30 in the morning, but you don't get these opportunities very often," said Nixon. "We were able to take advantage of the situation in the 11th inning, which let us tie the series and now we are going back to Cleveland."
Unheralded Tom Mastny earned the victory by retiring the heart of Boston's lineup, David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez and Mike Lowell, in order in the 10th inning.
The implosion of the Red Sox' bullpen followed a brilliant relief effort by Jonathan Papelbon. He recorded six outs for the first time while pitching both the eighth and ninth innings, giving up just one hit.
Curt Schilling entered with a 9-2 record in the postseason, but he had a surprisingly short outing. He pitched just 4 2/3 innings, the second shortest playoff start of his career. Schilling lasted only three innings against New York in the first game of the 2004 ALCS. He permitted five runs, four of which scored on two home runs, and nine hits.
"Nobody should feel bad in our clubhouse except for me," said Schilling. "It's all about me coming up small in a big game."
The Indians also got a disappointing performance from their starter. Fausto Carmona was better than C.C. Sabathia was Friday night, but he was hardly dazzling, allowing four runs and four hits in four-plus innings.
Schilling left with the Red Sox trailing 5-3, but his teammates overcame that deficit by hitting back-to-back home runs in the sixth inning off Rafael Perez. Ramirez launched a two-run homer into Boston's bullpen to tie the game and set a record for the most postseason home runs. Ramirez now has 23 playoff homers, one more than Bernie Williams. Lowell then put a ball into the Monster Seats to give the Red Sox a 6-5 lead.
The Indians tied the game at a touchdown apiece when Franklin Gutierrez hit a run-scoring ground ball off Manny Delcarmen in the sixth inning.
Right after Boston had taken a 3-1 lead, Jhonny Peralta hit a three-run homer off Schilling in the fourth inning to give the Tribe a 4-3 edge. Peralta's blast over the center field wall followed back-to-back singles by Victor Martinez and Ryan Garko.
Schilling threw a fastball up in the strike zone to Sizemore in the fifth inning, which resulted in Cleveland's 25-year-old star putting it in Boston's bullpen and the Indians extending their lead to 5-3. Two more hits ended Schilling's outing.
Ramirez walked twice with the bases loaded in Friday night's game. He walked again with the sacks filled in the third inning to help spark a three-run rally, which gave Boston a 3-1 lead. Coco Crisp hit a lead-off single and Dustin Pedroia was issued a walk. With two outs, Ortiz beat out an infield hit that deflected off Carmona's glove. The hit was the 10th consecutive time that Ortiz reached base, tying a postseason record.
Ramirez then earned an easy RBI by walking on four straight pitches, tying the game at one. Lowell gave the Red Sox a two-run edge by hitting a single up the middle. Carmona threw 39 pitches in the inning, only 20 of which were strikes.
Ortiz did reach base in the fifth inning, but it didn't extend his streak because it was on an out-producing fielder's choice. He did, though, score in the frame on Ramirez's home run.
Doubles by Sizemore and Martinez gave the Indians a run in the first inning.
The Red Sox received a top-notch relief effort from Hideki Okajima, who hurled 1 2/3 shutout innings (1 hit, 3 strikeouts). Mike Timlin also excelled, pitching a perfect eighth inning.