Deja Youk: Homer wins it in extra innings after Paps blows save

Sox 5, Cards 3 (13)
WP: Lopez (2-0)
LP: Parisi (0-3)
SV: None
HRs: BOS-Youk, 2 (13); STL:None

SUMMARY:
For the second weekend in a row Jonathan Papelbon blew a save with two outs in the 9th against a National League club, and for the second straight Sunday Kevin Youkilis bailed out his dance-impaired teammate with an extra inning homer. This one came with one on in the bottom of the 13th and helped Boston avoid the sweep and remain in first place.

#1 STUNNER: Youk 2-5, 2R, BB, 3BI, 2HR
His second multi-homer game of the season ended with the first walk-off shot of his career, and it's safe to say Paps owes him an expensive steak dinner for the latest save he provided for his closer.

THE BIGGEST LOSER: Rick Ankiel 0-6, 2K
Not only did the ex-pitcher, ex-juicer have a lousy day at the plate, but in the 8th inning the Cards' centerfielder fell after over-running a ball hit by Coco Crisp that wound up as a leadoff triple and allowed the Sox to tie the game.

RECAP:
Wow. This game had more going on than a CGI-laden summer blockbuster.

It was a pitcher's duel as both starters, Joel Pineiro and Jon Lester, threw seven solid innings of two-run ball.

It was a pitcher's nightmare, evidenced by Paps' blown save and Mike Parisi's blown game. Also, Hideki Okajima allowed 5 base runners in 1 2/3 innings and Chris Perez walked three straight batters to force in the go-ahead run in the seventh.

It's was a hitter's heaven, with the two team's combining for 29 hits. Seven players had at least two hits, two guys racked up three knocks, Dustin Pedroia ripped four hits and Aaron Miles tallied five base hits on the day.

It was a hitter's hell, as Ankiel went 0-6, Troy Glaus 0-4, and Jason Varitek and red-hot J.D. Drew both suffered through 0-5 afternoons.

It had highs & lows, "ahhhhs" and groans, and a couple of plays that made you sit and scratch your head.

Did I mention it was delayed by rain for nearly an hour at the start and there were 13 pitchers used today?

Let's just hope there's not a sequel in the near future.

The craziest part about the game was that it started out as an ordinary pitcher's duel, with both St. Louis starter/ex-Sox hurler Pineiro (7IP, 7H, 2ER, 0BB, 1K, 1HR, 81P) and Sox lefty Lester escaping numerous jams early to keep the game scoreless for five innings.

With 29 combined hits and just 8 runs scored, you gotta figure there were a lot of men left on base, which there were, but there were also four double plays, a caught stealing and a runner gunned out at the plate that combined to keep the score down and the pitch count up (362 total) in this game.

In fact in the first four innings the teams hit into three double plays and two fielder's choices which killed a few potential rallies, but the Cards finally broke the seal when they scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth on back-to-back doubles and an RBI single by Ryan Ludwick (1-6, BI).

Lester (7IP, 9H, 2ER, 1BB, 3K, 101P) worked his way out of that situation without any further damage, and Boston sliced the lead in half in the next inning when Youk hit a solo shot over the Monster with two outs in the seventh.

And this is when things started to get wild.

Boston finally got Pineiro, who was signed by the Sox prior to last season and was at one point going be the closer for the club, out of the game when Ankiel misplayed Coco's routine flyball into a leadoff triple to start the eighth.

On came reliever Chris Perez, and soon the St. Louis lead would disappear in a sea of bad pitches.

Julio Lugo worked the count to 3-1 before driving a ball to right to score Coco easily, and thanks to Ankiel's blunder the game was tied at two.

After getting Jacoby Ellsbury to ground out for the second out of the inning, Perez allowed a single to Pedroia (4-5, 2 2Bs, R), and after the Little Big Man stole second, the St. Louis righty walked Drew, Manny and Mike Lowell to force in Pedroia with the go ahead run, 3-2.

Perez did strike out Youk with the bases loaded to end the inning, but needing just three outs and with Paps on the mound it appeared as if the game was over.

Ah, not so fast Faithful.

Last Saturday Papelbon entered the game in Cincinnati with Boston leading the Reds 4-3 when Edwin Encarnacion took the closer deep with two outs and two strikes to send the game into extra innings, where Youk and Coco hit back-to-back jacks in the 10th to win the gaame.

Couldn't happen twice in the span of 8 days, right?

Well, it didn't happen exactly like that, but when Papelbon walked Chris Duncan with two outs it did bring up similar feelings of "not again". After all, it was just paps' fifth bases on balls he had issued this season.

Sure enough pinch hitter Adam Kennedy (3-3, BI) drilled a fat fastball into deep center, and this time it was Coco's turn to misplay the ball as he got a bad jump on it, came in first then went back as the ball helplessly bounced off the base of the wall and Duncan came around to score the tying run.

And the park was shrouded in silence.

Paps (1IP, 1H, 1ER, 1BB, 2K, 19P) bounced back to get Skip Schumaker to ground out to end the inning, but the damaage was done and it was time for the emotional closer to take out his frustrations on his mitt in the dugout.

After the Sox went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 9th, the next three innings went simialr to the first three - plenty of baserunners, but nobody scoring.

Hideki Okajima took over for Paps in the top of the 10th, and Oki did his best Timlin impersonation when he gave up a single and a walk sandwiched around an out before retiting the last two batters to escape the jam.

Boston, meanwhile, got a leadoff double from Ellsbury in the bottom of the 10th, got him to third on a sac bunt by Pedroia, but left him stranded when Drew struck out and pinch hitter Sean Casey flew out.

Oki (1.2IP, 4H, BB, K, 28P) was no better in the 11th as he allowed singles to Yadier Molina, Kennedy and Aaron Miles (5-6) before Craig Hansen came in and struck out Ludwick to squelch the rally.

The frustrations continued in the bottom of the inning when Lowell (3-5, R, BI, BB) led off with a two bagger and Youk and Coco walked, but Jason Isringhausen struck out Alex Cora and ellsy to squelch that threat.

Is this thing ever gonna fucking end?!

Hansen tossed a 1-2-3 12th before Boston got yet another leadoff double in the bottom of the inning, but Pedroia was nailed at third on a bouncer back to the mound and then casey hit into a double play to sq....ah screw it.

The game finally wrapped up in spectacular fashion in the 13th inning, which was an unlucky frame for St. Louis but proved to be very lucky for Boston.

After Javier Lopez releived Hansen with one out to face Duncan the slumping Cards' first baseman drove a double into deep center, and one pitch later Kennedy lined a single to right that looked like it would plate the go-ahead run.

But as Drew ran in and scooped up the ball, Duncan barrelled around third, and instead of trying to slide under Tek's tag Duncan tried to plow him over. Bad move.

Tek hung on to the ball and applied the tag and a disgruntled Duncan was out at the plate, and two pitches later Schumaker flied out to set up Youk's heroics.

Lowell led off the frame with a single to left and five pitches later Youk unloaded on a Mike Parisi fastball and drilled it over the Monster for a long-awaited walk-off homer, and finally this 5 1/2+ hour (with delay) marathon was over.

So the Sox avoided what would have been the first Fenway sweep since 2006 and enlatged its lead in the east with the Rays loss to the Astros.

Next up is a series with the slumping Diamondbacks, and its safe to say the Sox could use a herculean effort from Josh Beckett so the rest of the staff can get some rest after this wild and wooly affair.

RECORD: 47-31
AL EAST: Up 1 1/2 gms
STREAK: W1
LAST 10: 6-4
UP NEXT: Mon vs. ARI 705 Haren vs. Beckett

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Deja duel: Sox win carbon copy of last night's game

Sox 2, Toronto 1
WP: Papelbon (2-0)
LP: Downes (0-1)
SV: None
HRs: None

SUMMARY:
The Red Sox beat the Blue Jays tonight in a game that was eerily similar to last night's 1-0 victory: both starters pitched very well, the game was decided by one run, and the winning run scored on a single to center with two outs in the 9th when Vernon Wells couldn't nail the runner at the plate.

Cue the Rod Serling voice over.

SUPERSTAR: Jason Varitek 1-4, GW RBI
Captain Clutch comes through again as it was his single that scored Manny from second base with two outs in the bottom of the 9th to win the game.

THE BIGGEST LOSER: Wells 0-3, BB, 1-2 throwing runners out at home
For the second straight night the game came down to Wells' ability to nail a runner at the plate, and even though he had done just that one play before, he couldn't repeat the feat and save the game for the Jays.

RECAP:
Talk about living on the edge.

After snapping a five-game losing streak last night with a 1-0 victory courtesy of a Kevin Youkilis walk-off single in the 9th inning, Boston decided that recipe for success was so tasty they'd try to mix the same ingredients again tonight.

And the result was another incredibly scintillating, sometimes exasperating, but ultimately rewarding one run win, Boston's 8th in its final at bat already this season, the most in the major leagues.

The table was set for another fantastic finale when both starting pitchers, Dustin McGowan and Daisuke Matsuzaka, pitched six innings of shutout ball, allowing a combined three hits.

It was the fourth consecutive game that a Boston starter had pitched into the seventh inning and allowed 2 hits and less than 2 runs, following Clay Buchholz on Saturday, Josh Beckett on Sunday and Jon Lester on Monday, and I don't know if that's some kind of record, but I do know that's damn impressive work from your starting staff.

If only the offense could've rewarded those efforts with some friggin run support.

But unfortunately for the 4th straight game the Boston starter's effort was matched by his opponent, from Edwin Jackson to James Shields to Roy Halladay, and McGowan (7.1IP, 4H, 1ER, 1BB, 5K, HR), who had been rocked by the Rays in his previous start, joined the club last night.

The only hit the sputtering Sox offense could muster off the strapping righty was a 2nd inning single by Manny Ramirez, while Matsuzaka (7IP, 2H, 0ER, 2BB, 4K), making his first start since being scratched by the flu big last week, limited the Jays to just a single and a double in his seven strong innings.

Boston finally broke through in the bottom of the 7th inning when David Ortiz, still nursing a sore knee, slammed a 2-0 McGowan offering high and not very deep into the 2nd row of seats in the right field stands for a monumental home run: the shot marked Boston's first extra base hit since Manny's 5th inning double in St Pete on Friday night, a span of 39 innings.

But the elation that came with that shot was short-lived for the Faithful, as once again the Boston bullpen could not protect a hard-fought lead.

Francona decided to replace Dice-K, who was making his first start in 12 days and had thrown 111 pitches, with Manny Delcarmen to being the 8th.

That move immediately backfired as Delcarmen, who has allowed at least one baserunner in 11 of his 14 appearances this season, allowed a leadoff single to Adam Lind on an 0-1 pitch to open the frame, prompting a quick return to the mound by Tito, who yanked his miffed reliever.

On came Oakjima, who has had his struggles also, and he immediately surrendered a double to the immortal Greg Zaun to set up runners at 2nd & 3rd with no outs.

So much for hoping for consecutive 1-0 victories. Now we were just hoping the damage would be limited to one or two runs.

And those hopes were rewarded when Brandon Moss, starting in right for gimpy JD Drew, made an excellent sliding catch of an Alex Rios liner that turned out to be a sac fly that tied the game and not a single or double that put Toronto ahead.

Oki buckled down after that play, striking out Eckstein and Rolen to the delight of the crowd, and now it was time for the late game heroics to kick in again.

Boston nearly scored in the bottom of the 8th when Coco Crisp lined a one-out double to right center, but after Lugo walked Dustin Pedroia flied out and Crisp was stranded at third when Youk grounded out, ending the inning and dampening the spirits of the Nation.

Temporarily.

Papelbon came out for the 9th and the lousy relief work must have rubbed off on him because he gave up leadoff single to Matt Stairs to open the inning, but after he was replaced by pinch runner John McDonald, Boston got a big break that set the stage for the bottom of the 9th dramatics.

After running the count to 1-2 on Vernon Wells, Paps threw to first and caught McDonald leaning, picking off the pinch runner to the delight of the Faithful and shock of the entire Toronto dugout.

Spurred by that move, Papelbon got Wells to ground out and Lyle Overbay followed suit, and now it was time to press replay on the tape from last night's 9th.

Just like last night Papi (2-4, R, BI) got the rally started, this time with a leadoff single hit through the teeth of the shift down the right field line. He appeared to re-tweak his knee on the play, so as soon as Manny drew a walk off reliever Scott Downs Tito replaced him with pinch runner Jed Lowrie.

Turned out that was a good move because after Mike Lowell, who had double earlier for his first hit since April 6th, struck out looking at a fastball down the plate, Moss ripped a single past the mound and into right center, setting up a potential game winning play at the plate as Lowrie barrelled around third.

Unlike last night, though, Wells didn't bobble this attempt, and instead he threw a seed to home, and that throw combined with an excellent block of the plate by catcher Rod Barajas combined to nail the stunned Lowrie, much to the dismay of the already celebrating Sox, who though the game was over.

Instead they'd have to wait another minute.

In a twist of fate that seemed to be penned by George Will, or maybe Stephen King, Jason Varitek stood in against Downs and had a chance to deliver the real game-winning blow, and wouldn't you know he did just that, ripping a single to the left side of the mound that Wells gathered and tossed plateward once again.

This time Manny, who should have been at third but was too busy celebrating the earlier play at second, eluded the tag at home, and finally the Sox had the win, another thrilling walk-off that defied explanation and exceeded expectation for everyone who came in thinking "there's no way the same thing can happen again".

Turns out there was a way.

Shall we try for three in a row tomorrow night?

RECORD: 17-12
AL EAST: Up 1 gm
STREAK: W2
LAST 10: 5-5
UP NEXT: Thu vs. TOR 705 Burnett vs. Wakefield

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Sox end losing streak with dramatic 9th inning, 1-0 win

Sox 1, Toronto 0
WP: Papelbon (1-0)
LP: Halladay (2-4)
SV: None
HRs: None

SUMMARY:
The Red Sox got to dish out a bit of the medicine they had taken over the weekend as they won a thrilling pitcher's duel between Jon Lester and Roy Halladay on a walk-off RBI single by Kevin Youkilis, ending their 5-game losing streak in style.

SUPERSTAR: Dustin Pedroia 0-4, K
How can a guy who went hitless be the star of the game over the man who knocked in the only run of the night?

Easy, because Pedroia's diving stop of a hot liner off the bat of Vernon Wells with a man on 2nd in the top of the 9th not only saved the game but will be featured on every Top Play highlight reel for the next 6 months.

THE BIGGEST LOSER: Halladay 8.2IP, 5H, 1ER, 1BB, 6K
He's not a 'loser' in the slang form of the word, but in the literal sense, because for the third time in a row the former Cy Young winner has thrown a complete game and come away as the losing pitcher of record.

That's what I call a tough luck 'loser' (see the connection?)

RECAP:
It's about friggin' time!

That's the thought on the minds of every member of the Nation as the Red Sox finally got a break to go their way and pulled out a game they really needed to have, saving themselves and their fans the humbling experience of losing a third consecutive low-scoring pitcher's duel.

And what a way to break the losing streak - by capping off eight scoreless innings with a tense, exhilarating 9th inning that featured 1/4 of the total of baserunners in the frame (4) as there had been in the entire game (12).

When Scott Rolen lined a double to the Wall off Jonathan Papelbon with two out in the top of the 9th, everyone in chilly Fenway and watching at home had that "here we go again" feeling that is par for the course with the way the games have gone this last week or so.

But then the Little Big Man, Dustin Pedroia, made the play of the game and probably of the year so far, robbing Vernon Wells of a sure hit and probable RBI, and suddenly those feelings of doubt had morphed into a "we're gonna win this thing" mentality.

All the Sox had to do was make it happen.

For eight innings it looked as if no one was going to be able to win this thing, because both starting pitchers were so damn good.

Halladay didn't allow a walk until the 9th inning and had given up just 3 singles until that point - one by Youk in the 2nd, an infield nubber by Brandon Moss in the 5th, and one by Jason Varitek in the 8th - before allowing three baserunners in the 9th that ultimately led to him and his team losing the game.

But as good as Halladay was, Sox starter Jon Lester was even better. Coming off three straight no decisions and two rough starts in a row, Lester (8IP, 1H, 0ER, 4BB, 6K) was nearly unhittable tonight, surrendering four walks and a lone hit - a
leadoff single by Lyle Overbay in the 6th that was just out of the reach of Pedroia's outstretched glove - before giving way to Papelbon in the 9th.

The pitchers were so on the money that neither team could get the ball off the ground against them, with just 4 of the 54 outs being recorded in the air; even the hits were barely a few feet off the ground.

And it was couple of groundball double plays saved Lester and the Sox in consecutive innings. The first came one batter after Overbay's single as Shannon Stewart tapped into a 6-4-3 job one pitch after the single, and the next one came after Greg Zaun had walked in the 5th, courtesy of an inning-ender by David Eckstein.

All that non-action made the game go by very rapidly, and by the time of the 9th inning heroics the game was barely 2 hours old. Talk about a nice change of pace from the multitude of 4+ hour debacles Boston has played this year.

If the game was quick the heartbeats were even quicker in the final frame, especially after the Sox closer entered the game.

Papelbon, who has only pitched twice in the last 9 days, was his usual flamethrowing self, fanning the first two batters he faced as the crescendo of the crowd rose with every pitch.

When he gave up the double to Rolen, who has 5 hits since coming off the DL four games ago, four of them for extra bases, the noise subsided a bit and that feeling of dread started creeping into the back of the mind.

And then Pedroia's play erased any bad feelings and replaced them with screams of joy.

Vernon Wells, who was 0-9 lifetime against Paps coming in, took a strike from the closer before lacing a rocket right past Papelbon's head, nearly taking his ear off as he jerked out of the way.

The ball appeared headed for centerfield, which would have surely resulted in Rolen scoring from second, but then Pedroia appeared out of nowhere, snagged the ball on a hop when it was already past him, popped back up, turned and fired a seed to first to nail Wells by two steps, and Fenway (and living rooms) exploded with shock and awe over what they had just witnessed.

Still buzzing over the play, you'd have to be a fool not to believe the momentum would carry over to the bottom of the inning and Boston would pull out the win. But after Halladay got Coco and Pedroia out on five pitches, the hope was fading fast.

Once again it was up to Boston's big boppers, Papi and Manny, to save the day.

Ortiz, back after sitting two games with a bruised knee sustained in his headfirst slide Friday night in St Pete, did his job by laying off some tough pitches and drawing the first base on balls from Halladay on the night.

Manny then blooped a 1-0 pitch to center in front of Wells, who was naturally playing deep, and suddenly it was up to the slumping Youk to deliver the knockout blow.

With no reliever coming in, it was up to Doc to finish off what he had started, but once again a game he wound up finishing would not end well for him.

Youk took the first pitch for a ball before slicing a single into center, and it looked like it was gonna come down to a play at the plate, with the gimpy Papi challenging Wells' rocket arm.

Except Wells bobbled the ball, and that was all the big fella needed to chug home safely. Instantly the Sox players streamed out onto the field as the crowd went nuts and Dirty Water played in the background, signaling the end to the losing streak and the beginning of some good times at the ballpark for a change.

Boston, you're their home indeed.

Bring on the Rays!

NOTES:
-Lowell returns: Mike Lowell made his return to the lineup after missing 18 games with a sprained thumb. he received a loud ovation in his first trip to the plate but struck out, and was cheered for in each at bat even though he went 0-3. He is now batting a Papi-esque .182 for the season.

-Drew hurt-again: JD Drew left the game after the third inning when he suffered a quad strain running out a ball in the second; he was replaced by Moss. Between the injuries and his recent slump, it's only a matter of time before the calls of "Nancy" begin again, and the chants of "DREEEEEWWWW" revert back to 'boos'.

-Running on empty: the 9th inning score broke a string of 21 scoreless innings for the Sox, dating back to the 5th inning of Saturday's game against the Rays

RECORD: 16-12
STREAK: W1
LAST 10: 6-4
AL EAST: T-1st
UP NEXT: Wed vs. TOR McGowan vs. Matsuzaka

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ALDS GM2: Manny's 9th-inning bomb propels Sox to 2-0 series lead

Sox 6, Angles 3
WP: Papelbon (1-0)
LP: F. Rodriguez (0-1)
HRs: BOS-Manny (1)

Amazingly after 21 postseason homers, good for 2nd place all time in MLB, this was ManRam's first walk-off job. He made sure to admire it appropriately.

SUMMARY
Manny Ramirez put his nagging oblique injury and some earlier shoddy fielding behind him when he launched a titanic 3-run homer over the Monster and onto Lansdowne Street off Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez in the bottom of the 9th to give Boston 2-0 advantage over LA in the ALDS.

#1 STUNNER Ramirez 1-3, R, 3BI, 2BB, GW-HR
He had only notched one extra base hit since returning from an oblique injury in the last week of the season, but Manny, who always had a flair for the dramatic, made sure his first homer since August 28th was a memorable one.

Indeed it was only the 5th walkoff homer in Red Sox postseason history.

GAGME F. Rodriguez 1/3IP,1H, 2R, BB, K, GL-HR
The kid called K-Rod made a name for himself in the 2002 playoffs, when the flamethrowing phenom helped the Halos win the world Series. But by trying to sneak a fastball by Manny in the 9th tonight, he might have assured his team doesn't get out of the first round in 2007.

RECAP
The Red Sox extended their postseason dominance over the Angels, beating them for the eighth straight time in the playoffs, but it took some terrific work by the beleaguered bullpen, a slew of bases-on-balls, and a fortuitious play by the son of a minority owner in order to extend that streak.

Boston stepped one win closer to the ALCS when Manny Ramirez clubbed a game-winning homer off Francisco Rodriguez with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but before that spectacular finish could occur the Sox took thier sweet time getting to that point as this game had more twists and turns than a Stephen King novel.

Oh, did I mention the high priest of horror was also involved in this memorable October matchup?

Daisuke Matsuzaka (4.2IP, 7H, 3ER, 3BB, 3K) made his MLB postseason debut, and unfortunately for the Sox and the Nation, he pitched pretty much like he has for most of his inital season in the majors--halfway decent yet still not quite good enough.

The rookie righty really only had one bad inning, when he allowed three runs on three hits and a walk in the second, but it was his lack of command and inabilty to shut the sputtering Angels lineup down that forced Terry Francona to pull his #2 starter with two outs in the fifth with the score only 3-2 Los Angeles.

As a dissapointed & dejected Dice-K left the mound, he got his first taste of what life can really be like as a member of the Boston Red Sox when a smattering of boos rained down on him, a sharp reminder that a big contract, high expectations and postseason failure make for a hostile work environment in the best baseball city in America.

Welcome to playoff baseball in Beantown, Diceman.

The reason the Faithful were so upset was because another high-paid, high-profile bust, J.D. Drew, actually came through in the clutch in his first playoff game in a Boston uni, stroking a bases-loaded, two-out, two-run single off Anaheim starter Kelvim Escobar in the first inning to give the Sox an early 2-0 lead, only to have Matsuzaka blow that lead mere minutes later.

The worst part about it is that the second inning could have been a one-run affair. Dice-K allowed a leadoff walk to Casey Kotchman and an infield single to Kendry Morales but then retired the next two batters, with Kotchman scoring on a fielder's choice grounder by catcher Jeff Mathis to slice the lead to 2-1.

Except Matsuzaka had one of his patented phases when he forgets he's supposed to be an elite pitcher and allowed back-to-back doubles by Chone Figgins and Orlando Cabrera to give the Angles a 3-2 lead, and even though he retired Vlad Guerrero on a grounder to end the inning, the boo birds that came out for the first time in Dice's brief Boston career and reminded him that the feel-good vibes of the regular season are gone when the hardware is on the line.

The score remained that way for a few innings, with both teams committing baserunning blunders along the way, but the fifth inning brought not only Matsuzaka's departure and the Red Sox tying the game but the entrance of another Bartman-like play into postseason lore.

Matsuzaka ran into two out trouble again in the top of the fifth when he surrendered a single to Maicer Izturis and then walked Kotchman on four pitches, the last one scooting past Varitek for a wild pitch that sent Izturis to third and brought Tito out of the dugout.

Javier Lopez replaced the disgraced starter and got Morales to ground out to Lugo at short, and Boston was forced into a situation it had not been too succesful with over the last few weeks of the season--having to go to the bullpen early.

Thankfully in the bottwom of the frame the Sox tied it up when Dustin pedroia led off with a double, and after Youk grounded out, David ortiz drew the second of his ALDS-record four walks, the fisrt of his tywo intentional freebies, setting up Manny for a big RBI situation.

Cue the Twilight Zone music.

Ramirez battled Escobar, fouling off a few pitches, but it was one foul ball in particular that will be rembered for a long time to come in the Commonwealth.

As Manny's pop up soared towrds the seats, mathis raced over to the rail of the photographer's section and reached into the stands to snag the ball. Only a young kid named Danny Vinik, the son of a part-owner of the team, reached over Mathis' glove and snagged the ball first, and as Mathis swore in idsgust, Vinnick was congratulated by everyone around him, including Boston's best famous fan, Stephen King, who was seated one row behind the kid they're calling the anti-Bartman.

Given new life Ramirez drew a walk from the rattled escobar, and the bases were loaded for Boston's top RB I man and most consiustent clutch hitter all season, Mikle Lowell.

Lowell lofted a flyball to centerfield, deep enough to score Pedroia with the tying run, and suddenly the problem became how Francona was going to piece together a potential game-saving combination out of his embattled bully.

Turned out it wasn't an issue as the Boston penb reverted to pre-Gagne form, turning in 4 1/3 scoreless innings, starting with Manny Delcarmen's 1-2-3 sixth.

After Manny D. plunked Guerrero with one out in the seventh, Hideki Okajima came in for his postseason debut and got Garrett one eye Anderson on a fly ball to center and then struck out Izturis, and after he set down the first two batters of the eighth, Francona went to his closer to get the final four outs.

The last out of the eighth proved elusive as Howie Kendrick reached on an error by Lowell, stole second and third like a mouse on a trweadmill, and then Papelbon walked Juan Rivera and allowed hiom to skate to second before he fanned Figgins to end the inning, exiting the field with a fist-pump and a primal scream that said to his team let's go out and win this fucking thing.

It took a couple of innings, but in the final inning that's exactly what they did.

It all started with a leadoff single by Julio Lugo, and after Pedroia grounded him over to second, Mike Scioscia brought on K-Rod to face the heart of the Boston order.

Rodriguez struck out Youk, making him look silly in the process, and then everyone watching knew Papi was going to draw the free pass again in order to see if Manny could finally make the move backfire.

Boy did he ever.

After taking the first pitch for a ball, Manny tracked a Rodriguez heater right to his whellhouse and turned on it quicker than Mike Vick's cousin, crushing the ball high, far and deep into the Fenway night, and before he made it to home plate the entire team was there, ready to jump around in celebration of Manny's 21st postseason longball.

And so it took a number of wacky plays, a number of clutch hits, and a little intervention by a fan to get Boston to the brink of its 3rd ALCS in four years, and it will be up to Curt Schilling to puch the Sox ticket to the next round on Sunday afternoon in Anaheim.

Oh and what could make a win like this sweeter?

The Indians knocked off the Stanks in 11 innings to take a 2-0 lead in that series with help from a sudden swarm of pesky insects.

Looks like stephen King might be more powerful than we thought.

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Just like old times: Papi powers Sox to walk-off win

Sox 5, Tampa Bay 4
WP: Papelbon (1-2)
LP: Reyes (2-3)
HRs: BOS-Papi, 2 (31); TB-Upton (24)

SUMMARY
David Ortiz conjured up memories of 2004 when he launched not one but two home runs tonight at Fenway, the first a three-run bomb in the third inning that got the Sox back in the game and the second a two-run shot off closer Al Reyes that won it in the bottom of the ninth.

#1 STUNNER ahh, let's see, who's deserving, oh yeah...Papi 2-5, 2R, 5BI, 2HR
On a night when he surpassed the 30HR/100RBI plateau for the fifth straight season and became only the third member of the Sox to do so, David Ortiz provided the Nation with a huge feel-good win and some valuable breathing room heading into the Stankees series.

PAN's FAUN Reyes 1/3IP, 1H, 1BB, 2ER, HR
Nearly one month to the day that he blew a 1-0 lead by allowing two runs to the Sox in the bottom of the ninth, Reyes must have had a major case of deja vu because this was a near carbon copy of that meltdown. Actually, this one was a lot better, or should I say worse?

RECAP
He's as good as Bird.

He's as bad as Snakes on a Plane.

He's Super Papi.

How else do you explain a man who has the strength to lift an entire Nation on his back, the ability to come through in the clutch when his team needs him the most, and the power to please a bloodthirsty fanbase as well as the Madison Avenue suits with his epic blasts and Vitamin Water smile?

I mean the guy missed most of five games in late July with two achy shoulders that have been nagging him ever since, then sent shockwaves through the Nation when he announced that he will undergo offseason surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, a problem that flared up as recently as Monday when he needed the night off, and now he hits his first walk-off home run of 2007?

If that's not superheroic I don't know what is.

David Ortiz provided his team and fans with a huge come-from-behind victory over the resurgent Rays tonight when he blasted a pair of homer off a pair of Tampa Bay pitchers and although each homer was huge in it's own right it was the one that travelled the shortest distance that provided the biggest bang.

The Rays had jumped out to a 4-0 lead before I had even arrived home from my son's practice when they plated four in the first off shaky starter Jon Lester (3.2IP, 8H, 4ER, 4BB, 5K ) on a pair of run-scoring singles and a two-run homer by centerfielder B.J. Upton.

As usual the Sox had their share of scoring chances fall by the wayside, something that could be expected with Mike Lowell sitting this one out with what could be food poisoning and Jacoby Ellsbury on the bench nursing a sore wrist courtesy of his collision with the Wall the other night.

In the bottom of the first Pedroia singled with one out but was doubled off first when Carlos Pena snagged Papi's hot shot down the line for a bang-bang inning-ending double play, and Boston left the bases loaded in the second when Eric Hinske grounded out following a single by J.D. Drew, a double by Brandon Moss and a walk to Coco Crisp.

But have no fear, because in the third everyone would find out that the old Big Papi was indeed still here.

After Rays starter Edwin Jackson (6IP, 8H, 3R, 3BB, 6K) allowed a leadoff single to Julio Lugo and a one-out walk to Pedroia, Ortiz stepped up with one thing in mind--getting the team back within striking distance of a win.

Then again we're talking about a team that just pulled off a win after trailing by seven runs in the fourth inning, so I guess 4-0 wasn't exactly the edge of the abyss or anything.

Still, when Ortiz turned on an 0-1 Jackson offering and deposited it over the visiting bullpen in right, it felt as if a weight had been lifted off everyone's shoulders, the weight of having to win this game with New York breathing down their necks.

Thanks to his three-run jack that cut the Rays lead to 4-3, that weight got a hell of a lot lighter.

Handed a new ball game Lester couldn't take advantage, and when he allowed two base runners with two outs in the third and hit the 97-pitch plateau, Tito pulled him in favor of Tavarez in order to preserve the young lefty's arm as well as his psyche.

Julie came in and immediately got Brendan Harris to hit into a fielder's choice ground out, and he would go on to provide three innings of no-hit, no-run ball, another sorely needed shot in the arm for a recently sagging bully.

Unfortunately the Sox would keep amassing baserunners only to leave them stranded on the basepaths: two in the fifth, one in the sixth, two in the seventh.

Time was ticking down and Boston was running out of innings, but at least the bullpen kept the deficit at one run, a key factor in the comeback to follow.

Manny D. relived Julie with two out in the seventh and retired pinch hitter Greg Norton on a nifty behind-the-back glove save right back to the mound, and he was victimized by a single that fell in between Pedroia (2-4, R) and Drew before retiring Aki Iwamura for the second out of the eighth.

Tito then summoned Hideki Okajima to pitch to Carl Crawford with an important insurance run in scoring position, and Oki came through big time when he fooled CC with a knee-buckling curve to end the threat.

The Sox went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning against Dan Wheeler, then Francona called upon his closer to come on and keep the game at 4-3 heading into Boston's last at bat.

Papelbon accomplished that mission when he retired Pena, Upton and Delmon Young on 12 pitches, setting the stage for the ninth inning fireworks.

On Aug 14th Reyes entered a game at Fenway with the Rays leading 1-0 and promptly served up a game-tying homer to Lowell a double to Tek and a game-winning hit by Coco, so when he walked Lugo to lead off the ninth it had to seem like deja vu all over again.

He did manage to get Pedroia to fly out for the first out of the inning, but then up stepped the Big Man to the dish, and if you squinted real hard you could see the signs of yesteryear all over the place--screaming fans, pennant race, scared shitless opposing closer.

After working the count to 3-1 it looked like they were doing the old "unintentional intentional walk" thing, until Reyes left the next pitch in Papi's wheelhouse, and he turned on it and lofted it high but not particularly deep into the right field corner.

Too bad for the Rays Delmon Young took a circuitous route to the spot the ball would land, because when it popped out of the glove of a fan ion the front row of the bleachers, it was clear had the confused kid reached the correct spot at the wall he would have had a decent shot at making a game-saving catch.

Alas the ball did find the pay dirt beyond the wall, and as Papi rounded the bases on that familiar journey preparing to get slammed on the head by his giddy awaiting teammates, the Fenway Faithful jumped up and down in delight, I jumped out of my seat screaming, and all seemed right with the world again.

That's the kind of things superheroes can do for a city. And a Nation.

Bring on the Stanks!

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