Sox Walkoff Jays in 12 Innings (4/11/04)

The bad news was the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Boston Bruins in Game 3 of their first round NHL playoff series but the good news was the Boston Red Sox defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in 12 innings. The Sox broke out to a 2-0 lead but the Jays tied it in the top of the fourth. Toronto got another two runs in the sixth and things looked bleak going into the bottom of the eighth. Kevin Millar drove in a big run to cut the lead but the Jays still led going into the ninth. Mark Bellhorn did the honors with an rbi single to tie the game. Three innings later it was Big Papi himself, David Ortiz, that hit the walkoff home run to win the game. The Sox had beaten the Jays 6-4 on Easter Sunday at Fenway Park

                                                           Happy Easter Everyone

Schilling got the ball in the top of the first inning and Reed Johnson led off with a fly out to Gabe Kapler to start. Frank Catalanotto lined a ball off Schilling into center for a base hit and Vernon Wells lined one past Mark Bellhorn lined one past Mark Bellhorn for a single. Carlos Delgado struck out swinging and Josh Phelps struck out swinging on a pitch in the dirt to end the inning. The Sox wasted no time getting to Jays starter Miguel Batista in the bottom of the first as Mark Bellhorn led off with a walk. Bill Mueller lined out to short but David Ortiz also drew a walk. Manny Ramirez doubled into the right field corner to score Bellhorn and Kevin Millar hit a sac fly to right to score Ortiz. Jason Varitek drew a walk but Kapler struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                          Millar adds to the lead

Eric Hinske led off the top of the second by popping up to Bellhorn before Greg Myers grounded out to first. Orlando Hudson grounded out to second to end the inning. Cesar Crespo led off the bottom of the second by grounding out to second before Pokey Reese struck out swinging. Bellhorn grounded out to second to end the inning.

Chris Gomez struck out swinging to start the top of the third before Johnson also went down hacking. Catalanotto grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the third as Mueller grounded out to first to start. Ortiz struck out swinging and Ramirez flied out to right to end the inning.

The Jays got to Schilling in the top of the fourth as Wells doubled under the glove of Mueller into the left field corner to start. Delgado got hit with a pitch and Phelps doubled to the centerfield wall to score Wells. Hinske grounded out to first but Delgado scored and Phelps moved to third to tie the game. Schilling got a big out by striking out Myers swinging. Hudson took strike three to end the inning,

                                                       Jays tie it up

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the fourth as Millar hit a rocket to Hinske to start. Varitek grounded back to the mound and Kapler grounded grounded out to third to end the inning.

Gomez struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth before Johnson flied out to right. Catalanotto flied out to center to end the inning. Crespo struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth before Reese grounded out to short. Bellhorn walked but Mueller grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Jays struck again in the top of the sixth as Wells flied out to center to start. Delgado also flied out to center but Phelps got a base hit to center. Hinske then hit a home run all the way into Lake Titicaca to put the Jays on top. Myers hit a routine grounder to Reese who booted it....then threw the ball away for two errors on one play. Hudson struck out swinging to end the inning with Toronto up 4-2.

                                                      Hinske puts Toronto on top

Ortiz grounded out to second to start the bottom of the sixth before Ramirez grounded out to short. Millar flied out to center to end the inning.

Gomez took strike three to start the top of the seventh and Johnson took strike three on the outside corner. Catalanotto flied out to right to end the inning. Batista returned for the bottom of the seventh and Wells made a diving catch to rob Varitek of a single to start. Kapler got a base hit to left but Crespo flied out to center. David McCarty pinch hit for Reese and popped up to Hudson to end the inning.

Schilling returned for one final inning in the top of the eighth as Wells popped up to McCarty to start. Delgado flied out to right and Phelps grounded out to third to end the inning. That was it for Schilling who went 8 innings but allowed 4 runs on 6 hits while striking out ten.

                                                           Schilling goes eight innings

Kevin Cash came in to catch and Terry Adams came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth. Bellhorn walked but Mueller popped up to second. Valerio De Los Santos was brought in to face Ortiz again but this time David got a base hit to right. Justin Speier came in to face Ramirez and Manny got a base hit to left to load the bases. Millar got a seeing eye single to left to score Bellhorn to cut the lead but Varitek struck out swinging. Kapler struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 4-3.

                                                 Millar with a clutch hit

Alan Embree came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Hinske popped up to second to start. Cash walked but Hudson struck out swinging. Gomez singled to left to chase Embree. Keith Foulke came in to pitch and Johnson flied out to a running Kapler to end the inning. Kerry Ligtenberg came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Crespo doubled down the left field line to start. McCarty struck out swinging but Bellhorn ripped a base to hit to right. Crespo motored around to score to tie the game. Mueller struck out swinging but Bellhorn stole second to put the winning run at second. That was it for Ligtenberg as Jason Kershner came in to pitch to Ortiz. David hit a rocket but Wells jumped up to catch at the centerfield wall to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

                                                       Tie game!

Foulke returned for the top of the tenth and Catalanotto singled to right to start. Millar made a diving catch to rob Wells of a double and Delgado took strike three. Phelps and Hinske walked to load the bases but Cash grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Aquilino Lopez came in to pitch the bottom of the tenth and Ramirez got a seeing eye single to left. Millar hit a grounder to short but Ramirez slid in safe at second for a "single". Varitek banged into a double play and Kapler popped up to third in foul territory to end the inning.

Bobby Jones came in to crap his pants in the top of the eleventh as he walked Hudson and Gomez on eight straight balls. Sox manager Terry Francona yanked Jones before he could cause any more damage and brought in Mark Malaska. Johnson beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners but Catalanotto struck out swinging. Wells grounded out to second to end the inning, good work by Malaska. Crespo struck out swinging to start the bottom of the eleventh before McCarty popped up to short. Bellhorn grounded out to second to end the inning.

Malaska returned for the top of the 12th inning and Delgado grounded out to short to start. Phelps grounded out to second and Hinske flied out to center to end the inning. Lopez returned for the bottom of the 12th and Mueller walked to start. Ortiz then launched a 2 run home run into the Monster Seats to win the game. The Sox had won it 6-4 in 12 innings.

                                                                Sox win

Hero of the Night is David Ortiz. His two run home run in the 12th won the game

                                                       Big Papi Hero

The Good:

Mark Bellhorn was 1 for 3 with 3 walks, an rbi, a stolen base and 2 runs scored.

Manny Ramirez was 3 for 5 with an rbi.

Kevin Millar was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis.

Alan Embree got the first two outs of the ninth inning.

Keith Foulke tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Mark Malaska got the win with 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Bill Mueller was 0 for 5 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

Pokey Reese was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

David McCarty was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Bobby Jones walked the only two batters he faced.

The Ugly:

Jason Varitek was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

Gabe Kapler was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Cesar Crespo was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Curt Schilling allowed 4 runs but went 8 innings allowing 6 hits while striking out 10.

Final Thoughts:

It wasn't pretty but it was a win. Curt Schilling looked mortal in this one but he battled for 8 innings. The Sox bullpen once again stepped up with four shutout innings to preserve the win. Sox manager Terry Francona said after the game said it was a great win while Jason Varitek said David Ortiz was awesome. Can't argue with that, that's for sure. Crespo starting the ninth with a double and Malaska getting out of the 11th inning jam were the unsung heroes of this one. The Sox bullpen are being taxed early but Schilling went 8 innings in this one, just one of those days. Still, the Sox won the game when trailing by 2 in the eighth and 1 in the ninth. Ortiz getting the big walkoff was the icing on the cake. Hopefully more big wins are in store this season. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox now welcome the Baltimore Orioles in for a three game set on Tuesday night with Derek Lowe (1-0) on the mound against Erik Bedard of Baltimore. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Damon, Sox Bash Orioles (4/7/04)

It was a good day for Boston sports as the Boston Bruins beat the Montreal Canadiens in Game 1 of their first round playoff series and the Boston Red Sox trounced the Baltimore Orioles. The Red Sox offense were pretty much silenced the first two games by the Orioles but they finally broke out in tonight's game. Johnny Damon was 5 for 5 at the top of the order and a seven run second inning by the Sox bats against O's starter Kurt Ainsworth was more than enough damage. Derek Lowe (1-0, 3.00 ERA) went six strong innings holding the O's to just two runs. Bill Mueller, Manny Ramirez and Kevin Millar all drove in runs but the exclamation point was hit by David Ortiz in the form of a three run home run against Rick Bauer. Bobby Jones and Ramiro Mendoza slammed the door and the Sox won the game 10-3 at Camden Yards.

                                                           Bruins approve of the win

Ainsworth got the ball in the top of the first inning and Damon started his big night with a double down the left field line. Bill Mueller struck out swinging, David Ortiz popped up to third in foul territory and Manny Ramirez grounded out to second to end the inning. Lowe started off strong in the bottom of the first as Brian Roberts took strike three to start. Melvin Mora got a base hit up the middle but Miguel Tejada banged into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox blitz Ainsworth in the top of the second as Kevin Millar doubled down the left field line to begin. Jason Varitek walked but Gabe Kapler grounded into a double play to move Millar to third. Mark Bellhorn walked and Pokey Reese beat out an infield single to short to load the bases. Damon ripped a base hit to left to score Millar and Bellhorn. Mueller got a base hit to center to score Reese and Damon to increase the lead, then Ortiz drew a walk. Ramirez hit a routine fly to Matos who lost it in the lights for a "double" to score Mueller and Ortiz. The guy who started the inning, Millar, got a base hit to center to score Manny. That was it for Ainsworth who got slaughtered for seven runs in just 1 2/3 innings. Rick Bauer came in and froze Varitek for strike three to end the inning as the Sox led 7-0

                                                        Ainsworth knocked out early

Lowe started the bottom of the second ominously as he hit Rafael Palmeiro to begin. Javy Lopez got a base hit to left and both runners moved over on the Jay Gibbons grounder to first. Lowe got a big out when David Segui watched strike three go by. Matos walked to load the bases but Larry Bigbe grounded out to first to end the inning.

Kapler grounded out to second to start the top of the third before Bellhorn struck out swinging. Reese also struck out swinging to end the inning. The O's got on the board in the bottom of the third as Roberts grounded out to second to start. Mora caught Lowe asleep with a bunt down the third base line and moved to second on the Tejeda grounder to second. Palmeiro ripped a base hit to right to score Mora to cut the lead. Lopez forced Raffy at second to end the inning with the O's down 7-1.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the fourth as Damon singled to left to start. Damon stole second but Mueller flied out to left. Ortiz walked but got picked off at first. Ramirez took strike three to end the inning. Gibbons walked to start the bottom of the fourth but Segui hit into a double play. Matos grounded out to short to end the inning.

Millar singled to right to start the top of the fifth but Varitek flied out to center. Kapler hit a bullet to Tejeda who doubled off Millar at first to end the inning. Bigbie took strike three to start the bottom of the fifth before Roberts grounded out to second. Mora grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The Sox iced the game in the top of the seventh as Bellhorn popped up to short to start. Reese grounded out to short but Damon got another base hit to left. Mueller singled to right and Ortiz bashed his first home run of the season to put the game out of reach. Ramirez grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 10-1.

                                                           Home run Ortiz

Lowe returned for one last inning in the bottom of the sixth as Tejeda singled to center to start. Pameiro flied out to center but Lopez singled to center. Gibbons got a base hit up the middle to score Tejeda with another run. Damon made a huge catch to rob Segui of a three run home run to move Lopez to third. Matos also flied out to deep center to end the inning. Lowe had tossed 6 innings of two run ball allowing 7 hits and 2 walks as the Sox now led 10-2.

                                                                   Good work Lowe

Buddy Groom came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Millar flied out to left to start. Varitek popped up to first in foul territory and Kapler watched strike three go by to end the inning. Bobby Jones made his Sox debut in the bottom of the seventh and Bigbie hit a home run all the way into the Gulf of Mexico to cut the lead. Roberts flied out to right and Mora struck out swinging, but Tejada got a base hit to left. Palmeiro struck out swinging to end the inning with the O's down 10-3.

Groom returned to pitch the top of the eighth and Bellhorn struck out swinging to start. Reese took strike three but Damon completed his torrid day with a base hit to center. Mueller popped up to second to end the inning. Lopez walked to start the bottom of the eighth but Gibbons banged into a double play. Segui grounded out to short to end the inning.

Jorge Julio came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Keith Osik took over behind the plate. Ortiz walked and Manny got a base hit to right. Cesar Crespo pinch ran for Ramirez and Millar walked to load the bases with nobody out. Varitek popped up to third in foul territory, Kapler hit one up the elevator shaft and Bellhorn flied out to center to end the inning. So much for that rally. Ramiro Mendoza came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Jose Bautista pinch hit for Matos to start. Bautista got a single to right and Jack Cust pinch hit for Bigbe. Cust struck out swinging and Luis Lopez pinch hit for Roberts. Lopez hit into a double play to end the game. The Sox had won 10-3.

Hero of the Night is Johnny Damon. He was 5 for 5 and drove in the first two runs while scoring two total runs.

                                                                   Hero Damon

The Good:

Bill Mueller was 2 for 5 with 2 rbis and 2 runs scored.

Kevin Millar was 3 for 4 with a hit by pitch and an rbi.

David Ortiz was 1 for 2 with 3 walks, 2 total runs scored and a 3 run homer.

Manny Ramirez was 2 for 5 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Derek Lowe got the win by allowing 2 runs in 6 innings of work. He allowed 7 hits and 2 walks while striking out three.

Ramiro Mendoza tossed a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Gabe Kapler was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Jason Varitek was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

Mark Bellhorn was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Pokey Reese was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Bobby Jones allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Honorable Mention:

Cesar Crespo pinch ran for Ramirez and played left field in the ninth inning.

Final Thoughts:

Derek Lowe himself is somewhat sheepish about how much run support he gets during his starts, but he pitched well tonight to earn the win. The bats essentially only scored in two innings but made them both count. Damon finally broke out after being quiet the first two games and the balanced attack worked to knock out the starter in the second inning. Ortiz' home run off Bauer will be the first of many this season. The Sox are definitely going to miss Nomar Garciaparra and Trot Nixon's bats until they return but the defense with Pokey Reese was flawless in this one. When the only negatives of this game was Gabe Kapler going 0 for 5 and Bobby Jones allowing a home run, you know you had a good game. Hopefully the Sox can ride this momentum to the next game, especially offensively. The Sox look to take the fourth game of this series tomorrow night when Tim Wakefield makes his season debut opposite Matt Riley of Baltimore. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Camden Yards.