Dice-K, the only Boston pitcher who appeared up to the task in the American League Championship Series, took the mound last night with the Sox down 3 games to 1 against the Tampa Bay Rays. The defending World Champs looked flat, almost lifeless. Their leadoff, Ellsbury, couldn’t buy a single. The hero, Ortiz, a faded giant. The Captain, Varitek, an automatic out. After the Sox won game 1, the Rays had reeled off 3 straight: a duel of home runs in game 2, followed by two absolute shallackings at Fenway, in which the Sox’ bullpen looked not only mortal, but shaken. Beckett nursing an injury. Lester, quite hittable.
Game 5 started out looking to be more of the same. The Rays’ Upton, a surprise powerhouse in the series, cranked a two-run homer off of Dice-K in the 1st. Pena followed suit in the 3rd. 4-0, Rays. Fenway faithful nervous. Evan Longoria, the rookie of the year, added another shot and the Rays led 5-0. Rays fans could feel their first World Series Trip coming. For the next three innings, neither team could gain traction, but then in the top of the 7th, the Rays got two more. 7-0 Rays. Floridians got the champagne out of the fridge.
But …
In the bottom of the 7th, the little guys — Crisp, Lowrie, Pedroia — scrapped their way to base. Pedroia brought Lowrie home. 7-1 Rays. Up came David Ortiz, who didn’t have a single hit in almost two weeks. He had looked lost at the plate. Out of ammunition. But this was different … maybe. The Rays were 7 outs from the World Series. Millions of eyes weren’t straining at the ponderous player at the plate, but at his reputation. We saw 2004 and 2007. Papi had been here before. This is what he does. In came the pitch and … miraculously … contact. Ortiz channeled his massive frame through the long bat and sent the ball sailing over the right field wall. He jogged the bases, stepped on home, and gave his daps to heaven. 7-4 Rays. The Boston crowd is back in it. Hope, the eternal calling card of Sox Nation, is rising. Somewhere, Dave Roberts just got the chills. If Papi is back, anything is possible.
In the top of the 8th, down go the Rays batters, thanks to a “you can breathe now” double play.
Bottom of the 8th. The man who replaced Manny Ramirez, Jason Bay, walks. This brings up J.D. Drew. Fenway is rocking, the Ray’s pitcher is nervous. In comes the pitch and … up it goes. Drew’s shot follows Ortiz’ over the right field wall. Fenway explodes. 7-6 Rays. It’s time for the bottom of the Sox’ batting order to pull its weight. Kotsay doubles. Coco Crisp, a man who, a year ago, couldn’t bat to save his life (or his career in Boston), singles Kotsay home. 7-7. These guys have tied the game. Sox Nation is absolutely losing it.
Top of the 9th. The Sox have already used Papelbon earlier in the game (he gave up the homer in the 7th), so young Masterson is in. Masterson, who looked so out-of-his depth earlier in the series, gets three outs. Bottom of the 9th. This is it. The MVP, Dustin Pedroia, steps up. Slaps one to the infield and is thrown out at first. One down. Ortiz is back. We all expected a walk-off home run and glory. Didn’t happen. Two outs. That brings up Kevin Youkilis. Youk, with his awkward high grip and grizzled beard. He hangs around at the plate with a couple of foul balls and then snaps a routine grounder to third. Even before Evan Longoria fields it, we’re all thinking the about who’ll be up in the 10th. But something quite amazing happened. Longoria turns and throws, but he one hops it in front of the first baseman, and the ball bounces over the outstretched glove and into the stands as Youk steps on first base. Ground rule double!
At this point, all decorum is gone. Everyone in Sullivans at Chapel and Park absolutely lost it. High-fives. Debates on whether to name first-born sons Youk or Longo. I almost knock over my Sam Adams.
Now, instead of having secured the 3rd out and heading to the plate in the top of the 10th, the Rays players are still on the field with an out to go and Youk on 2nd. Their stomachs must be turning. You don’t give chances like that to World Champions. You don’t let the tiger off the chain. Recognizing the danger they are in, the Rays pitch around Jason Bay. Now it’s 2 outs, man on 1st and 2nd with J.D. Drew back at the plate. His last at-bat was that 2-run shot. The Rays pitcher is so nervous, he almost beans Drew in the head. What happened next transpired so fast, that our shouts and jumps announced the event before it really even registered. I can’t remember the pitch or the hit, but suddenly the ball was sailing over the head of the right fielder. The celebration started for the hit itself, but as the ball landed, it became clear. They can’t stop Youk from coming home.
8-7 Sox. Game over.
The camera shifts to home plate, where Youkilis is high-fiving and hugging the other players. Did this just happen? Again? If the joy of being a sportsfan is watching your team defy the odds, reward hope, and replace despair with elation, then this is an embarrassment of riches.
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