And it's heart attack time from Fenway Park.
21 hours and 38 minutes after Stephan Drew belted the Sox to victory after 15 innings, Daniel Nava did the same smacking a walk-off of his own and capping off one of the greatest 9th innings in Red Sox history. It is impossible to fully capture in words what happened last night but nevertheless, the numbers generated from Boston's second walk-off win in 24 hours might suffice enough to bring forth a gasp, shake of the head or even a smile from baseball fans across the globe.
At one point, only a inning and a third before Nava's miracle clincher, the few Sox fans who had stuck around at Fenway Park watched in horror as Felix Hernandez pinned their team down to just 1 run through 7 innings. With just two chances to bat remaining in the game, the Red Sox were down 7-1 and things did not look all that great.
But as with all that we have seen this season, those tides were almost guaranteed to turn as Boston rode into the end of this mighty ball game. "We somehow find some energy late in the game; It's been many different guys that have been the reason for the walk-off. I can tell you, the conversation each time we're at the plate in the extra innings; we're looking for something to draw energy from to make one last push. We were able to do that here again tonight." Manager John Farrall said after his team snagged its first of two walk-offs yesterday when Stephan Drew ended the game a 1 AM.... and last night that was no different.
Staring down the barrel of an emptying stadium and a deficit of absurd proportions, right fielder: Shane Victorino came to bat in the top of the 8th inning with one intention: hit the baseball. Well, he did just that and he did it on only the second pitch he faced in that at bat. With Seattle middle reliever: Chris Furbush on the hill, Victorino turned a 0-1 pitch and crushed it hard into the monster seats to cut the lead to 5 runs.
Now while the Red Sox would go down in the 8th without doing any more damage, as a Boston sports fan who gleefully watched Patrice Bergeron's game seven miracle back in May, as things transitions into the 9th inning, one could not help but wonder: what if?
Nevertheless, not to be overlooked was another additional task that further complicated Boston's hopes at a comeback. They had to keep the Mariners off the board in the top of the 9th, there was no question about that. Unfortunately, Seattle was not so willing to oblige as they soon moved a runner to 1st base via a Kendrys Morales single on a line drive to left fielder Johnny Gomes. But it was during the ensuing at bat that things really got interesting. With Morales on 1st, Michael Saunders turned on a David Wright pitch by Boston and lined the single off the left field Green Monster. Morales had already been running and upon seeing the ball bounce fiercely off the wall, he continued towards 3rd base.
Yet left fielder Johnny Gomes saw this too and soon played the bounce into his glove, turned and without hesitated fired to 3rd to gun down a slowing Morales. Justin Smoak would then strike out but Boston was not out of trouble yet as even with 2 outs in the 9th, they still had to pay attention to a runner on second and a then a fearful pop up to guess who: Johnny Gomes. But Gomes was not done with the antics as 1 game after turning the unassisted double play and 1 third of an inning after that epic throw to 3rd, he went crashing into the monster but held onto the baseball to end the inning.
The defensive work had been done, and now it was time for some offence...and a lot of it.
The "miracle" began with a 0 out walk to Daniel Nava. One batter later, Ryan Lavarnway drove one up the middle to move Nava to second and put himself on 1st base. But still, no runs had scored...until. In his 4th at bat of the day, 3rd basemen: Brock Holt, broke up a hit-less night via an RBI double. With Seattle now flushed with a hint of trouble, out came the coach trying to remind his pitcher that Boston was STILL out of it. But unfortunately for Seattle, over the next 3 batters, a reacquiring bases loaded situation would soon turn this into a real ball game. It was 7-6 Seattle still in control but they were by then frantically clawing at the floorboards as they tried to hold onto this dwindling lead.
Out came the coach again, and with him came the bullpen's help in this game. Yet for a storming Red Sox team, they would not quit, and, with a runner on second base, he smacked the hit that had been building all night.
"I don't know that you ever really know it," said John Farrell. "But any time you get a leadoff walk it kind of breathes a little life in you. I think after Victorino's base hit to right that brought us within two, that seemed to be not only further momentum but it was getting closer."
"I don't know that you ever really know it" but nevertheless, weather you saw IT or not, IT happened and in the blink of an eye, Johnny Gomes had tied the game and Daniel Nava was up to bat with the bases loaded.
"Is it magical? It's a lot of fun. Is it magical? I'll leave that up to you to decide," Nava said. "I don't think anyone saw that happening tonight."
Well he settled the deal on whether or not last night was magic with one swing of the bat.
The Boston Red Sox won 8-7 last night with their largest 9th inning comeback since 1940 and only their second since 1911. Our Red Sox are a full game clear of the Rays for the division lead and have begun to beg a giddy question. From across the world of sports, we watch in awe at those movies and documentaries where the team wins with a perfect game or a walk off grand slam but in the end, we snort in derision, and say 'that will never happen'. That happened last night and in a season of enlightening comebacks and breaths of fight and refusal to quit, we have come to a point where this fact is true: this is magic, and this Boston Red Sox team is a team of 40 wizards fresh out of Hogwarts School of Magic.
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