David Ortiz has hit 15 career postseason home runs.
Fact is, series have been won off of balls hit by his bat. Hopes have been dashed and tears have drawn as a result of moments solicited by Papi but in the baseball world, it seems that we must rank the best. The only problem with that is yet another laughable tenancy we Sox fans seem to harbor without question. When it comes to memories of walk-offs and clutch plays, our memories are about as good as Dory from Finding Nemo.
Sox fans live in the present and dub each new walk-off, each new comeback or no hitter the greatest of its kind. The only difference is that on this Columbus day morning we know that what happened last night might actually be.
At close to 11:30 last night the vacant living room that I was watching the game in was one that even with just 1 body in it was filled with an atmosphere that had only recently come to this series. In game one, Anibal Sanchez shut down the Sox holding them hit less through 6 and bringing them to the brink of history. To that point, no team in MLB history had ever thrown a combined postseason no hitter. With just 2 outs to go in the game, the Sox would keep lat list empty by breaking up the no-no with a single.
But nevertheless, coming that close to absolute failure on a stage as high as the ALCS raises questions, doubts and above all some looming fears.
All three of those emotions and mental actions were present following game one but by the 7th inning of game two, the latter part of that list had turned from petty fears born from overreaction to ones that screamed justification for their being. 1 night after Sanchez, the Sox once again saw the Tigers hold a no hitter through 5 innings and even once it was broken up watched as starter Max Scherzer continue without a hitch. By the time he departed the Tigers held a 5-1 lead. Boston had complied just 2 hits and to that point in the series had just 1 extra base hit on 3 connections. Scherzer had struck out 13 Red Sox to move the team total to 30 through just 16 innings and unlike the night before when Anibal Sanchez left with just a 1 run lead, the 4 point advantage for Detroit seemed all but untouchable.
Until something more magical that fairies or unicorns seemed to finally side with the Red Sox. It cannot be fully explained but like they had all season long, Fenway Park and the fans within it seemingly willed the ball to collide with Boston's 8th inning bats as over the course of just 16 pitches the game went from one with ONE out in 8th to one with the bases loaded with JUST one out in the 8th. What’s better is the name that came to the plate as he attempted to tie the game with 1 swing of the bat. That name was David Ortiz, owner of countless postseason walk-offs and tying blasts. Boston was one clutch hit away from tying the game and in all likelihood the series.
"I didn't go there trying to get a grand slam I just wanted a hit." Ortiz said but nevertheless as he tried for a hit, he got the slam.
At first look, the ball looked short and Sox fans begged for it to come down but as it hung in the air, our aspirations turned from single to homer. Tori Hunter moved back reached up and tumbled face first into the Sox Bullpen all in a desperate effort to snag that baseball. As he rose to his feet, head bloodied and ball lying harmlessly on the ground, we knew that he had not. The game was tied, 5-5.
"Unbelievable," said third baseman Will Middlebrooks. "I mean, I know I've said unbelievable probably about 100 times. I'm pretty numb right now. I'm pretty speechless."
Tori Hunter who was helped to his feet after flipping into the bull pen said that he was "ticked off" after the game.
"I'm [ticked] off," Tigers right fielder Torii Hunter said. "The one guy you don't want to beat you, he beat us. One of the best hitters in postseason history. And this guy, he hit the ball out of the park and ties the game up and they end up coming back and winning the game. That's the way it goes. We're all [ticked]."
But when you think about it, it was not Ortiz's slam that served as the bee in Hunter's bonnet. No what had him so mad was what happened in the 9th inning.
After Koji Uehara came bounding into the game in the 9th to retire the Tigers in order, things got hairy once the Sox came to bat. During the lead off at bat held by pinch hitter Johnny Gomes, the Sox left fielder soon found himself down in the count 2-1. Yet for Gomes, that second strike was far better than the alternative, an out. With a ball and a strike, Gomes struck the ball high but foul in the direction of the stands by 1st base. As Prince Feilder ranged over, the hungry arms of fans along the line flew forward and stretched for the ball. Feilder did the same and so, a strife occurred. The ball clanged harmlessly off the glove of Feilder and so, Gomes' at bat continued.
Gomes got lucky with the Feilder play, but once he clanged a seemingly harmless single into the mitt of the shortstop, it became evident that that luck was not done assisting the Red Sox. After diving for first base, Gomes hopped to his feet and turned to second as Jose Iglacias skyed the ball high over 1st base.
As Saltilamaccia was batting, Gomes advanced to 3rd on an untimely wild pitch.
3 pitches later, Salty connected and Johnny Gomes knew it. As he took off from 3rd, Gomes was pumping his fist and screaming in delight as he touched home and the sped off to join the pile assaulting Jarrod Saltilamaccia in shallow left field.
After almost 2 full games of failure, strikeouts and lack of any contact whatsoever the Sox finally broke through in the 8th and 9th inning last night. With grand slams and clutch singles the Sox many of whom watched the Patriots nip the Saints at the buzzer continued one heck of a weekend in Boston sports.
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