September 3, 2003
...
On the night Ramirez reclaimed the cleanup role Ortiz filled so ably
in his absence, the superstar's running mate reminded Sox fans how
extraordinarily valuable he is by slugging a pair of go-ahead home
runs, including the decisive blow with one out in the 10th inning off
former Sox closer Tom Gordon, to propel Grady Little's comeback kids
to a rousing 5-4 victory over the White Sox before 20,082 at US
Cellular Field.
Ramirez
looked as dangerous at the plate as ever, going 2 for 4 with a walk and scoring
on Ortiz's two-run blast in the eighth that staked the Sox to a 4-3 lead. But
Ortiz, who also singled home a run in the first inning on his way to matching a
career high with four RBIs, had plenty of help. Jason Varitek launched a tying
solo shot in the fifth inning after the Sox fell behind, 2-1. Derek Lowe allowed
three runs (only two earned) over seven innings to keep the Sox in the game. And
Byung Hyun Kim recorded the final six outs, with major assists from Ramirez and
Nomar Garciaparra, who combined to gun down the potential winning run at the
plate in the ninth. But even after the latest burst of resiliency iced another
sweet victory, Soxville could hardly be worry-free. Not after Mike Timlin blew
Boston's 20th save opportunity of the season by surrendering a tying blast to
Jose "1 for his last 26" Valentin leading off the eighth. Only the Tampa Bay
(22) and Cleveland (21) pens have blown more save opportunities. And of the
three, only the Sox have postseason aspirations. Valentin slugged a 3-1 sinker
from Timlin to nullify the 4-3 lead after Ortiz's first dramatic shot.
Kim looked a
little shaky in the ninth inning, when the White Sox nearly won it as Frank
Thomas singled off Garciaparra's glove and pinch runner Aaron Rowand tried to
score on Magglio Ordonez's double into the left-field corner. Ramirez retrieved
the ball and fired to Garciaparra. The throw easily nailed Rowand, helping Kim
escape unscathed. And Kim finished off Chicago in the 10th inning - only after
Joe Crede sent Gabe Kapler to the wall in right field for the final out - to
improve to 7-4 as the Sox won for the third straight time on their four-city,
nine-game road trip.
Thanks to
Lowe battling through seven innings, the Sox improved to 23-15 in one-run games
and 10-5 in extra innings. They also won for the 21st time in their last at-bat.
Ortiz became just the 12th player in Sox history with at least five multihomer
games in a season.
The triumph
was Boston's third straight on the road and catapulted them back into a tie with
the Mariners (7-0 losers to the Devil Rays) for the wild-card lead. The Sox also
climbed within three games of the Yankees (4-3 losers to the Blue Jays) in the
American League East with, yes, three games looming this weekend in the Bronx in
the final showdown of the season between the archrivals.
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