ORLANDO CABRERA

THE "IDIOTS" REVERSE THE CURSE
Cabrera's walk-off in the ninth
is a game winner for the Sox

August 17, 2004 ...  Manny Ramirez led the charge out of the dugout in the first inning against the Blue Jays, only for the rest of the starters to remain in the dugout while Ramirez jogged to left field believing his teammates were right behind him. Even when Manny discovered the joke was on him as he stood alone in the field, his teammates lingered in the dugout, sharing a giggle with 35,105 enablers in the stands.

But the best laugh came later, with Ramirez loving it as much as his madcap mates. Then Cabrera put smiles on the faces of Sox fans when he doubled off the Green Monster with one out in the bottom of the ninth to knock in Johnny Damon for an electrifying 5-4 walkoff triumph before the 60th straight sellout crowd at Fenway Park. The last-at-bat victory was the second in four games for the Sox, who improved to 6-3 on the homestand, 10-7 since Garciaparra's departure, and maintained a share of the lead in the wild-card derby with the Rangers.

MANNY RAMIREZ

Another new guy trying to make his way in the Hub, Dave Roberts, set up the winning rally by drawing a pinch walk leading off the ninth against Kevin Frederick. After Roberts was forced at second on Damon's grounder, Cabrera socked an 0-and-1 pitch from Justin Speier off the top of the scoreboard for the game-winner. In a carom rarely seen outside the Fens, the ball bounced skyward, allowing Damon to score from first.

The winning rally unfolded too late for the Sox to eke out a win for Pedro Martinez, who handed off the 4-4 tie after seven innings to the bullpen. In the end, Keith Foulke retired the Jays in order in the ninth to pick up the win and improve to 3-3.

But Martinez, rather than bemoan his missed opportunity, reveled in Cabrera capitalizing on his own. He said Cabrera has become the lightning rod for debate over the blockbuster trade involving Garciaparra. Cabrera, who had been batting .230, said he got some advice from Sox hitting coach Ron Jackson. Jackson advised him to try pulling the ball and hit line drives off the wall. So he did.

The Sox got help from Mike Timlin and Mike Myers, who combined to pitch a 1-2-3 eighth. They also got contributions from Damon and Jason Varitek, who socked solo homers off starter Ted Lilly, while Gabe Kapler and Ricky Gutierrez knocked in the other Sox runs. Then there was Martinez, who was unable to improve his 13-4 record as his ERA rose to 3.78. He had lost only once in his previous 15 outings, but he lacked his recent precision as he allowed as many runs (four) as he had surrendered over 23 innings in his previous three outings.

Firing 106 pitches over seven innings, Martinez yielded eight hits, including a two-run homer to Vernon Wells and a solo shot to Eric Hinske, the only home runs he has allowed this month. Wells also launched an RBI double off Martinez, who walked none and struck out six.

Well, not quite. At least not when Lilly struck David Ortiz on the right hand with two outs and Ramirez on first in the seventh inning. Ortiz stared for a moment at his hand, then, clearly agitated, turned his attention to Lilly. That incited Lilly to angrily approach Ortiz, which in turn prompted Carlos Delgado to rush in from first base and several Sox players, led by Curt Schilling and Kapler, to bolt from the dugout as the umpires and coaches intervened. Several Blue Jays also emerged from their dugout. Words were exchanged but Ortiz wisely avoided further escalating the incident.

The previous inning, Ramirez spoke with his glove, making a dandy catch on the warning track in left-center to rob Frank Catalanotto. Toronto's interim manager, John Gibbons, called it the play of the game. And Martinez said it was worthy of a "silver glove," Ramirez's ambition in lieu of the gold. But a smiling Cabrera considered the support he received from Ramirez the best play of the day.

Kevin Youkilis and David McCarty joined the likes of Trot Nixon, Mark Bellhorn, Pokey Reese, and Ellis Burks on the disabled list.  With Youkilis and McCarty out, the Sox summoned third baseman Earl Snyder, the International League's home run leader, from Triple A Pawtucket, and activated righthander Curtis Leskanic from the disabled list.