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MANNY RAMIREZ |
THE "IDIOTS" REVERSE THE CURSE
2004 WORLD SERIES, GAME #3
Manny's home runs lead the
Sox to a 3-0 World Series lead
October 26, 2004 ... The 2004 Red Sox aren't worried about the past, not
after a stirring performance by Pedro Martinez, who pitched seven dazzling innings, limiting the powerful Cardinals to three hits in a decisive 4-1 victory in Game 3 last night. The Sox lead the series, 3-0.
Martinez, making his first appearance in a World Series, silenced the Cardinals, in part because the Cardinals ran into two costly outs in the first four innings. First, Ramirez threw out Walker trying to score on a fly to left in the first inning. Then David Ortiz doubled up Jeff Suppan in
the third inning in one of the ugliest base-running gaffes in postseason history.
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JEFF SUPPAN'S BASERUNNING LAPSE |
Suppan's gaffe, destined to go into Series lore alongside Fred "Bonehead" Merkle neglecting to touch second base in the 1908 World Series, changed Game 3 in every way. Martinez, who had won only one of his previous seven starts, appeared to be struggling when the key play changed everything
in the third. With Boston leading, 1-0, Suppan led off the inning with a nifty bunt single down the third base line. Edgar Renteria followed with a booming double to right. At this point, the Cardinals had runners on second and third with no outs, and four of the best hitters in baseball
coming to the plate. Moreover, they'd already put five runners on the basepaths in two-plus innings. It looked as though they had Martinez on the ropes. Red Sox manager Terry Francona conceded the run and had his infield playing back. When Larry Walker, the next batter, rapped a hard
grounder to Mark Bellhorn, the second baseman didn't even look toward home. He fired to first, assuming Suppan would score. Suppan did not score. He went halfway down the line, then stopped. By the time he got back to the base, third baseman Bill Mueller was holding the baseball.
Martinez struggled to hold it in the bottom of the first. But just when it seemed as if the Cardinals might counter, Ramirez came up big in the field. He caught a fly by Jim Edmonds at medium depth in left field and, with Walker breaking from third, fired a one-hop strike to Varitek in
plenty of time to nail Walker.
Ramirez led the offensive attack, launching a homer off Suppan in the first inning and singling home another run in the fifth. Trot Nixon and Bill Mueller also chipped in with RBI singles. With two outs in the first inning, Ramirez belted a 91-mile-per- hour fastball on a 2-and-2 count from
Suppan for his first World Series home run since 1997 with the Indians. In any case, the homer was the 18th of his career in the postseason, tying him with Reggie Jackson and Mickey Mantle for second all-time. They trail Bernie Williams, who has 22.
Mike Timlin (scoreless eighth) and Keith Foulke closed the door, although Foulke allowed a homer in the ninth to Larry Walker.
The Sox hold a 3-0 lead in a World Series for the first time. No team has lost Game 4 of a World Series after winning the first three since the 1970 Orioles, who won the Series in five games. No team has blown a 3-0 lead. The Sox won their seventh straight postseason game,
matching the longest winning streak in a single postseason. Three other teams accomplished the feat: the 1998 Yankees, the '95 Braves and '76 Reds. No team has won eight straight games in the same postseason |
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