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A SAD END TO A
RECORD SEASON ...
August 2, 2006 ... For the Red Sox, it's not over until . . . Until the sweet phrase most Red Sox faithful have learned to expect, Fausto Carmona continued his poor impression of a closer, hitting Doug Mirabelli and Alex Gonzalez with pitches and walking Kevin Youkilis, all with two outs, to set up yet another outpouring of excitement and ecstasy, a 6-5 win over the Indians, the Sox' third walk-off win in the last five days. No, this time it was not David Ortiz, who struck out swinging four times. He remained in the on-deck circle. Mark Loretta delivered his double off the Wall, at which time the behemoth slugger joined the celebration. Just when it seemed the Sox wouldn't have to delve into their ninth-inning heroics, Mike Timlin took the ball in relief of Jon Lester and Manny Delcarmen to begin the eighth inning. And, after getting one out and giving up a double to Jason Michaels, Timlin delivered a pitch that came back much the same way as one to Richie Sexson did a week and a half ago, when the Mariners sent the Sox to Oakland on the losing end of a walk-off win. But being the home team, the Sox had two more chances. Chances to stem the losses since Monday's trading deadline that, with a defeat last night, would have included Trot Nixon and Jason Varitek going on the disabled list, two games in the standings, and the American League East lead. Not yet, at least on those last two, as the Sox took a crowd of 36,022 from down (three first-inning runs allowed by starter Jon Lester) to up (home runs by Ramirez and Pena in the sixth to take the lead) to down (Hafner's homer) to up (Loretta walkoff). With two straight unimpressive starts, Lester began the game in much the same fashion as he left it last Friday, and on July 23. With 10 earned runs over his last 11 1/3 innings, the rookie's ERA had soared from 2.38 to 3.49. And, with the first inning last night, it continued that upward spiral. It took 36 pitches for Lester to extricate himself from a first inning that left the Sox down by three runs on a Grady Sizemore triple, Michaels walk, Hafner sacrifice fly, Victor Martinez home run, Casey Blake single, and Jhonny Peralta single. But that was it. At least from Lester. That was in marked contrast to Indians starter Jeremy Sowers, who ran his scoreless streak to 22 innings before a Gonzalez double, Youkilis double, Loretta single combination provided the Sox with two runs in the fifth. Lester's 110th and final pitch struck out Peralta, a 92-mile-per-hour fastball that sent the Sox into the bottom of the sixth inning, with Ramirez first to step to the plate. And then, the two home runs to take the lead, one a lofted shot that landed next to the camera well in center, one a bullet that ricocheted off the back wall of the first row of Monster seats, the carom taking the ball well toward the infield grass. Pena, it seems, wasn't content with the shot that broke a headlight across Lansdowne Street Monday night. He tried with this one to break a fan. Almost did, too. Those runs wouldn't be enough, though. The Sox had to wait. Wait through Hafner's home run. Through the bottom of the eighth inning. Through the first two outs of the bottom of the ninth. Had to wait until those fans observed by Pena had started making their way home. There weren't many of them. Because the rest realized the truism that Loretta the one to win it on this night offered up after it was all over … “It isn’t over til it’s over” |
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