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THE RAYS and A ONE WAY September 3, 2008 ... Alex Cora didn't even peek. His focus was on third base, on getting there ahead of the throw from Jim Miller, on keeping himself primed to score the winning run in the ninth inning of today's game against the Orioles. There was no time to look. The ball didn't matter, third base did. Until, that is, the ball sailed wide right, past Aubrey Huff and into left field. That was when Cora took off again, this time for home. For the win. With Jacoby Ellsbury dropping down the second straight bunt for the Red Sox, after Coco Crisp, Cora's only task was to get to third. But Miller misfired for an error, and Cora trotted home as Boston won, 5-4, at Fenway Park. There was a standing ovation from the sellout crowd of 37,373, an outpouring of love from Cora's teammates, and a victory reminiscent of last season's Mother's Day Miracle, also against the Orioles. Crisp did take a look over his shoulder on his bunt as the ball dribbled down the first base line. He kept running as the ball hit a pebble and rolled back into fair territory. He was safe at first, leaving the Sox with Cora in scoring position and no outs. He was, eventually sending the Sox to the sweep heading into today's offday. For tomorrow's series opener against Texas, the Sox could have as many as four players back from injuries (Mike Lowell, Josh Beckett, Kevin Youkilis, and Sean Casey). This win was sweet, especially on a day when the Sox had just two hits out of the infield before Dustin Pedroia slammed a home run into the second row of the Monster seats in the seventh. After not being able to close out the Yankees and White Sox after winning the first two games of both series, it appeared the Sox were on their way to a third straight disappointment in a finale. But the final three innings brought a flurry of scoring that provided the Sox with their first sweep since taking three from Texas Aug. 12-14. With Daisuke Matsuzaka struggling through six innings (four runs, four hits, four walks with seven strikeouts), especially in a three-run fourth, the Red Sox began the seventh against reliever Jamie Walker down, 4-0. But Pedroia lofted a one-out solo homer, and the Sox scratched out another run with a hit batter, walk, bunt single, and another walk. They followed in the eighth with a two-run triple by fill-in first baseman Mark Kotsay, scoring David Ortiz (walk) and Pedroia (double). But that was only because of two stellar defensive plays earlier in the game, by Cora and Ellsbury. In the fifth inning, Ellsbury took away a home run from Aubrey Huff, at the 380-foot sign (and bullpen door) in right field. And Cora also got Huff, snagging a grounder from Oscar Salazar and getting it to Jed Lowrie in time to cut down Huff at third in the eighth. That left only the ninth, Cora's line single to right (his third hit of the game), Crisp's bunt (his second), and Ellsbury's finishing touch, to leave Fenway rocking. |
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