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DAVID ORTIZ |
BOSTON STRONG -
THE ROAD TO REDEMPTION
Papi leads the Sox past the
Rangers with a walk-off
June 6, 2013 ...
Like he's done so many times before, David Ortiz sent the Red Sox faithful home happy. In his 19th walk-off hit with the Sox, including the postseason, Ortiz sent the first pitch he saw from Rangers reliever Michael Kirkman over the right-field wall for a three-run homer to break a
ninth-inning tie, giving his club a 6-3 victory in the rubber match of the series.
Before Ortiz stepped to the plate, Texas intentionally walked Dustin Pedroia so the lefty Kirkman could face the left-handed-hitting Ortiz. Ortiz took his time rounding the bases and was mobbed by his teammates at home. Coming into the game, Ortiz had
batted 40 times following an intentional walk. This was his first home run.
Ortiz's blast overshadowed a successful return for Boston center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury. Ellsbury, sidelined by a groin injury for the last five games, went 4-for-5 with two doubles and two runs, the last of which tied the game at 3 in the seventh.
It wasn't enough to earn the win, but Jon Lester showed flashes of the pitcher who dominated early on this season. He battled through six innings, giving up eight hits and three runs while throwing 108 pitches. He made two costly mistakes on the evening,
both of which the Rangers turned into home runs. He was outdone by Texas starter Derek Holland, who gave up just two runs in six innings. Still, it was progress for the Boston lefty. Lester, who started the season 6-0 with a 2.72 ERA, looked like a
different pitcher over his previous three outings. He was 0-2 in that span with a 6.05 ERA.
A two-run home run from Jeff Baker in the second put the Rangers up, 2-0, and Adrian Beltre added another run the following inning when he smashed a 0-1 offering from Lester over the wall in center. But Lester settled down and didn't allow a run in his final
three innings. When he struck out Jurickson Profar to end the sixth, he ran into the Boston dugout with an extra pep in his step as many of the fans behind the dugout stood and applauded.
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MERY DANIEL |
With two outs in the third, Dustin Pedroia clubbed a 3-2 pitch off the center-field wall for a two-run double to cut the Texas lead to 3-2 and extend his hitting streak to 10 games. Boston tied the game at 3 in the seventh when Mike Napoli beat out a
potential double-play grounder and Ellsbury raced home.
The Boston bullpen certainly did its part to keep the club in the game after Lester's exit. Junichi Tazawa, Koji Uehara and Andrew Bailey combined for three scoreless innings and five strikeouts.
The night was about Ortiz, though. Boston has won in walk-off fashion five times, which is tied for the most in the American League.
Mery Daniel, who lost her left leg in the Marathon bombings, delivered the ball to the mound before the game. David Ortiz pushed her wheelchair out onto the field. |
