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DAVID ORTIZ |
David Ortiz slams a three run homer to
lead the Sox in a come-from-behind win
April 9, 2014 ...
The man known for his legendary heroics in the clutch came through yet again for the Red Sox on a day they needed it, walloping a three-run homer down the line in right with one out in the bottom of the eighth to overturn a deficit and lead his team to a 4-2 victory over the Rangers.
With the count 1-1, Ortiz got all of an 89-mph fastball. The only question off the bat was whether the ball would stay fair. It was hit so high that it was hard to tell. But Ortiz stood and watched, and then broke into the 433rd home run trot of his career as the Fenway faithful -- who
had only seen three hits by the home team on the day until that moment -- roared with approval. The umpires reviewed the call on replay, and it stood after a mere 44.1 seconds of viewing.
The win couldn't have come at a better time for the Red Sox, who completed their first homestand with a 2-4 mark and are 4-5 as they head to New York for a four-game showdown with the Yankees.
The Rangers had just gone in front in the top of the eighth, as Elvis Andrus sparked the rally with a leadoff double against Andrew Miller.
Andrus moved to third on a grounder that went off of Miller's glove and over to Xander Bogaerts, who took the only out he had at first.
Alex Rios put his team in front for the first time all day with a sacrifice fly to medium-depth center that broke a 1-1 tie. Jackie Bradley Jr. made a strong throw home, but it was just high and a tad
late.
The Red Sox quickly regrouped. And it was Bradley who started the winning rally with a walk, his third of the day. A.J. Pierzynski stepped in as a pinch-hitter for Gomes and blooped a single to right, pushing
runners to first and second with nobody out. Dustin Pedroia hit into a fielder's choice, and that's when Washington went to Cotts. The Red Sox reveled in the result.
Ortiz has come through too many times in that type of situation to suggest he doesn't relish it. There will come a day when the Red Sox look for somebody else to put them on their back when the situation demands it. For now, they will gladly have Ortiz at the plate in the biggest
moments. And for the Red Sox, it also never gets old. |
