KEVIN YOUKILIS

A POWERFUL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM
 2007 ALCS, GAME #7
The Sox complete the comeback
and roar into the World Series

October 21, 2007 ... The Sox won their 12th American League pennant by beating the Cleveland Indians by the deceptive score of 11-2, before a crowd of 37,165 in Fenway Park, the first since 1986 with the chance to celebrate a championship at home. The Red Sox open the World Series against the Colorado Rockies Wednesday at Fenway Park.

The Sox won the last three games by the combined score of 30-5, becoming the 12th team in big league history to rebound from a 3-games-to-1 deficit to win a best-of-seven (or best-of-nine) series. The Sox led by only a run, 3-2, until scoring two runs in the seventh and six in the eighth.

Daisuke Matsuzaka, son of Japan, was the winner, going the first five innings and allowing both Cleveland runs. Fellow countryman Hideki Okajima picked him up with two scoreless innings. Dustin Pedroia, the rookie from the farmland of California, singled and scored the first run, hit a two-run home run that gave the Sox a 5-2 lead in the seventh, and hit a bases-loaded double in the eighth, scoring three more.

Jonathan Papelbon entered with two on and two outs in the eighth and the game still in the balance, and he applied the crusher, setting the side down in order. And Kevin Youkilis had three hits, including a climactic home run off the Coke bottles, to all but wrap up MVP honors.

The Sox had not trailed since the end of Game 4, outscoring the Indians, 19-3, in winning Games 5 and 6, and last night they wasted little time seizing the advantage again, with the help of a serendipitous bounce.

Pedroia and Youkilis, who combined to be on base 13 times in the last two Sox wins and scored seven times, were at it again against Indians starter Jake Westbrook. Pedroia lined an 0-and-2 pitch to left for a leadoff single, and Youkilis followed with a ground single through the left side. David Ortiz struck out, and Manny Ramirez scorched what would have been a double-play one-hopper. But the ball struck the Dave Mellor lucky charm the Sox groundskeeper had burrowed into the infield and bounced over the head of Indians shortstop Jhonny Peralta, the ball skipping off his glove into left field as Pedroia scored, Youkilis stopping at second. Mike Lowell ripped a line single to left so hard that Youkilis could advance just one base. For the second straight night, J.D. Drew's first at-bat would come with the bases loaded, but this time there would be no grand slam. Drew's ground ball up the middle was speared by Peralta, whose flip to second was barehanded by Asdrubal Cabrera, the time saved on the exchange just enough to catch Drew hustling down the line. It would be the first of three double plays turned by the Indians in the first four innings, the Sox setting a record for most GIDPs in a postseason. They were at 20 and counting after four; the Cardinals with 17 in 2006 held the record, but that didn't keep them from celebrating a World Series title.

Fifteen of the first 21 Sox batters reached safely in the 12-2 Game 6 blowout; last night, it was six of the first eight, as the Sox added another run in the second. Jason Varitek lined an opposite-field double off the Monster to open the inning and rookie Jacoby Ellsbury flared a base hit just beyond shortstop to put runners on the corners with no outs. Lugo grounded into double play No. 2, Varitek scoring. Pedroia flied out to end the inning.

The Sox made it 3-0 in the third. Youkilis doubled down the left-field line and took third when Ortiz rolled out to first. After after an intentional walk to Ramirez, Youkilis scored on Lowell's sacrifice fly, his 11th RBI of the postseason.

Matsuzaka, meanwhile, set down the first eight Indians in a row, the first time he'd opened a game in that fashion since June 27 in Seattle, when he set down the first eight Mariners before catcher Jamie Burke doubled. That was 18 starts ago, including two in the postseason.

Casey Blake ended any thoughts of placing a call to Don Larsen when he singled with two outs in the third, and he took second when Matsuzaka bounced a pitch to Grady Sizemore. Blake advanced no farther, however, as Sizemore went down swinging.

The Indians broke through against Matsuzaka in the fourth when Travis Hafner, hitless in his previous 16 at-bats, hit a one-out opposite-field double off the Wall. Victor Martinez grounded to Matsuzaka, who knocked the ball down and recovered in time to make the play at first. But Ryan Garko, winning a nine-pitch at-bat, hit something soft high off the Wall for a double to score Hafner and it was 3-1.

The Sox had Westbrook on the ropes again in the fourth, when Julio Lugo's perfectly executed hit-and-run single sent Ellsbury, aboard after a force play, to third with one out. But Westbrook stiffened, Pedroia rolling into double play No. 3 to end the inning.

Cleveland pulled to within a run in the fifth, which started happily enough for the Sox when Ramirez threw out Kenny Lofton attempting to stretch a single into a double. But Franklin Gutierrez grounded a single to center, Blake blooped a single to right, Gutierrez sprinting to third, and Sizemore's fly ball to center was deep enough to score Gutierrez. Matsuzaka struck out Cabrera with maybe his best pitch of the night, a 2-and-2 changeup, but Matsuzaka was done for the night.

Hideki Okajima pitched a 1-2-3 sixth, but Westbrook appeared to have gathered himself after dodging so many close calls, breezing through the next two innings while striking out four.

Pedroia, the smallest man on the field, crushed a two-run homer into the Monster seats off reliever Rafael Betancourt in the seventh, then cleared the bases with a two-out double in the eighth to erase all doubt.

Jonathan Papelbon got the final six outs for the Red Sox before performing Riverdance 2 near the mound during a lengthy postgame celebration. Like Crisp's catch, Papelbon's dance put an exclamation point on the comeback and sends the Sox into the Series with as much momentum as the team that's won 10 in a row.