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ONE LAST RUN FOR A
RED SOX LEGEND -
FROM SEASON CHAMPS TO PLAYOFF CHUMPS
Another night of
Big Papi moments
September
30, 2016 ... David Ortiz began his final
regular-season weekend with a go-ahead two-run homer that damaged
Toronto's postseason hopes while leading the Red Sox to a 5-3 victory
Friday at Fenway Park that improved their chances at home field in
the American League Division Series.
Playing for home
field and trying to keep his team sharp entering
the postseason is why manager John Farrell played
his "A" lineup.
The Blue Jays had broken out to a 3-1 lead in the fifth
inning against Rick Porcello on
the strength of a prodigious two-run homer to left by Jose Bautista that snapped a tie.
In a
four-run seventh inning, the Red Sox gained momentum from a strange play in
which Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin fielded
a tapper by Dustin Pedroia but
threw errantly to first. In fact, the throw, which nearly hit Pedroia, went out
of play. Pedroia was awarded second base, and at the discretion of the umpires,
Andrew Benintendi, who started the play at second, was permitted to score to
make it a one-run game.
After
Mookie Betts tied it up with an RBI single, it was Big Papi's
turn, and he roped a two-run homer down the line in right, eliciting roars from
the Fenway faithful. Ortiz then came out for a curtain call.
In the first of three
ceremonies that will honor Ortiz this weekend, the slugger was honored for his
off-field contributions. Prior to
the game, there was a poignant touch in the air as Ortiz was honored for his
work off the field. Many of the children from the Dominican Republic and
Boston who had open-heart surgery with the funding of the David Ortiz Children's
Fund were on the field for the ceremony. Joaquin Maldonado Mendoza, a
15-year-old boy from the Dominican Republic who is healthy following heart
surgery, threw the first pitch to Ortiz. He was accompanied on the mound by
Roberto Clemente Jr., the son of baseball's most famous humanitarian.
Ortiz, the
beloved designated hitter for the Red Sox since 2003, was presented with a
portrait of him hitting at Fenway Park drawn by renowned lithograph artist Peter
Max.
Once the game started,
Ortiz wasted no time making his presence felt, lacing an RBI single to left in
the first inning that broke a scoreless tie. That broke an 0-for-10 hitless
streak for Big Papi. In Ortiz's third at-bat in the fifth, he hit a bullet to
right with an exit velocity of 109 mph, but Bautista flagged it down. But he
saved his best for his final at-bat, producing home run No. 38 on the season and
500 with the Red Sox, including postseason.
At the age of 40, Ortiz has 38 home runs, his highest total since he smashed a
career-high 54 in 2006.
Rick Porcello's body of
work was completed in his quest to win the AL's Cy Young Award. In 33 starts, He
went 22-4 with a 3.15 ERA. He finished the regular season with 13 consecutive
quality starts. The righty logged a career-high 223 innings, walking just 32 and
striking out 189.
Pedroia has hit in 30
straight games against the Blue Jays, the longest streak by an opposing hitter
in Toronto's history.
The loss
slipped the Blue Jays into the second AL Wild Card spot one game behind the
Orioles, who beat the Yankees. The Red Sox maintained their half-game lead over
the Indians for the No. 2 seed and own the tiebreaker because Boston won the
season series. The Red Sox-Indians matchup in the Division Series is set now
that Texas clinched the No. 1 seed in the AL. |
