Another Night, Another Hero by Jared Carrabis
Lowrie, Varitek Come Up Huge

Another night, another hero. Boston’s revisit to Cleveland, Ohio was well worth the trip as they picked up their second win in as many chances. In true 1967 Cardiac Kids fashion, the Red Sox waited until the last possible second to pull out their fourth straight win. Monday night featured a clear-cut hero of the game in Manny Ramirez who teed off on Indian’s closer Joe Borowski in the top of the ninth to lead the Red Sox to a 6-4 win but the hero on Tuesday night in Cleveland certainly will be up for debate.


The long-time Red Sox veteran, Tim Wakefield took the mound against the funky windup having Paul Byrd. On paper Wakefield seemed to have the upper hand with his 1-0 record and 3.27 ERA. Those numbers looked phenomenal compared to Paul Byrd’s 0-2 start to the season to go along with his colossal 11.05 ERA. However, if you hid those numbers from baseball fans, you wouldn’t be able to guess that he got off to that miserable of a start through the first four innings. Wakefield and Byrd battled it out through the first four innings in a 0-0 stalemate pitcher’s duel.


In the top of the third inning, Byrd would face Red Sox rookie Jed Lowrie having struck out three already and he would go on to add the rookie to his strikeout total but that wouldn’t be the last we’d see of Lowrie. The Red Sox would draw first blood in the top of the fifth when Jacoby Ellsbury (who got the start in right) singled to right and then advanced to second on a throwing error by Cleveland’s right fielder, Franklin Gutierrez. Julio Lugo would follow up Ellsbury with a single of his own to put runners at the corners for Jed Lowrie. Lowrie who was still looking for his first Major League hit grounded to short and Cleveland failed to turn the double play as Jed Lowrie legged out a fielder’s choice to score Ellsbury in from third.


Still no hit, but he’d settle for the RBI to put Boston on top 1-0. Cleveland would answer to Boston’s one run by putting two runs of their own on the board in the bottom half of the inning. A trend that the Sox have tried to make a habit this season is that of making opposing pitchers pay for their walks. The top of the seventh started with a four-pitch walk to the Greek God of Walks, Kevin Youkilis. A visit to the mound would do Indian’s reliever Jorge Julio no good as he would go on to walk Jacoby Ellsbury on five pitches to put two men on with no outs.


Julio would get the hook after throwing nine pitches with eight being balls (yes Jared, we can do the math) and in came the lefty Rafael Perez to face Julio Lugo. Francona issued the bunt sign from the dugout to Lugo to advance both runners into scoring position. Lugo’s first attempt at the sac bunt failed as could not get the bunt down in fair territory. With the Tribe’s infield well aware that Lugo was bunting, he popped a bunt up midway through the pitcher’s mound and home plate as Rafael Perez charged and fully extended in an attempt to make the diving play. The bunt would drop in and Lugo would reach on the bunt single to load the bases with no men out.


Jed Lowrie’s first Major League hit (take III) would commence in a big way as he knocked a single through the hole in between third and short scoring Kevin Youkilis from third and Jacoby Ellsbury from second. Jed Lowrie would collect his third RBI of the night (and his career) along with his very first Major League hit. Congratulations to Mr. Lowrie for your first hit in the bigs (and for being one of two potential candidates for hero of this game). The Indians would get one run back to tie up the proceedings at three runs a piece when, with the bases loaded, Manny Delcarmen threw a fastball up and in to Ryan Garko (or Mr. Champagne as I like to call him) and hit him on the hand to force a run in from third.


Both teams would draw blanks in the eighth inning to set up a tie game scenario in the ninth. With Kevin Cash having manned home plate all night with Wakefield being the starting pitcher, Jason Varitek would be called upon to pinch hit for the 0 for 3 Kevin Cash. With one down, the captain (hero candidate number two) lifted a ball deep, back and gone to center field to put the Sox on top 4-3 in the ninth. Coco Crisp (hitting .325) followed up the homer with a single to left to put a man on with one out. The hit parade would continue as Dustin Pedroia drove a double out to center to put two men in scoring position. David Ortiz would end the string of hits by popping out to shallow left to bring Manny Ramirez to the plate.


Indian’s manager, Eric Wedge, knew better than to throw to Ramirez in an RBI situation in the late innings so he was granted four balls and a free trip to first base to load ‘em up for Kevin Youkilis. Youkilis (hitting .385 on the season compared to Manny’s .293, tough call regardless) ripped a single into left as Coco scored with ease from third. Pedroia would try to come around from second base but would get gunned down at the plate to end the inning but not before Boston grabbed two runs to give them the 5-3 advantage going into the bottom of the ninth. Cleveland would not threaten as the first two Indians would go down by way of the K and the game would conclude on a fly ball hit by Jhonny Peralta that would make its way to the stands but Jacoby Ellsbury would turn this sure foul ball into a Web Gem of a game-ending play.


Final Score: Red Sox 5, Indians 3

Published on April 15, 2008

---