We Go To Tomorrow! by Jared Carrabis
Number Seven Creates Game Seven

So we meet again. It’s that old familiar feeling of apprehension, anxiety, sweaty palms and no voice by the bottom of the first. It’s been a while old friend, especially after being swept in the ALDS in ’05 and hitting the golf course a bit early in ’06, here we are again. It’s Game 7 baby and boy have we missed you. We may have a bittersweet past (’46, ’67, ’75, ’86, ’03) but we’ve recently been starting to turn a new page in this relationship (2004), and we sure are looking to build on this wonderful friendship. Although you give us the most uncomfortable and unsettling of feelings that the human body can experience, you have the power to deliver the most amazing feeling of exhilaration that most anyone could ever feel.


All the karma going into Game 6 seemed to be in Boston’s favor. Cleveland’s Ryan Garko seemingly hung a jinx over the Tribe by saying “The champagne tastes just as good on the road as it does at home.” The entire Boston locker room was mounted with this quote all over the doors, lockers and walls as motivation to ensure that the only thing Ryan Garko is going to drink is dirty water.


2004 Red Sox hero Bill Mueller was at Fenway on Saturday night to give the game some more of that 2004 comeback mystique by throwing out the first pitch. Mueller received a hero’s welcome as he took the mound and delivered a strike to open what would be a memorable night for Boston fans.


If Game 6 of the 2007 American League Championship Series were played in Cleveland, fans of the Tribe would all have thrown in “the towel” for sure. The relentless Boston offensive attack struck early and often to secure a Game 7 to be played at Fenway Park Sunday night. The Red Sox struck for 12 runs on 13 hits on the night but got most of their damage done in first three innings when the bottom of the Boston order welcomed themselves to the ALCS.


The combination of JD Drew, Jacoby Ellsbury and Julio Lugo made Red Sox manager Terry Francona look like a genius Saturday night. Francona stuck with JD Drew, replaced Coco Crisp with Jacoby Ellsbury and penciled in Julio Lugo when Alex Cora was waiting with bat in hand. The trio of Drew, Ellsbury and Lugo combined for five hits and 8 RBI.


The real hero of the night was JD Drew who with one swing of the bat erased his frustrating first season in Boston. The bottom of the first inning was shaping up to be an unproductive inning with the Red Sox loaded the bases with no outs and then handed Fausto Carmona two easy outs on two straight pitches. JD Drew worked Carmona to a 3-1 count and with the hitter’s count in his favor he drove a line shot over the wall in centerfield for a grand slam. That one swing out the bat easily made every Red Sox fan forgive JD Drew for a season that he is certainly not proud of. However, Red Sox Nation all agree that the 14 million dollars spent to put a Red Sox uniform on his back was well spent.


The bottom of the third inning is when Red Sox fans began to punch their tickets to Game 7. The six run frame that Boston put up in the bottom of the third chased Fausto Carmona out of the game after he failed to get a single out. Manny Ramirez got things going with a leadoff walk to start the inning. The patience of the Red Sox hitters continued to pay off as Mike Lowell then followed with a four-pitch walk to put two on with no outs. JD Drew’s night continued in a big way as he ripped a single up the middle scoring Ramirez from second to give Boston a 5-1 lead, all five runs were knocked in by Drew at this point.


The RBI single by JD Drew ended the night for Fausto Carmona after a 63 pitch, two inning disaster. JD Drew ended the night with by collecting his first postseason three-hit game in 36 career postseason games. What Red Sox fans thought they would never see came true on Saturday night as JD Drew took to the top of the dugout steps for a very well deserved curtain call.


Rafael Perez entered the game to face Varitek as the captain flew out to Grady Sizemore as Mike Lowell tagged up and advanced to third. Coco’s long awaited replacement, Jacoby Ellsbury, then dug in and drove a line drive to leftfield scoring Mike Lowell from third with ease. The bottom of the order wasn’t done, Julio Lugo joined in on the party by doubling down the leftfield line scoring JD Drew and Ellsbury was not far behind as he scored all the way from first on the play.


Dustin Pedroia kept the inning alive by drawling a walk. Kevin Youkilis then singled to left driving in the speedy Julio Lugo and Dustin Pedroia scored on the same play thanks to a throwing error by second basemen Asdrubal Cabrera. It was then that the night for Rafael Perez was over and Aaron Laffey entered the game, but by the time Laffey took the mound the game was already a laugher at 10-1. Laffey had the last laugh however by pitching four and two thirds innings of shutout ball holding the Red Sox to just one hit.


Tonight Curt Schilling was…well, he was Curt Schilling. The October legend went seven innings giving up only two runs on six hits. The Red Sox wouldn’t have wanted anyone else on the hill in a game like this. Game 6 was destined for success for Curt Schilling as he bettered his postseason career record to an MLB best 10-2. Schilling is also 6-0 at home in the postseason in his career and 4-0 in elimination games with a 1.37 ERA. That is exactly why he was the man for the job when it came to a do or die situation for the Sox.


Game 7 should prove to be an all out war between these two clubs. Daisuke will be getting the start for Game 7 and he has struggled this postseason, but in his mind he cannot fail. He has the weight of not only all of Red Sox Nation, but the entire country of Japan as well. If he struggles again then entire Red Sox pitching staff aside from Curt Schilling will be available to pitch Sunday night, including Josh Beckett. Game 6 was the biggest game for this team because they proved they can win without Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz and they proved that they can win without Josh Beckett on the mound.


ALCS Game 6: Indians 2, Red Sox 12

Published on October 20, 2007

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