BOSTON — Back in the American League Championship Series, with no New York Yankees – let alone ghosts or franchise-crippling curses – to be found, the feeling in Red Sox Nation can best be described as comfortable. Overcoming Cleveland to reach the World Series is regarded as a given; topping the Rockies or, perish the thought, the Diamondbacks, to win the world championship for the second time in three seasons, an afterthought.
When the Olde Towne Team drubbed the Indians on Friday night in Game 1 of the best-of-seven set, the faithful did everything but map out parade routes. But as the Rockies would attest, baseball can be a funny beast. On Saturday, the left-for-dead Indians refused to go paws up, overcoming a pair of deficits that might have sent a lesser team gently retreating into the increasing-frigid night.
Instead of being down 2-0 in the best-of-seven set, as Saturday night turned into Sunday morning, the teams continued to battle. As The Denver Post went to press, the Indians grabbed a 13-6 lead and were still batting in the 11th.
As in Game 1, the Indians opened the scoring with a run in the first, catcher Victor Martinez doubling home Grady Sizemore, who opened the contest with a double of his own.
And, just like the opener, the Red Sox rallied to take the lead. For the third time in the series, Manny Ramirez walked with the bases loaded to drive in a run; no other player had done that more than once in a single series. As was the case on Friday, the player batting behind Ramirez, Mike Lowell, made Cleveland pay, singling to center to drive in two.
That was where the script varied. On Friday, the visitors folded, opening the doors to a 10-3 Boston rout. On Saturday, they took the lead, getting three runs on a fourth-inning homer by shortstop Jhonny Peralta and another the next inning on a solo shot from Sizemore.
Undaunted, the Red Sox came up with a rally of their own in the bottom half of the frame. Actually choosing to pitch to Ramirez, the enigmatic left fielder made the Indians pay, belting a game-tying two-run homer. When Lowell followed that with a blast of his own, it seemed like the most pressing matter at hand was how the New England Patriots would stop Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys in today’s NFL contest in Texas.
However, Cleveland wasn’t through. In the sixth, Peralta walked and went to third on a single by Kenny Lofton. When he scored on a groundout by Franklin Gutierrez, very few realized the eventual winning run wouldn’t be scored until very early the next morning, not too long before Tom Brady and Company sat down for their pregame meal.
Anthony Cotton: 303-954-1292 or acotton@denverpost.com
