He was Mr. Stoppage Wednesday night, and it came at a good time.
Josh Beckett pitched six innings and allowed two runs on 12 hits with one walk and seven strikeouts for his 16th win of the season, as the Boston Red Sox lowered their magic number to five to clinch the American League Wild Card in a 9-2 win over the Kansas City Royals.
The Texas Rangers edged the Oakland Athletics 9-8, and the New York Yankees were also 3-2 winners over the Los Angeles Angels in an afternoon game, so Boston remains six back in the AL East.
At this point in time, it's almost certain that the Yankees will win the division for the first time since 2006. They have already secured a playoff spot, and their magic number to officially win the division is also at five.
It was scary for a while for Boston as the Royals took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning, but Luke Hochevar picked the fifth inning to fall apart, and the Red Sox scored six times to grab a 6-2 advantage.
David Ortiz sealed the deal in the top of the ninth when he blasted his 25th home run of the season, a three-run shot off Carlos Rosa, as the Red Sox went on to win their 90th game.
Hideki Okajima, Billy Wagner, and Jonathan Papelbon pitched three innings of hitless and shutout ball, which is always a good sign from the bullpen.
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