Red Sox-Angels: Scioscia Squeezes Anaheim Out of the Playoffs

With the temperature dipping into the 40s Monday night in Fenway Park, the Boston Red Sox were looking to put the icing on their Angel food cake with their third win of the ALDS.

Shuttering at the thought of boarding a plane back to the left coast for a Game Five, against a team that had 100 wins during the regular season this year, the Red Sox knew they were going to have to grind for nine full innings.

Both clubs went back to their ace starting pitchers for Game Four, and for the second time in five days, it was the 29-year old John Lackey of the Angels facing the 24-year old Jon Lester for the defending World Champion Boston Red Sox. 

The night after a five hour and 19 minute, 12 inning, close-fought battle that had each club stretching out their bullpen, each skipper was hoping their starters could go deep into the late innings.

The first scores to go on the board didn't come until the bottom of the fifth inning, and it was Boston that chalked numbers in the R column first. Mark Kotsay got things going with a  leadoff base hit and then advanced to third after Jason Varitek put one safely into right field. 

With runners on the corners, Jacoby Ellsbury squared up and fired one right at Angels second basemen Howie Kendrick. Unable to field the ball cleanly, Kendrick had no chance at a double play and tossed to first just beating Ellsbury for the out. It was an RBI ground out for Ellsbury, as Kotsay scored and Tek advanced safely to second.

With two outs and one on, the 0-for-15 MVP hopeful Dustin Pedroia stepped into the box. On a one-and-one count, Pedroia unleashed his patented all-or-nothing swing, giving the 38,785 (106.2 percent capacity) crowd a "laser" show, driving one into deep left field and off the Green Monster for an RBI double.

After 109 pitches, Jon Lester had retired his sixth batter in a row to end the seventh inning. Lester pumped his fist in approval as he walked off the mound towards the dugout.

Knowing that Lester only gets stronger the further into the game he goes, Sox fans cheered in approval for their starter. But skipper Terry Francona saw something different in Lester's fist pumping, he saw Lester saying "I did my job, and I'm done for the night. Now it's time for the bullpen to come in and finish this off." 

Lester said he could go out for one more inning, but it was a subconscious reaction that Francona saw in Lester. Knowing how important Lester is to the team as they continue deeper into October, Tito wasn't going to take any chances.

After the departure of Lester, Lackey came out and retired the Red Sox in order to close out the seventh inning.

Hideki Okajima came on in the eighth to pick up where Lester had left off. Okajima retired two before walking Mark Teixeira in four pitches and sparking Francona to bring on Justin Masterson to try for the third out of the inning. 

Masterson quickly worked the count to 0-2 on Vladimir Guerrero before delivering him four-straight balls. With runners on first and second, the dangerous Torii Hunter took to the plate, determined to get his team on the board, if not put the Angels up by one. 

Then, on a 1-2 count, there was a miscommunication between catcher Jason Varitek and reliever Justin Masterson. Varitek thought he was getting a breaking ball to the outside, while Masterson delivered a 97 MPH zinger over Tek's shoulder. Runners advanced to second and third and two pitches later Hunter let one fly into right field, scoring both Teixeira and Gurrero, tieing the game at two a piece.

Masterson retired the next batter, Mike Napoli, to end the top of the eighth.

Scot Shields came on in the bottom of the eighth to relieve John Lackey and retired the side, sending the game into the ninth frame.

Masterson gave up a double to Anaheim's pinch hitter Kendry Morales, who was then replaced by pinch runner Reggie Willits. Howie Kendrick, the next batter up, hit a sacrifice fly that advanced Willits to third and ended Masterson's night.

With a runner 90 feet away from home plate and only one out, Manny Delcarmen took over on the mound. Delcarmen worked the count to 2-0 prompting Angels manager Mike Scioscia to make a play call that was worse than TBS field reporter Craig Sagers suits, a suicide squeeze. 

Delcarmen delivered a 97 MPH heater inside, which batter Erick Aybar attempted to bunt, but missed. Third base runner Reggie Willits quickly found himself in a foot-race back to third base with Boston catcher Jason Varitek. The Red Sox captain played it perfectly, chasing Willits back to third base before a controversial tag was applied for the out.

Varitek lunged forward to apply the tag on Willits, who was still a good two steps from the bag.  But then moments after Varitek applied the tag and continued falling to the ground, the ball was knocked loose from Tek's glove as his glove made contact with the ground.

Despite Mike Scioscia's argument with Tim Welke, the third-base umpire, the call stayed as an out and Aybar eventually grounded out to end the inning.

All eyes were on J.D. Drew in the bottom of the ninth, as eager fans were hoping to see another big game-winning homer like the one Drew delivered in Game Two. But Scot Shields was able to fan Drew for the first out of the inning.

Next up was Jason Bay, and again fans eagerly looked on hoping to see him come through in the clutch like he did in Games One and Two. On the third pitch of his at-bat, Bay swatted one down the first-base line that fell about a foot in front of Angels right fielder Reggie Willits before it bounced into the stands for a ground-rule double.

With the game-winning run in scoring position, Mark Kotsay took the plate. Kotsay, who was having a phenomenal game defensively, with some Ellsbury-like diving catches, got the crowd on their feet with a rocket down the first-base line that went straight into the glove of Anaheim's first baseman, Mark Teixeira.

With two outs, rookie Jed Lowrie took to the plate. Lowrie was lights out with runners in scoring position earlier in the season, when he was first called up from the minors, but finished the regular season in a bit of a rut.

In the epic Game Three, Shields struck out Lowrie with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning, all three pitches were curveballs. With that memory still burned in the back of his head Lowrie stood their expecting a curve ball, and he got it.

On the first pitch of his at-bat, Lowrie connected with Shields' curveball and put it right through the hole between first and second.

Bay took off from second with one thing on his mind: champagne. Bay slid into home, had his hand stepped on by Angels catcher Mike Napoli as he slapped the plate, then immediately jumped to his feet and gave home plate ump Ed Rapuano the safe sign.

As the over-capacity Fenway Crowd erupted, Rapuano made it official, signaling Bay was in fact safe at home and both Lowrie and Bay were mobbed by their overzealous teammates.

Bay later responded to Napoli stepping on his hand by saying, "It's just a tiny little nick, but it hurts when I get champagne in there."