Boston Routs Indians on J.D. Drew’s Slam to Force Game 7
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Boston veteran Curt Schilling came up big in another post-season money game pitching a 7 inning 2 run, 6 hit gem and rightfielder J.D. Drew began an offensive onslaught (as well as his own career game finishing 3 for 5 with 5 RBIs) with a two-out bottom of the 1st inning grand slam as the Red Sox cut loose for a 12-2 shelling of Fausto Carmona and the Cleveland Indians to force a decisive 7th game in the ALCS.
Schilling, one of MLB’s all-time best postseason pitchers, posted his 10th post-season victory against 2 losses dating back to Philadelphia in 1993 as well as Arizona in 2001 and his heroic performance on a surgically repaired ankle for the Red Sox in 2004.
Sports Writer Jimmy Golen recaps the game with player comments for Yahoo sports;
“This was about our offense just doing a phenomenal job,” Schilling said. “J.D. Drew is a special player. I’m sure he’s not real proud of the year he had … but he is the definition of ‘even keel.’ I mean, he doesn’t snap. He doesn’t get too high, too low. He just goes up and he plays the game. And tonight, that wins the game.”
Drew has struggled to live up to the five-year, $70 million contract the Red Sox threw at him last winter even though no one else seemed interested in bidding. He was signed to protect David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez in the lineup, but manager Terry Francona dropped him from fifth to sixth in the lineup when he failed to deliver timely hits in the regular season.
Coming into the game, Drew was 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position, 1-for-11 in the two series combined and just .237 with a chance for an RBI in 2007 overall. When he came up with the bases loaded in the first inning against Carmona, he delivered.
Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis reached on infield singles, and Ortiz looked at six straight pitches for a walk. Ramirez struck out, then Mike Lowell was out on a shallow fly to right, not deep enough to score Pedroia.
All Carmona needed was to get Drew.
“He almost worked through that inning, and then J.D. got him,” Wedge said. “And then things sort of dominoed on him. It just wasn’t in the cards for us.”
Drew hit a line drive into the camera box in straightaway center field to give Boston a 4-0 lead, raising one fist as he rounded the bases. Called back from the dugout by the same fans who had clamored for him to be replaced in the lineup, he gave a two-fisted wave.
“I’ve had a few of those in my career,” Drew said. “None here so far. But it was great. I think the atmosphere was great.
“It has been a tough year, my expectations are high. I didn’t have the year I would like to have, but I feel like I had a good September and started getting things turned around. Just wanted to go into the playoffs and have good at-bats.”
Drew came up again in the third after Ramirez and Lowell walked to start the inning and singled to center to make it 5-0 and spark a six-run inning that essentially ended it.
After stumbling in his previous outing, Schilling came back to show why he is considered one of the best postseason pitchers in baseball history. He gave up Victor Martinez’s solo homer in the second inning and otherwise held the Indians scoreless until Ryan Garko tripled and scored on Jhonny Peralta’s sacrifice fly in the seventh.
By that time, it was already 10-2.
But there was still time for one last redemption: Eric Gagne, the former star closer booed off the mound in previous postseason appearances, pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning.
1st baseman Kevin Youkilis also had a 3 for 5 game while driving in a run.
For the boxscores and recap on Saturday’s game, click here.
And so the ALCS comes dfown to Sunday’s 7th game, a rematch between game 3 pitchers; Cleveland’s 30 year old, 8 year veteran Jake Westbrook, who held Boston to 2 runs on 7 hits while walking 3 and striking out 2, and Boston’s rookie from Japan 27 year old Daisuke Matsuzaka who was pounded for all 4 Indian runs in 4 2/3 innings.
The Colorado Rockies wait in the wings for the ALCS victor and the start this week of the 2007 World Series.
For the boxscores and recap on Sunday’s game, click here.
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