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| (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) |
They were down for the count. They were lifeless. They had spotted
Max Scherzer a 5-0 lead—and he had 13 strikeouts. It was looking like an 0-2 series deficit staring down the barrel of a Game Three against
Justin Verlander. Then, still down 5-1 in the eighth, the revival began. A one-out double by
Will Middlebrooks started it all, followed by a walk to
Jacoby Ellsbury. Then, a clutch opposite-filed single by
Dustin Pedroia set the stage for 'the greatest clutch hitter in Red Sox history.'
Jim Leyland brought in
Joaquin Benoit to face
David Ortiz, who took a first-pitch change-up into the Red Sox bullpen for a game-tying Grand Slam. In the ninth,
Jonny Gomes led off with an infield hit—with an error getting him to second and a wild pitch moving him to third. The winning run was knocked in by
Jarrod Saltalamaccia, and the
6-5 victory dramatically changed the complexion of the series as it moves to Motown.
