David Ortiz's RBI single on the 471st pitch of the game with two outs in the 14th inning on Monday night capped a second straight amazing comeback and gave the Red Sox a 5-4 victory over the New York Yankees in the AL championship series.
The Sox, down to their last inning Sunday night, now are one game away from climbing out of a 3-0 deficit and forcing an anything-can-happen Game 7.
PHOTO: AP
Game 6 moved to New York last night.
This time, Boston waited only until the eighth inning, when Ortiz's home run and Jason Varitek's sacrifice fly tied the score 4-4.
The next six innings were filled with double plays, three passed balls in one inning, two Red Sox runners thrown out trying to steal and 10 runners left on base.
When it was over, the teams had played back-to-back marathon games that totaled almost 11 hours -- 5 hours, 2 minutes on Sunday and 5 hours, 49 minutes Monday -- the longest by time in postseason history.
Boston was six outs from elimination in this one before Ortiz's leadoff homer off Tom Gordon and Varitek's sacrifice fly off Mariano Rivera in the two-run eighth.
Mike Timlin, Keith Foulke, Bronson Arroyo, Mike Myers, Alan Embree and winner Tim Wakefield combined for eight shutout innings after the Yankees scored four runs off starter Pedro Martinez.
Wakefield wiggled out of trouble in the 13th when Gary Sheffield struck out leading off but reached on a passed ball, and two more passed balls by Varitek on Wakefield's knuckler left runners on second and third.
But after the ball nearly got away from Varitek again, popping out of the catcher's glove but staying near the plate, Wakefield struck out Ruben Sierra on a 70mph knuckler, leaving the Yankees 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position.
Johnny Damon walked with one out in the 14th to start the winning rally and Manny Ramirez walked with two outs. Ortiz then fouled off eight two-strike pitches, including one that just missed a home run down the right-field line, before dumping a soft single into center field.
Half of the Red Sox ran to greet Damon coming home; the others met Ortiz halfway to second base. Raising his arm in triumph, as he did the night before with his winning two-run homer in the 12th, he leaped for joy.
Now injured ace Curt Schilling is slated to start for the Red Sox in Game 6 against Jon Lieber, but there could be a holdup: Rain was forecast for New York last night.
None of the other 25 teams that fell behind 3-0 in a postseason series has ever come back to win -- and only two of them pushed it to a sixth games.
But for the second straight night, the Yankees failed to finish off their old rival.
Derek Jeter's opposite-field, three-run double to right on Pedro Martinez's 100th pitch had given New York a 4-2 lead in the sixth. It turned out to be the only hit for the Yankees in 13 at-bats with runners in scoring position.
Astros 3, Cardinals 0
In Houston, Jeff Kent stepped up for the Houston Astros on a night when pitching suddenly took over the NL playoffs.
After Brandon Backe and Woody Williams dueled in the greatest games of their careers -- and among the best in postseason history -- Kent launched a three-run homer in the ninth inning on Monday night that lifted the Astros over St. Louis 3-0 for a 3-2 edge in the NL championship series.
Each team had only one hit until the final inning. That quickly changed when Carlos Beltran -- who else? -- led off with a single. Moments later, Kent hammered a ball off the limestone facade in left field.
Beltran singled off Jason Isringhausen and stole second with one out, prompting an intentional walk to Lance Berkman. Kent flipped his bat after he connected, tossed off his helmet as he headed home and said, "One more, one more."
He was right. Because after the Astros' third straight win, one more victory will put them in the World Series for the first time ever.
Game 6 will be back in St. Louis today, with Matt Morris starting for St. Louis. Roger Clemens may pitch on three days' rest for the Astros -- manager Phil Garner said he will announce his choice on yesterday's off-day.
Williams matched Backe for seven innings, allowing Jeff Bagwell's single in the first. Both starters struck out four and walked two.
Beltran's record streak of homering in five straight postseason games ended, though he gave it a ride in his first at-bat. But he showed off all his other attributes, including two outstanding catches.
Sluggers had ruled the first four games, combining for 19 homers. Backe put a stop to the Cardinals' fun, limiting them to Tony Womack's two-out single in the sixth.
The Astros won for the 22nd time in their last 23 home games. And if this was going to be their last showing at Minute Maid Park, it was a great one. Fans simply didn't want to leave at the end, hanging around inside to celebrate.
While pitching dominated, Beltran provided the highlights.
The All-Star center fielder and soon-to-be-free agent made the play of the game with two outs and no one in the seventh, racing to his right for a diving, backhanded catch to rob Edgar Renteria.
Beltran raised his glove, left fielder Craig Biggio lifted his mitt and Backe punched the air. To a standing ovation, Beltran casually trotted to the dugout and flipped the ball into the seats.
In the eighth, Beltran ran back and halfway up the quirky hill in dead center to haul in Reggie Sanders' shot in front of the in-play flag pole, about 420 feet from the plate.
About the only thing Beltran did not do was hit another home run. He made a bid for it, hitting a long fly ball to left that Sanders caught on the warning track.
Backe and Williams both looked far from overpowering, mainly relying on breaking balls to get outs.
Even so, they were virtually unhittable.
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