AMERICAN LEAGUE
Boston moved within one win of the American League Championship Series with a 7-5 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Friday that broke a record for playoff dominance of one opponent.
The Tampa Bay Rays also won on Friday, beating the Chicago White Sox 6-2. That meant all four of the best-of-five division series across the American League and National League stood at 2-0, leaving the Red Sox, Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies strong favorites to make the next round.
J.D. Drew of the Boston Red Sox hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning after the Los Angeles Angels had rallied to tie the game in the eighth.
“This was huge,” Drew said. “We were in a spot — tied ballgame. They had seemingly had the momentum.”
The Red Sox won their 11th consecutive post-season game against the Angels, setting the record for most post-season victories in a row over one opponent. The defending World Series champions won their ninth consecutive post-season game overall.
Of the 35 teams to fall behind 2-0 in the division series before this year, just five have come back to advance, Elias Sports Bureau statistics showed. Only one — the 2001 New York Yankees — came back to win after losing the first two at home.
Boston swept the Angels in the first round in 2004 and last year, both times en route to World Series titles.
“What happened in 2004 or 1986 does not matter to us,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. “We set out to win today’s game. It was difficult, but we did it. Now we’ll go prepare for the next game.”
Game 3 will be today in Boston, with Joe Saunders pitching for the Angels against Josh Beckett, who was pushed back from the opener after injuring a muscle in his side.
“There is a challenge in front of us and the only way to meet it is going to be pitch by pitch, inning by inning on Sunday,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “We played well in their park all year and we have to do it now instead.”
Drew’s RBI double and Jason Bay’s three-run homer off Ervin Santana gave Boston a 4-0 lead in the first inning, but the Angels clawed back to tie the score in the eighth when Chone Figgins hit a lead-off triple — the Angels’ first extra-base hit of the series after 19 singles — and Mark Teixeira hit a one-out sacrifice fly to get him home.
Boston slugger David Ortiz doubled leading off the ninth on a ball that bounced out of the glove of Reggie Willits, who tried for a leaping catch at the wall. After one out, Drew pounced on a change-up and sent it deep over the wall in center.
“It just worked out that I squared it up really nice,” Drew said.
Drew played in only two of the final 38 games of the regular season because of back problems.
“I thought at some point I was going to have to shut it down and watch the team go through the playoffs, so it’s nice to be out there,” he said.
The Angels, who have lost nine consecutive post-season games, stranded 11 runners. They are four-for-21 (.190) with runners in scoring position in the two losses.
“I hadn’t experienced a tough loss yet with these guys,” Angels first baseman Mark Teixeira said. “When I came over here, we had things well in hand. So when we lost a game, it was, ‘OK, let’s turn the page. Let’s move on.’ But this one hurts.”
In Florida, Akinori Iwamura hit a go-ahead, two-run homer as the Tampa Bay Rays downed the Chicago White Sox.
RSS