CLEVELAND -- Like some sci-fi monster you just can't kill, the Boston
Red Sox live.
The Yankees carved them up three times in Fenway last weekend, and
still the Red Sox live.
They're carrying 38 players and 17 pitchers. They've seen half the
set-up crew in their bullpen go limping off into limbo in the last week.
They had a pitcher warming up Tuesday night (Steve Ontiveros) who hasn't
gotten an out in the big leagues in five years. And still the Red Sox live.
|  | | Ramon Martinez finished up his five-inning outing Tuesday by serving up a two-run homer to Manny Ramirez. But the Sox survived, and Ramon had his 10th victory. |
They headed into Cleveland on Tuesday to battle the American
League's hottest team west of New York. They were facing a pitcher they
hadn't beaten in four years (presenting Mr. Chuck Finley, ladies and
gentlemen). And still, somehow, some way, the Red Sox live.
Who the heck knows how?
Don't ask. Doesn't matter.
They beat the Indians 8-6 Tuesday. A loss would have dumped the
Red Sox four games back in the wild-card race. But of course, they didn't
lose. Of course, they found a way.
They're the Red Sox. They always find a way. Until October, anyway.
"Two days ago," said closer Derek Lowe, "all the people in Boston
had us written off. We played a horrible series with New York, and I'm sure
they thought, 'Well, that's that.' Now, all of a sudden, we win a couple,
and they've got us winning the World Series. But that's OK. It comes with
the territory."
And what a territory it is, too. The Red Sox are a lifelong
addiction, in a world with no rehab clinics. Eight decades, no titles. Ted
comes and goes. Yaz comes and goes. Rice and Lynn come and go, Eckersley and Clemens come and go. The story never changes. At least the end of the story never
changes.
But along the way, the adventures sure make for great theater. And never
more than this month.
Tuesday was the start of eight games against the Indians in 10 days.
By the end of those 10 days, they will know each other better than Dharma
knows Greg.
So one game in eight, in theory, is no big whoop in the grand scheme
of things. But that's in theory. In reality, this game felt like more than
that. Possibly because that Pedro guy will pitch Thursday in Game 3.
"I keep talking about this game as Game 1," Lowe said. "It isn't
Playoff Game 1, but I keep saying, 'Game 1,' like it is. Because when you
get down to it, this is a playoff."
And even though the Indians started the night with a three-game pad
on the Sox in the wild-card race, the fact that they get to play each other
so much means that the team doing the trailing can determine its own fate
just as much as the team doing the leading. That's a rare opportunity, and
the Red Sox see it for what it is.
"People have been harping on how tough our schedule is," Lowe said.
"But in our case, that's good. If you're chasing somebody, all you ask is to
play those teams you're chasing. So first, we played New York. We didn't
play them very well, but at least we had that chance. Now we play Cleveland
all these games. If we play well, we've got an opportunity to win this. It's
up to us to take advantage of the opportunity."
And the front office clearly is on the same desperate mission. Every
day you check those transactions, GM Dan Duquette, a man who apparently isn't
aware the trading deadline was six weeks ago, seems to be bringing in some
other long-lost body.
Sunday, he traded for Hector Carrasco. Monday, he signed Ontiveros, who was
the guest of honor at his own retirement party six months ago -- and was
pitching in the Western League two months ago. A week and a half before
those two, in came Dante Bichette and Midre Cummings.
Who's next? Luis Tiant?
As of Tuesday, Bichette had been here 12 days -- and 10 guys had
shown up just since he arrived. Asked where he thought he ranked in
seniority now, he replied: "I'm losing track. It's like a football roster."
With 38 players, the Red Sox actually could field four full teams
right now. Only two would be able to use the DH, but they'd have plenty of
relief pitchers, that's for sure.
"We had a full bullpen tonight," said Rod Beck, one of four Red Sox
relievers who combined for the final 12 outs Tuesday. "It was tough to find
a seat out there. In fact, we didn't have enough seats. We had to kick the
cop out."
But it looked for a while as if they might need all of them. They
scored six runs in a span of six batters off Finley in the third inning to
take a 6-1 lead. Then Carl Everett managed to avoid catching a fly ball in
the bottom of the third, and that lead was down to 6-3 (thanks to Kenny
Lofton, who found a way to get thrown out at the plate without sliding on the
same bizarre play).
Next thing they knew, that lead had shrunk to 6-5 as Ramon Martinez was
finishing his evening by serving up a two-run homer to Manny Ramirez.
There were no outs in the sixth inning at the time. And Martinez's
abrupt exit meant that 72 times in this team's 142 games, a Red Sox starter
hadn't made it through six innings. But what's that got to do with anything?
Sure, Rich Garces and Hipolito Pichardo are beaten up and unavailable
right now. And sure, Bryce Florie is still recovering from the line drive Ryan Thompson drilled off his face Friday.
But what's that got to do with anything, either?
They're the Red Sox. They find a way.
Out went Martinez. In marched Rheal Cormier, Carrasco, Beck and Lowe
to get them to the finish line. And not only did those four get them to the
finish line, they got them within an out of four bullpen innings without a
baserunner.
Then Lowe gave up a couple of hits in the ninth to make it dramatic.
But he scrambled back from a 3-and-0 hole on Sandy Alomar to get the last
out. And the Red Sox were within two games. With Pedro looming.
"I don't want to say there's added pressure on them (Wednesday),
because Pedro's not guaranteed to win, either," Lowe said. "But they know
who's pitching Thursday night. I'll say that."
Two days earlier, they looked like they were headed for oblivion.
Two days and two wins later, they practically felt as if they were in the
driver's seat. Only the Red Sox. You can beat them. You can bludgeon them.
You can send them to the emergency room. But you can't kill them.
"It's been a different type of season," Beck said. "I know that. But
we've got veterans on this club, guys who have been around. They've been
through the grind in baseball. And that's something a lot of people overlook
at times.
"These guys don't throw in the towel. They don't let one game get
them down. Those are things you have to learn over the course of a career.
But most of the guys on this club have been around for eight, nine, 10
years. They've learned that lesson. And that's one reason we are where we
are."
So where are they? Alive. Breathing. Playing. And that's a miracle
in itself. But where are they heading? The next week and a half will answer that question.
"We know what we have to do," Lowe said. "If we win, we're in. And
if we don't, we'll be playing golf Oct. 2."
Jayson Stark is a senior writer at ESPN.com. | |
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