BOSTON -- Jason Giambi and Bernie Williams socked it to Curt Schilling, and Mariano Rivera
stitched up the victory for the Yankees. Giambi shook off a steroid controversy and a slump with
a two-run homer to break a sixth-inning tie, and Williams added another homer Wednesday night to
chase Boston's postseason hero and give New York a 5-2 victory over the Red Sox. "I've been
working hard. It's starting to pay off," said Giambi, who hit .208 last year and was
batting .190 this season as he rebounds from an intestinal parasite and offseason reports that
put him at the center of baseball's steroid scandal. "I'm happy with the way everything has been
going so far. I think it definitely felt good making a difference in a game. That's what I came
here to do." Rivera came on to a standing ovation from the Fenway fans, who remember him blowing
four straight saves against the Red Sox -- two in the playoffs as Boston came back from an 0-3
deficit to reach the World Series. But this time Rivera completed the job. "I don't know if
they're happy to see me come in," he said. "They're just being sarcastic. I've been struggling
against them." It was Schilling's first appearance since blood seeped through his sock in Game 2
of the Series, when he had his right ankle stitched together and shut down the St. Louis
Cardinals to set the stage for Boston's first title since 1918. The sock went to the Hall of
Fame, but Wednesday's outing won't earn Schilling any honors. After limiting the Yankees to
three hits in the first four innings, he left with two outs in the sixth having given up five
runs on five hits and a walk; he struck out five. "It's a loss," Schilling said, dismissing the
suggestion that he would be happy to come out of the game healthy. "These count. I get paid to
win, period. I don't take positives out of these." Schilling led the majors with 21 wins in 2004
and did not lose at Fenway last year until Aug. 9; that was his last regular-season loss. Trot
Nixon had two hits, including a homer. Jaret Wright (1-1) allowed two runs, six hits and four
walks, striking out two in five innings. Williams, dropped to ninth in the order for the first
time since 1995, had three hits and his first two extra-base hits of the season. Fenway has been
bathed in good feelings since Monday's home opener, when the Red Sox handed out their World
Series rings and raised the championship banner. So Giambi has been spared much of the heckling
that was expected to haunt him after reports that he admitted, during grand jury testimony in
2003, that he used steroids. Instead, there were just a smattering of "Steroids!" chants before
his at-bat and a hearty "Boo!" to greet his drive into the right-field seats to make it 4-2.
"They're fine," Giambi said. "They haven't said anything I haven't heard before." Tino Martinez
grounded out, and Williams homered onto the roof of the Red Sox bullpen to chase Schilling, who
condemned steroid use in Congressional testimony last month. Alex Rodriguez was 0-for-5 and the
only Yankee in the lineup who didn't get a hit, delighting the Boston fans. Manager Joe Torre
moved him to fifth from second in a lineup reshuffling that also dropped leadoff man Derek Jeter
to second and Williams from eighth to ninth. It worked: The bottom four hitters were 8-for-15
and scored all five runs. After hurting his right ankle at the end of the regular season,
Schilling was knocked around by the Yankees in Game 1 of the AL championship series. Only an
experimental procedure -- tested on a cadaver -- allowed him to win Game 6 and force a seventh
game. After the Red Sox dispatched the Yankees, Schilling had his tendon sutured again for his
start in Game 2 of the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. He allowed no earned runs
in six innings and, two games later, Boston finished the sweep for the title. Game notes
Williams started in the ninth spot in the batting order for the first time since 1995. ... The
Red Sox activated Schilling before the game and sent 3B Kevin Youkilis to Triple-A Pawtucket. ...
Boston RHP Wade Miller made a rehab start for Single-A Greenville against Savannah, pitching 4
2/3 innings and allowing two runs on four hits and a walk, striking out four. ... SS Edgar
Renteria made a nice play on a bad hop to retire Rodriguez in the sixth. But when Kevin Millar
went to throw the ball around the horn, he threw it behind second baseman Ramon Vazquez. ...
Jeter went 1-for-5 and is 1-for-9 in the two games.
YANKEES 5, RED SOX 2 Coming up short Sixth-inning homers spoil ace's debut He blew away Tony
Womack (swinging) and Derek Jeter (looking) to begin the game. He touched 94 miles per hour. He
pitched in 46-degree weather and said he had no ankle stiffness. He was in a 2-2 game against a
Yankee lineup featuring nine former All-Stars when he walked to the mound for the sixth inning.
Thing was, Curt Schilling wasn't available at that moment to sit before the notebooks and tape
recorders. Had he been, we might have a better read on Schilling's health, stamina, velocity,
and location. Instead, when asked how he would rate his performance following a 5-2 loss in his
2005 debut, Schilling was curt. "A loss,'' said the 38-year-old righthander, who hadn't pitched
in a major-league game since Game 2 of the World Series Oct. 24. He lost because of what
happened with two pitches, Nos. 103 and 108. "It wasn't fatigue and leaving a fastball up,''
Schilling contended. "It was yanking a slider and hanging a split.'' Jason Giambi, serenaded
with the usual ``Steroids'' chant, lined a 2-and-1 Schilling slider into the seats in right with
one out and Jorge Posada aboard in the sixth, snapping a 2-2 tie. "The one to Jason was supposed
to be a slider away, and I threw it down and in,'' said Schilling, who gave up nine hits.
"Couldn't miss by more than I missed.'' Schilling collected himself, recorded a Tino Martinez
ground out, then left a 1-1 slider up to Bernie Williams, who was hitting ninth in the lineup
for the first time since 1995. The Yankees center fielder looked a bit off-balance but whipped
his bat through the zone, lining the ball over the Sox bullpen in right-center. That was it for
Schilling. His 108th pitch, and 78th strike, was his last. Manager Terry Francona, who before
the game said Schilling could go as many as 110 pitches, popped out of the dugout, causing
Schilling to turn his back and kick the clay off his cleats. Last season Schilling didn't
surrender two home runs in one game until his 16th start, when Philadelphia's Pat Burrell and
David Bell took him deep June 27. Francona and Schilling both shot down the appearance of
fatigue at that stage in the game. Said Schilling: "I had a spring training. I threw close to 30
innings, regardless of who or where. I felt ready.'' Said Francona: "If I thought he was
fatigued, I would have taken him out.'' At 0-1, Schilling already has matched his total number
of losses at Fenway Park last season, when he went 12-1 with a 3.45 ERA in the Back Bay. His
only loss was to new teammate John Halama, then with Tampa Bay. On paper, Schilling should not
have lost last night. He threw 72.2 percent of his pitches for strikes, far higher than the 50.5
percent (49 of 97) by Yankees starter Jaret Wright. Wright walked four and struck out two, while
Schilling struck out five and walked one. Wright, who recorded his first win as a Yankee, nearly
did himself in in the third inning, when he threw 35 pitches, 23 of them balls, and went to
three-ball counts on five of the six Red Sox he faced. Johnny Damon doubled with one out, a hit
that seemed to unsettle Wright, who was visibly upset with himself. Wright then walked Trot
Nixon and Manny Ramirez, Ramirez on a full-count pitch that bounced in front of Posada, loading
the bases. David Ortiz produced a sacrifice fly to left for the 1-0 Sox lead. Wright then walked
Kevin Millar on four pitches, reloading the bases. But Edgar Renteria hit a slow roller to Jeter,
who made a seamless play fielding the ball and throwing to Tino Martinez at first. Renteria, who
early this season has been speedy by reputation only, ran harder than he had at any previous
point in a Red Sox uniform. He leaped for the bag, was a split-second late, and jumped, spinning
in the air and thrashing his arms in frustration. Renteria did go 2 for 4, singling twice, but
he's hitting just .219 (7 for 32). "That was the key play of the game,'' said Yankees manager
Joe Torre. At the end of four innings, Schilling had allowed just three hits, but in the fifth
and sixth he lapsed. Giambi led off the fifth with a single to second base, where the Sox were
playing an aggressive infield shift that betrayed them. Renteria, well to the right of second,
dived but couldn't come up with a ball hit to the spot where second baseman Ramon Vazquez would
have been in the usual fielding alignment. Tino Martinez then doubled, Williams flied out, and
Schilling walked Womack, loading the bases. Jeter, bumped out of the leadoff spot and into the
two-hole in a new-look Yankee lineup, singled to right, scoring Giambi. Gary Sheffield's
sacrifice fly produced a 2-1 New York lead. Schilling got himself out of a two-on, two-out jam
with a strikeout of Hideki Matsui on a splitter, his fifth and final whiff. Nixon led off the
bottom of the inning with a solo home run, lining a hanging Wright curveball into the Sox
bullpen. The homer, Nixon's second, tied him with Ortiz and Jason Varitek for the team lead and
tied the game, 2-2. But by then, heading into the sixth, the high pitch count was getting to
Schilling. The Yankees prolong at-bats as well, if not better, than any team in baseball, and
Schilling was feeling the effects. "Going into the fifth inning they were grinding me,''
Schilling said. "Every out, they made me throw a lot of pitches.'' This wasn't how Schilling
envisioned it, not during the pregame, when he prepared in his usual fashion. He sat on the Red
Sox bench, in solitude, counting down the time until his pregame bullpen session. Exactly 38
minutes before the scheduled beginning of the game, as is his custom, he walked out of the
dugout to cheers and the "Cheers'' theme song. People were thrilled to see him, as were his
teammates, even in defeat. "I liked the fact he could reach back and hit 95,'' said Johnny Damon.
"He threw a little cutter that really buckled some guys. I was really happy to see him go out
and throw 110 pitches. He wasn't hobbling. That's definitely a plus.'' There are no pluses for
Schilling, only reality: he's 0-1 with a 7.94 ERA as the ace of a 3-5 team. "This counts,''
Schilling said. "I'm here to win. Period. I don't take positives out of losses.''
BOSTON -- Jason Giambi, Jaret Wright and Mariano Rivera each had something to prove in their own
way on Wednesday night, and all three came through for the Yankees, who topped the Red Sox, 5-2,
at Fenway Park. Giambi? He had been looking for one big hit to officially announce his return
after a difficult 2004 season. Wright? After a rough debut in pinstripes, the right-hander was
looking for a solid outing in his first foray into the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. Rivera? His
story is well known by now, having blown two saves against Boston last week in the Bronx, then
receiving a standing ovation from the Fenway faithful during Monday's pregame introductions.
Well, Giambi's two-run homer off Curt Schilling gave the Yankees a lead they would never
relinquish, Wright pitched his way out of some early-inning jams to earn his first win and
Rivera threw a scoreless ninth to snap a streak of four consecutive blown saves against the Red
Sox. "That's definitely what you look for, to make a big difference in a game," Giambi said.
"That's what I came here to do in New York. It's nice to come back, contribute and come up with
a big hit, especially against Curt Schilling." "Schilling wasn't easy," said manager Joe Torre.
"We were able to stay with him, kept fighting him and were able to break through." It wasn't so
easy in the early part of Wednesday's game, as Schilling, making his first start of the season
after opening the year on the disabled list, retired 10 of the first 12 batters he faced. At the
same time, Wright was flirting with disaster, escaping a first-inning jam with runners at second
and third and one out. The Sox went back to work against him in the third, loading the bases
with a double and two walks, bringing Yankees-killer David Ortiz to the plate with one away.
Ortiz could only lift a sacrifice fly to put Boston up, 1-0, and after another walk reloaded the
bags, Wright pulled another Houdini act, getting Edgar Renteria to ground out to strand all
three runners. "When I was in trouble, I told myself, 'You have to make a pitch right here,'"
Wright said. "We got out of it without a lot of damage. I need to make those pitches, because if
I don't, I'm out of that game." New York finally broke through against Schilling in the fifth,
plating two runs on a bases-loaded single by Derek Jeter and a sac fly by Gary Sheffield. Boston
didn't take long to tie it up in the bottom of the inning, as Trot Nixon blasted a solo shot to
open the frame. "I was upset with the hanging slider I threw to Trot," Wright said. "It was a
bad pitch, but you have to refocus after that, get back under control." But the Yankees answered
back in the sixth, as Giambi drilled a Schilling cutter to right field for a two-run shot, his
second of the year. "He probably has the spotlight on him more than anybody else," said Torre
of Giambi. "He hit a good pitch. He had to go get that ball." Two batters later, Bernie Williams
added a solo homer to chase Schilling from the game. Williams went 3-for-4 after being dropped
to the No. 9 spot in the order for the first time since July 2, 1995. Shilling allowed five runs
on nine hits in 5 2/3 innings, taking the loss. "Early in the game, he did a great job of
locating, in and out, up and down, he was painting the strike zone," Giambi said. "We took a few
good at-bats and he made a few mistakes. If you're going to beat Curt Schilling, you have to hit
those mistakes." Wright was done after five innings and 97 pitches, charged with two runs on six
hits and four walks, striking out two to earn his first win as a Yankee. "There were some
things during the game that were frustrating for me," Wright said. "But overall, battling and
coming out on the right side with a win is a good thing." Tanyon Sturtze tossed two scoreless
frames in relief, handing the ball off to Tom Gordon for the eighth. Rivera then shut the door
with a scoreless ninth, notching his second save of the season.
BOSTON -- The perfect script would have had Curt Schilling making a triumphant return to the
Fenway Park mound Wednesday night, mowing down the Yankees in the same fashion he did with one
leg back in Game 6 of the 2004 American League Championship Series. But the real version -- even
with two healthy legs -- didn't contain such drama. Instead, Schilling was dominant early and
ordinary late, taking a 5-2 loss to the Yankees in his personal Opening Night of 2005. The night
started with great promise, as Schilling came out looking like his old self, shutting the
Yankees down over the first four innings. But he lost some steam in the fifth and sixth, and the
Yankees capitalized with five runs in those two innings, handing him a quick loss. So, all in
all, a pretty a positive outing, right? It depends on who you ask. To Schilling, the man who
threw the pitches, the performance (5 2/3 innings, nine hits, five earned runs, five strikeouts)
was not up to par, and thus, not acceptable. He was asked if he could take anything positive out
of it. "No," said Schilling. "It's a loss. This counts. I get paid to win, period. I don't take
positive things out of games like this." Schilling didn't get to be one of the game's fiercest
competitors by taking moral victories. So this performance will likely drive his intensity level
through the roof in the days leading up to his next start, scheduled for Monday morning against
the Blue Jays. As for Schilling's teammates, they were generally pleased with what they saw from
their returning ace. "I was very happy that he was able to go out and throw [108] pitches," said
Sox center fielder Johnny Damon. "I didn't see him hobbling at all out there. He gave us what we
needed. We just couldn't score any runs against them." The Sox (3-5) definitely had their
chances against Yankees right-hander Jaret Wright. Right out of the gate, Boston had runners on
second and third with one out in the bottom of the first. But for one of the few times in his
tenure with the Red Sox, David Ortiz didn't come through in that situation, lofting a shallow
fly to left. That wound up being a tone-setter for an offense that hasn't found its groove yet.
"Our offense just isn't clicking right now," said Damon. "Some guys are having great at-bats.
Other guys aren't." Sox manager Terry Francona did nothing to dispute Damon's notion that the
offense -- or lack thereof -- had more to do with this defeat than the way Schilling pitched.
"For me, that's where the game was lost," Francona said. "[Wright] was obviously having command
issues and we never made him pay the price." The most important thing for the Red Sox -- at
least in the grand scheme of things -- is that Schilling is back. "Having him out there was
encouraging," said Sox catcher Jason Varitek. "He located the ball well early. It was just nice
to have him out there." After undergoing right ankle surgery on Nov. 9, 2004, this was
Schilling's first start that counted since Game 2 of the 2004 World Series. He came out blazing,
mowing the Yankees down in the first. Schilling struck out Tony Womack and Derek Jeter to open
the game, and Gary Sheffield completed the 1-2-3 inning with a popout to Varitek. While the Sox
had taken a 1-0 lead on Ortiz's sacrifice fly in the second off winning pitcher Wright, the
Yankees took the lead with two runs in the fifth. Jeter (RBI single) and Sheffield (sac fly)
produced the damage. After Trot Nixon smashed a homer in the bottom of the fifth to tie it back
up, Schilling couldn't hold it there. Jason Giambi belted a two-run homer to right with one out
in the sixth. Two batters later, Bernie Williams smashed a solo shot over the Boston bullpen in
right-center, giving the Yankees their biggest lead of the night at 5-2. Williams was the last
batter Schilling faced, as he came out to a standing ovation after throwing 108 pitches. In no
way did Schilling chalk up his rough finish to fatigue. "It wasn't being fatigued and leaving my
fastball up in the strike zone. It was yanking a slider across the plate [to Giambi] and hanging
a split [to Williams]. It's got nothing to do with fatigue," Schilling said. "It has everything
to do with execution." While Schilling labored in the fifth, Francona saw no reason he didn't
have enough left to go back out for the sixth. "If he did [tire], then I made a mistake,"
Francona said. "He was fine after the fifth to go back out. He threw 104 pitches in [his rehab
start in] Indy. I don't think that was the issue. I thought he showed early that he was going to
be fine." One thing that can't be understated is the way the Yankees worked Schilling early in
the game, even when he was having success. "For five innings, or going into the fifth, they were
grinding me," Schilling said. "Every out, they were making me throw a lot of pitches. I felt
like I had good command. Our offense was grinding, and when it came down to it, Jaret made the
pitches he had to make when he had to make them and I didn't." But the Yankees didn't exactly go
rushing to the plate against Schilling.
BOSTON, April 13 - For the Boston Red Sox, this was supposed to be the after-party. The good
vibrations from Monday's ring ceremony were fated to flow right into Wednesday. Curt Schilling,
the Fenway folk hero, stood sturdy and upright on a major league mound for the first time since
the World Series. The fun was just beginning. There was a redemptive story on Wednesday, but it
was not Schilling's. His sock was clean this time - no blood - but his pitching line wasn't.
Jason Giambi, a Yankee making a different sort of comeback, made sure of that. Giambi's two-run
homer broke a tie in the sixth inning, helped chase Schilling from the game and sent the
Yankees to a 5-2 victory that ended with a save by Mariano Rivera. For Giambi, ravaged by
injuries last season and hounded by steroid controversy since, it was a meaningful step. "That's
definitely what you look forward to, making a difference in games," Giambi said. "That's what I
came to New York to do. It's nice to come back and contribute and come up with a big hit,
especially off a guy like Curt Schilling." Schilling shut out the Yankees for the first four
innings, but his pitch count was high and he did not last much longer. The Yankees scored twice
in the fifth and three times in the sixth, the knockout blow coming on a Bernie Williams homer
off the roof of the Red Sox bullpen. Schilling worked five and two-thirds innings, allowing five
runs on nine hits and a walk. He pitched to a revamped lineup that overcame the wildness of
Jaret Wright, the Yankees' starter. Wright walked four in five innings, but he wiggled free of
jams and earned his first victory. The Yankees needed it. They had lost four of their last five
games, prompting Manager Joe Torre to move Tony Womack from ninth in the order to leadoff. He
also dropped Williams to ninth and Alex Rodriguez to fifth. Torre wanted to make better use of
Womack's speed, but that was not really a factor. The Yankees' best trick on offense was simply
making Schilling work. They have used the tactic for years against Pedro Mart?ez, running up his
pitch count in the early innings and then pouncing around the 100-pitch mark. In the first three
innings off Schilling, Yankees hitters had 11 foul balls with two strikes. "You don't want to go
up and swing at the first pitch against a guy like Schilling," Womack said, "because next thing
you know, he's in the seventh inning and he's only got 60 pitches. You've got to make him work a
little bit." Schilling, who had ankle surgery in November, threw 103 pitches in a rehabilitation
start for Class AAA Pawtucket last week. He said he felt normal on Wednesday, but even when he
pitched well, the Yankees did not make it easy. "Going into the fifth, they were grinding me,"
Schilling said. "Every out, they were making me throw a lot of pitches." In the first four
innings, Schilling allowed three hits and no walks, with none of the runners advancing.
Rodriguez, Schilling's vocal sparring partner, struck out on a splitter in the fifth and flied
out to deep center field in the fourth. In the fifth, though, the Yankees caught up to Schilling
when the bottom of the order started a rally. Giambi, Tino Martinez and Williams had looked
sickly the first seven games, all with averages below .200. Torre stuffed them in the 7-8-9
spots on Wednesday.Leading off the fifth, Giambi singled into the infield shift, and Martinez
followed with a one-hop double over the short wall in right center. Williams flied to left, too
shallow to score Giambi, and Womack worked a walk. Derek Jeter lined a single to right, scoring
Giambi to tie the score, and a sacrifice fly by Gary Sheffield gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead. When
Schilling fanned Hideki Matsui on a splitter, he had completed five innings and thrown 94
pitches. Trot Nixon led off the fifth with a tying homer off Wright, who threw 49 strikes and 48
balls for the game. Schilling came back out for the sixth and got Rodriguez on a groundout. But
Jorge Posada singled, and Schilling passed the 100-pitch mark while facing Giambi. The fans had
chanted "steroids" when Giambi came to bat, but it was not an especially rowdy greeting. And it
was quiet after Schilling's 2-1 cutter backed up over the plate. Giambi lifted the pitch high
over the right-field wall to put the Yankees ahead, 4-2. "We just took good at-bats, and he made
a few mistakes," Giambi said. "If you're going to beat Curt Schilling, you've got to hit those
mistakes. You can't miss them." The teams were finished scoring after Williams's homer two
batters later. Rivera entered in the ninth, having failed in his last four save opportunities
against Boston, dating to the American League Championship Series. On Wednesday, Rivera had a
three-run lead and the tying run never made it to the plate. Womack lunged for a grounder for
the first out and fielded a routine grounder for the second out. After Rivera walked Nixon,
Manny Ramirez grounded to Womack to end the game. The crowd, which cheered for Rivera during
pregame introductions on Monday, did so again when Rivera entered Wednesday's game. This time,
Rivera did not smile or wave his cap. He found his old swagger and silenced the fans. "They're
being sarcastic; that's O.K. with me," Rivera said. "I know, deep in their minds, they're
worried about me."
A-Rod's two-run homer breaks ninth-inning tie BOSTON There was no blood on Curt Schilling's
sock when he faced the New York Yankees this time No bite on his splitter either With the
sore-ankled hero of Boston's 2004 World Series run debuting in his new job as a reliever Alex
Rodriguez hit a two-run homer to break a ninth-inning tie and New York beat the Red Sox 8-6 on
Thursday night The Yankees won for the eighth time in nine tries to pull within 1?games of
first place in the AL East the closest they've been to the division lead since winning at Fenway
Park on April 13 "I believe this game we don't win it the first two or three months of the
year" Rodriguez said "It shows you how far we've come" Cameras flashed and the sold-out crowd
stood to cheer for Schilling in the sixth when he went out to the bullpen where he's been
shifted to fill a need while closer Keith Foulke recovers from knee surgery The fans gave him
another standing ovation when he came in to pitch the ninth But Schilling (1-3) gave up a dart
of a double to Gary Sheffield to start the inning his third extra-base hit of the game before
Rodriguez homered over the bleachers in left-center on the first pitch "I don't know if I liked
it I just swung hard in case I hit it" Rodriguez said Schilling who had been on the disabled
list since April 23 retired the next three batters to complete his first relief appearance since
a late-season tuneup in 2002 "It was set up to be a situation that was great if I did what I
was supposed to do" Schilling said "I made two big mistakes back to back It's frustrating
disappointing" Tom Gordon (3-3) pitched one hitless inning Mariano Rivera struck out all three
batters in the ninth for his 21st save in 23 tries; both blown saves were against Boston during
the season's opening series Jason Giambi Bernie Williams and Sheffield also homered for the
Yankees Schilling has struggled to recover from ankle surgery and when Foulke went on the
disabled list the Red Sox decided to put their ace in the bullpen to plug the gap He had not
relieved regularly since 1992 when the Phillies first promoted him to the rotation Schilling
proved no better than Foulke but Boston manager Terry Francona isn't ready to give up on the
experiment "The only way to do that is to put the guys where you think they belong and let them
go" he said "With the game on the line the more he pitches with health he's going to be very
good" Giambi's homer was his sixth in seven games and Sheffield homered for the third
consecutive game to go with two doubles Williams connected off starter Bronson Arroyo one day
after attending the pitcher's concert at a Boston nightclub Arroyo is scheduled to play a
postgame concert in Fenway on Saturday night; Williams an accomplished guitarist has also been
invited to play but has not committed Even the Yankees paused to watch Schilling walk out to
the bullpen in the sixth with backup catcher Doug Mirabelli The 38-year-old right-hander threw a
few warmup pitches before the seventh inning and then sat back down At the start of the ninth he
jogged out of the bullpen as the crowd went wild "That's always been a positive for me"
Schilling said "And tonight I thought it was going to work for me" Jason Varitek met him at the
mound for a brief conference before Schilling made his usual trip behind the mound to collect
his thoughts He threw a 91 mph fastball to Sheffield on the first pitch but his splitters
stayed up and Sheffield sent one on a 2-2 count off the left-center portion of the Green Monster
scoreboard Rodriguez followed with a mammoth shot over the camera in straightaway center Johnny
Damon led off the first with a single to extend his hitting streak to 26 games most in the
majors this season He stole second went to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on David Ortiz's
single Manny Ramirez walked and then Trot Nixon homered down the right field line to make it 40 Ortiz homered in the seventh to break a 5-5 tie but Jorge Posada doubled to start the eighth
and scored on pinch-hitter Ruben Sierra's double to tie it at 6 Game notes The Yankees put
right-hander Chien-Ming Wang on the 15-day disabled list with inflammation in his right shoulder
and scratched him from Friday's scheduled start They purchased the contract of right-hander Tim
Redding from Triple-A Columbus to start Friday To make room on the 40-man roster the Yankees
designated infielder Eric Crozier for assignment Three injured right-handers Carl Pavano Kevin
Brown and Jaret Wright worked out at the Yankees' spring training complex in Tampa Fla Chad
Bradford acquired by the Red Sox for disgruntled outfielder Jay Payton made his first appearance
of the year after missing the first half because of back surgery
YANKEES 8 RED SOX 6
No relief
Schilling taken deep in ninth by Rodriguez July 15
2005 Curt Schilling's genre of choice has long been drama and there last night just after 10
was the ultimate stage He the hero jogged out of the bullpen flashbulbs lighting up the night
the delirious crowd standing and the villainous Gary Sheffield and Alex Rodriguez due up But in
two disturbingly forceful cuts Sheffield and Rodriguez inserted a jarring dose of reality into
Schilling's return engagement The game was tied at 6-6 the inning was the ninth and well
Schilling met a Foulkian end Sheffield who went to a full count laced a splitter off the Wall
in left-center for a leadoff double and Rodriguez waving his bat as effortlessly as a magic wand
and with similarly mystic power obliterated another splitter ''Tonight was sort of his
signature type of thing" said Yankees manager Joe Torre ''Because he hit a monster home run"
Another 5 to 10 feet of lift and the home run would have cleared the wall in center field to the
right of the flag pole and exited Fenway a feat last accomplished by Jim Rice in 1975 and only
six times since Fenway's inception The ball's awesome flight path was a mere bonus for Rodriguez
who traded barbs with Schilling in January The important thing was the two runs sent the Yankees
to an 8-6 win in a game the Sox led 4-0 ''I threw two as bad splits as I can throw on back-toback pitches" said Schilling who called his splitter ''the one pitch I wasn't worried about in
my rehab ''Sheff hit a split that I left up He hammered it I came back and hung a split on the
next pitch to A-Rod ''I certainly felt I was going to have more out there tonight than I did"
Schilling's lack of execution cost him last night but manager Terry Francona despite inserting
Schilling in the closer role acknowledged that he wasn't anticipating perfection ''You can't
just get that by flicking the button" Francona said ''You've got to throw a guy out there to let
him compete and get sweaty and get a feel for his pitches Patience isn't a whole lot of fun but
that's the way to get rewarded with good players" It was patience by the Yankee hitters that
allowed them to come back at all The Yankees winners of eight of nine and now 1 1/2 games behind
the Sox in the AL East trailed by four after the first inning The Sox who have won only five of
14 batted around in the first against Mike Mussina scoring four runs on only three hits Johnny
Damon led off with a single extending his hitting streak to 26 games (eight shy of the club
record) and scored on a David Ortiz single Manny Ramirez followed with a walk then Trot Nixon
didn't miss when Mussina left a cutter up and over the plate Nixon's three-run blast his 10th
vaulted the Sox to a 4-0 lead With his team down Jason Giambi led off the second and launched a
3-and-2 hanger down right-field line Nixon gave chase reached the wall and jumped Out of the
tangle of arms emerged a stunning catch Unfortunately for Nixon and the Sox the arm belonged to
a man in a pink dress shirt who spent much of the remainder of the inning on his cellphone
explaining his exploits ''He didn't interfere in any way shape or form Nixon said ''He just
made a great catch The homer was Giambi's 11th of the season and sixth in his last seven games
George Steinbrenner this week called Giambi's turnaround ''a remarkable comeback and Francona
agreed ''Earlier in the year his bat looked a little sluggish Francona said ''He looks a lot
more comfortable And with comfort comes confidence He's doing a lot of damage Two batters later
Bernie Williams followed with a solo shot to the same region this one though uncatchable
Sheffield (3 for 4 2 doubles 1 HR 2 RBIs) closed it to 4-3 in the third with an RBI double off
the wall in center field and it would be his laser of a homer does he hit them any other way?
that provided the Yankees with their fourth run in the fifth inning ''I've never seen a guy
swing so hard and miss so little Francona said Behind 5-4 New York tied it in the sixth with an
unearned run off Bronson Arroyo on a Bill Mueller throwing error after he made a tremendous
pickup of a Derek Jeter grounder In the seventh Yankee destroyer Ortiz hit a solo blast that
gave the Sox a brief 6-5 lead In his Red Sox career Ortiz is batting 336 (76 for 226) against
the Yankees with 18 home runs and 52 RBIs in 53 games postseason included But that would be for
naught Alan Embree conceded a Jorge Posada double to begin the eighth Mike Timlin relieved
Embree and the second batter he faced pinch hitter Ruben Sierra pulled a game-tying double down
the line in right Timlin has now allowed 12 of 19 inherited runners to score ''I'll still take
my chances with Mike Francona said New York's bullpen the source of significant criticism and
recent tinkering was one swing shy of impeccable Ortiz homered off Tanyon Sturtze in the seventh
but Tom Gordon pitched a clean eighth and has not allowed a hit to the last 21 batters he has
faced a major league high Mariano Rivera hailed in early April for blowing two saves vs the Sox
struck out the side in the ninth and has recorded 21 straight saves
A-Rod's blast shells Schilling Sox Rodriguez's homer one of four Bombers round-trippers BOSTON
Alex Rodriguez has plenty of critics in Boston but he quieted them all on Thursday night
drilling a game-winning two-run home run in the ninth inning against Curt Schilling lifting the
Yankees to an 8-6 win over the Red Sox The win cut Boston's lead over New York in the American
League to 1 1/2 games with three games remaining between the two rivals this weekend at Fenway
Park That one is probably the biggest I've hit all year Rodriguez said I'm not worried about
what people are expecting I know what I expect of myself Rodriguez's blast capped a comeback
for the Yankees who never led in the game until the ninth It was the 22nd come-from-behind
victory of the season for the Bombers Everybody got big hits and contributed to this said Mike
Mussina who allowed four runs in the first before settling in Alex's hit turned out to be the
exclamation point on it New York has now won eight of its last nine games That was a huge win
for us tonight said Jason Giambi who homered for the sixth time in his last seven games We just
need to stay on that roll we created before the break Hopefully we'll keep it going The first
day after the All-Star break began with some somber news for the Yanks as Chien-Ming Wang was
placed on the disabled list possibly for the remainder of the season It didn't look much better
after the first when the Sox jumped all over Mussina taking a 4-0 lead in the opening frame
Giambi answered with a solo home run against Bronson Arroyo to lead off the second his 11th One
out later Bernie Williams also took Arroyo deep cutting the lead to 4-2 The teams traded runs
in the third giving the Sox a 5-3 advantage but Gary Sheffield cut it to one run again in the
fifth blasting a solo shot to center against Arroyo The Yanks then tied it up in the sixth
taking advantage of a throwing error by Bill Mueller as Jorge Posada scored from second to
square the game at 5 Mussina retired the side in order in the fourth and fifth but Kevin Millar
and Jason Varitek opened the sixth with back-to-back singles to mount a threat Mussina got
Mueller to ground out putting runners at the corners but Mussina got Mark Bellhorn to swing at
strike three and Johnny Damon to look at strike three stranding the go-ahead run at third base
I just kept working tried to figure out what I could do to get people out It got better as it
went Mussina said I did everything I could think of to get through that inning I was able to get
out of it without giving up any runs made a couple of good pitches got the strikeout with one
out and first and third
Tanyon Sturtze started the seventh for the Yanks by striking out Edgar
Renteria But David Ortiz who has been crushing Yankees pitching since joining the Red Sox two
years ago drilled an 0-1 pitch into the Boston bullpen breaking the tie with his 22nd homer of
the season Unfortunately for Boston its bullpen couldn't hold the lead as Alan Embree gave up a
double to Posada to open the eighth Mike Timlin came in for Embree getting Williams to ground
out though pinch-runner Tony Womack advanced to third Ruben Sierra pinch-hitting for Melky
Cabrera lined a double down the first-base line scoring Womack to tie the game once again The
team just kept fighting kept battling A-Rod said You have to give Moose credit for keeping us in
it Schilling who was activated from the DL earlier in the day came in to a thunderous ovation
from the Fenway faithful Sheffield drilled a double to open the inning bringing A-Rod to the
plate with the go-ahead run in scoring position It didn't matter where the runner was as A-Rod
crushed Schilling's first offering to dead-center field giving the Yankees a two-run lead I
swung hard in case I hit it A-Rod said It was an incredible feeling You have a Hall of Fame
pitcher on the mound so to get the job done there was very satisfying I think he's more
comfortable and he understands that it's different here as far as when you get the hits said
manager Joe Torre He's always going to put the numbers up but he's helped us win so many games
in so many ways This was his signature type of thing Mariano Rivera saved the game for the
Yankees striking out Damon Renteria and Ortiz on 13 pitches It was his 21st straight save since
blowing his first two chances of the season both against Boston Mo's been unbelievable this
year A-Rod said For him to dominate in that fashion it was very big for all of us to see The
Yankees will send Tim Redding to the mound on Friday in place of the injured Wang so the offense
may have to step it up again this time against David Wells We've got to get away from getting
sky high and patting ourselves on the back Torre said We've got a lot of work to do
Schilling unable to provide relief Red Sox ace tagged with loss after yielding two-run homer
BOSTON It felt like a second Opening Night and not just because the Yankees were the opponents
and the second half was beginning This was the start of Curt Schilling as the closer of the Red
Sox and a certifiable buzz filled the Fenway air long before the first pitch Only some powerful
swings by a couple of powerful Yankees could flatten what could have been an electrifying night
for the Red Sox Schilling officially began his life as a reliever in the top of the ninth inning
as he strode in from the bullpen to a rousing ovation with the Red Sox and Yankees deadlocked at
6 The tie did not last for long Gary Sheffield led off the ninth with a double to center The
next pitch Schilling released was tattooed to left-center by Alex Rodriguez for a two-run homer
completing an impressive 8-6 comeback victory for the Yankees who trailed by four runs after the
first inning Sheff hit a split that I left up said Schilling making his first appearance in the
Major Leagues since April 23 I got away with a couple of pitches before that he just missed I
just kept telling myself to make a pitch instead of trying to throw the ball And I left a split
up and he handled it And on the next pitch [hung] a split to A-Rod And A-Rod smashed it for one
of the most prodigious home runs hit at Fenway Park this season That one is probably the
biggest I've hit all year said Rodriguez The Yankees who have won eight of their last 11 games
trail the Sox by just 1 1/2 games in the American League East Obviously it wasn't the way the
Sox had hoped to start the second half or Schilling's stint as the closer But the Sox aren't the
first team to be done in by Sheffield and A-Rod and they certainly won't be the last Those
hitters that were coming up were no slouches either said Sox center fielder Johnny Damon We're
going to keep giving the ball to Curt It's not the way we would have liked it today but we know
it's going to get better The whole stadium applauding him I thought that was pretty awesome He's
going to get better Not too much earlier things were looking good for the Sox With the game
tied at 5 in the bottom of the seventh David Ortiz Boston's menacing designated hitter clobbered
yet another big hit against the Yankees His solo shot into the Boston bullpen off Tanyon Sturtze
put Boston just six outs from victory But the Yankees rallied off Alan Embree and Mike Timlin
in the top of the eighth Jorge Posada led off with a double down the left-field line off Embree
prompting Sox manager Terry Francona to go to Timlin Bernie Williams tapped a grounder to first
allowing Posada to move to third Ruben Sierra pinch-hit for Melky Cabrera and delivered a gametying double down the line in right
Well I gave up the lead there in the eighth Timlin said
They got a ground ball down the line I made a decent pitch and it didn't hit anybody It was a
slugfest early and the Sox got their bats going first Damon extended his hitting streak to 26
games by leading off with a single in the bottom of the first inning He stole second and scored
on a single to right by Ortiz After Mike Mussina walked Manny Ramirez Trot Nixon clocked a
three-run homer to right giving the Sox a 4-0 lead The way the Boston bats were going early it
didn't necessarily seem like it would wind up being nail-biting time for Timlin and Schilling
We were successful early in the game Nixon said We let Mussina off the hook a little bit but
that's why he's a great pitcher The Yankees came right back as the ridiculously hot Jason
Giambi led off the top of the second with a solo shot down the right-field line Two batters
later Williams put a home run in almost the exact same spot making it a 4-2 game Bronson Arroyo
never seemed to be in a good rhythm for Boston The Yankees rallied again in the third Robinson
Cano led off with a single and Sheffield scored him by raking a double to right-center The Sox
bumped the lead back to two runs in the bottom of the inning on Jason Varitek's fielder's-choice
RBI grounder But Sheffield hammered a homer to center in the fifth and the Yankees tied it an
inning later on a throwing error by Bill Mueller The third baseman made a nice diving stop on a
Derek Jeter grounder but the throw sailed into the Boston dugout allowing Posada to score from
second From there things kept swaying back and forth but the momentum was seized for good
against Boston's new closer The Red Sox weren't reading much into a snapshot of one relief
outing by Schilling As long as he pitches with health we'll get the guy we're looking for said
Francona I'm confident in that
This Time Rodriguez Enjoys Last Word
BOSTON July 14 - Alex Rodriguez returned to the Yankees'
dugout a safe haven for him in hostile territory and he wrapped Gary Sheffield in a quick bear
hug He did not smile as he did it This was business for Rodriguez and it was personal too
Rodriguez the Yankees' third baseman who memorably folded at the end of last year's American
League Championship Series came through in a big way on Thursday night In the rivalry within he
Rivalry Rodriguez overwhelmed Curt Schilling and led the Yankees to a stirring 8-6 victory at
Fenway Park Incredible feeling Rodriguez said You've got a Hall of Fame pitcher on the mound
Sheff hit that big double To get the job done right there is very satisfying After a lengthy
rehabilitation for his right ankle Schilling was making his first appearance in his new role as
the Red Sox' closer He entered the game with the score tied 6-6 to start the ninth inning The
fans cheered wildly as he entered but Sheffield and Rodriguez silenced them Sheffield who was 3
for 4 with a homer led off and bashed a splitter off the Green Monster for a double Rodriguez
followed him and crushed a first-pitch splitter to straightaway center It sailed over a platform
for television cameras and off the back wall of the park for his 24th home run The pitch I got
beat with tonight was the one pitch I was not worried about coming off my rehab Schilling said I
felt very very comfortable with it It felt good in the pen I threw two splits as bad as I can
throw on back-to-back pitches Schilling retired the next three hitters after the homer but by
then it was too late The Yankees' closer Mariano Rivera came on for the save in the ninth
striking out all three hitters he faced The victory moved the Yankees to a game and a half
behind the Red Sox in the American League East The Yankees have won eight of their last nine
games scoring at least seven runs seven times in that span This victory was a comeback; the
Yankees trailed by 4-0 after one inning To me this is what we established starting two two and
a half weeks ago this kind of mentality and this kind of grinding attitude Manager Joe Torre
said I'm glad it's carried over to the second half Rodriguez has a history with Schilling who
was vocal in criticizing him late last season It helped endear Schilling to Boston fans who
revile Rodriguez a player who nearly joined the Red Sox and has often wilted when playing
against them Rodriguez ignored questions about his public clashes with Schilling - That's a
dumb question he said admonishing a reporter - but he acknowledged that the homer was his
biggest hit of the year Rodriguez has learned that as a Yankee some home runs matter much more
than others He understands it's a little bit different here as far as when you get the hits
Torre said He's always going to put numbers up because he's so good But what he's done this year
whether it's a single a sac fly stealing a base he's helped us win in so many ways And tonight
was his signature type of thing because he hit a monster home run The easily forgotten star of
the game considering the circumstances was Mike Mussina Torre told the players before the game
about the shoulder injury to the rookie starter Chien-Ming Wang the latest blow to the Yankees'
ravaged rotation It was sobering news on the eve of an 11-game road trip with no days off
Mussina then made matters worse struggling with Hunter Wendelstedt's strike zone in the first
inning and giving up a three-run homer to Trot Nixon Mussina said he knew he would have to
throw 100 pitches and he used 34 in the first inning But he adjusted to the strike zone and made
it through six innings walking none and allowing just one run from the second inning through the
sixth Bases-empty homers by Jason Giambi Bernie Williams and Sheffield off Bronson Arroyo had
helped the Yankees tie it 5-5 by the time Mussina left He had lasted long enough to allow Torre
to bypass the unproven middle relievers and give the ball to Tanyon Sturtze Tom Gordon and
Rivera Sturtze allowed a go-ahead homer to David Ortiz in the seventh but the Yankees tied it
the next inning on a pinch-hit double by Ruben Sierra Gordon (3-3) then worked a scoreless
eighth for the victory As one of two healthy starters left on the team Mussina recognized how
much his effort meant to an important team victory I didn't get a win out of it and I gave up
five runs Mussina said But take out the first inning and the other five innings were pretty good
I was able to hold us right there against a team that talented that hits that well at home I'm
going to look back on it and think that may have been one of our bigger games of the year to
come back and win this one INSIDE PITCH Joe Kerrigan the former Boston manager and a pitching
coach for the Expos the Red Sox and the Phillies has joined the Yankees as an advance scout
General Manager Brian Cashman said Kerrigan will analyze video of other teams Cashman said he
did not hire Kerrigan to put him in uniform on the coaching staff Reliever Felix Rodriguez who
has missed more than two months with a knee injury is not returning to the Yankees this weekend
as the team had hoped Rodriguez decided he needed more time in the minor leagues and he will
pitch on Friday for Class AA Trenton
Arroyo gives up seven in Red Soxs loss BOSTON Bronson Arroyo doesnt have time to worry about
his spot in the playoff rotation yet He still might have to help the Red Sox get there In his
last scheduled start of the regular season Arroyo gave up three homers as Boston lost to Toronto
7-2 Wednesday night and dropped one game behind the Yankees in the AL East The Red Sox have four
games remaining and Arroyo will be available in the bullpen for the three-game weekend series
against New York Well try to wipe this one away as quickly as possible said Arroyo who
allowed seven runs and seven hits in three-plus innings I only threw 79 pitches so I feel like
Ill be healthy for the Yankees You always hope for the opportunity So well see Boston (92-66)
remained tied in the wild-card race with Cleveland Indians who lost to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
1-0 The Red Sox play Toronto on Thursday then close with three games at Fenway Park against the
Yankees (93-65)
This is the playoffs right now outfielder Johnny Damon said Its amazing Its
here already before October comes
Frank Catalanotto doubled tripled and homered as the Blue
Jays opened a 7-1 lead and won their second straight over the Red Sox Vernon Wells and Eric
Hinske also homered and Ted Lilly (10-11) allowed two runs six hits and five walks in 6 2/3
innings to improve to 3-0 with a 240 ERA against the Red Sox this season Boston was just 1-for10 with runners in scoring position and has been shut out for 9 2/3 innings by Toronto relievers
We scored some runs to give him a little breathing room Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said He
pitched good He got out of some big jams Arroyo (14-10) hadnt allowed a homer while winning
four consecutive decisions with a 371 ERA in September and had been 7-0 in the month for his
career But he gave up three homers a season high in the first three innings With the Red Sox
likely to use four starters in the playoffs Arroyo could move to the bullpen in favor of Tim
Wakefield Curt Schilling David Wells and Matt Clement However he could get a start if the Red
Sox end the regular season in a tie that requires a one-game playoff Monday
We want to get
into the playoffs first said Arroyo who had an awful start in Game 3 of last years ALCS but was
better in two postseason relief appearances against the Yankees When it comes to playoff time
its all about winning for the ballclub
Edgar Renteria homered for Boston and David Ortiz had
his major league-leading 144th RBI But Ortiz squandered another chance in the seventh when he
tried to bunt to the vacant left side of the shifted infield and instead hit into a forceout
Boston loaded the bases in the third but Kevin Millar hit an inning-ending popout to right With
runners on first and second in the fifth Jason Varitek hit a liner to right-center that Reed
Johnson caught with a dive saving at least one run Millar followed with another inning-ending
popup to right The last Blue Jay to hit for the cycle was Jeff Frye in 2001 Catalanottos nearcycle took advantage of every Fenway quirk: He tripled into the triangle in deep center in the
first homered around the Pesky Pole in the third and hit a two-run double off the Green Monster
in the fourth to make it 7-1 Game notes Catalanotto hit safely in his last four at-bats on
Tuesday giving him seven in a row before he grounded out in the sixth Renteria who had three
hits in the second game on Tuesday homered in the first inning his first since Aug 21 a string
of 138 at-bats Sidelined Boston closer Keith Foulke was in the clubhouse before the game and
said he was looking forward to 2006 After really struggling the entire year Im really excited
about getting back to pitching the way I know how to pitch and hopefully get back to a
dominating style pitcher he said He is expected to have arthroscopic surgery on his right knee
Ortiz has the most RBI by a Red Sox player in 55 years; Walt Dropo and Vern Stephens each had
144 in 1950 Ted Williams is next at 145 and Jimmie Foxx is first with 175 Toronto reliever
Scott Schoeneweis made his AL-leading 80th appearance
BLUE JAYS 7 RED SOX 2
Yanked out of first
Loss to Jays win by Bombers have Sox
trailing in East September 29 2005 The music was cranked up pretty high in the Red Sox
clubhouse and MVP candidate David Ortiz was joking with the media who were intent on asking him
about the teams plight and his botched bunt attempt in the seventh inning With last nights 7-2
loss to the Toronto Blue Jays the Sox fell a game behind the Yankees (who beat the Orioles 2-1)
in the American League East but remained tied for the wild-card lead with the Cleveland Indians
(who lost 1-0 to the Devil Rays) However there didnt seem to be a tense bone in Ortizs body with
the series finale against Toronto tonight and a three-game season-ending series against the
Yankees looming this weekend Nor did he make any excuses for the Sox scoring just two runs on a
night made for hitting with the wind blowing out to left field and a night when Boston starter
Bronson Arroyo picked the worst time for his only stinker of the month The Sox were 1 for 10
with runners in scoring position and couldnt solve the finesse of lefthander Ted Lilly We have
to keep fighting Ortiz said Its hard against a guy like that whos pitched so well against us
Guys like that you want to stay close and score some runs and fight back
But they did none of
the above Yet there was a resolve in Ortiz and in Johnny Damon that seemed to indicate the Sox
would rise again Were fine were doing OK said Ortiz We were trying to change the way we act
around here when we lose so we got a little bit of music going and well come back tomorrow
hungry and play the game the way were supposed to One of the veterans told me Hey play some
music man
A return to the loose approach that worked so well for the Sox a year ago Still
the question remained why did Ortiz bunt with Edgar Renteria on first and one out in the seventh
and the Sox trailing 7-2? If I hit a homer it dont matter he said Were still going to be down
by a whole bunch of runs so I was thinking they had the [third base] space open [as a result of
the Ortiz shift] I was trying to at least get on base And we had Manny coming up And if Manny
hits a homer now were closer My mind right there was to try to get on base one way or another
especially against this guy whose been making good pitches against us Im not the kind of guy
whos out there just looking at my numbers Its a team situation and I always want to prove the
best I can for our ball club Damon offered I would never question anything David did Hes an
MVP I like that situation with Manny coming up The move was also endorsed by manager Terry
Francona who said Ortizs thought process was correct I never said anything to anybody [about
the bunt] Ortiz said I just looked at the situation Im trying to get on base and I know if I
get on base Mannys coming up I dont bunt that much and when I went out there it was perfect
[Lilly] threw me a slider and it got under my bat and the rest was history
On the same night
when Alex Rodriguez was homering for one of the Yankee runs his 47th Ortiz who was 5 for 25
against Lilly failed to execute on the bunt that landed in front of home plate Frustrating too
was Arroyos poor start surrendering three homers and not getting out of the fourth inning
allowing seven runs on seven hits and three walks While Lenny DiNardo kept the Sox in the game
with four scoreless innings of relief and Manny Delcarmen did his part for one more missed
opportunities sent the Sox to their second straight loss at a time when losses are especially
hard to absorb Theyre beating us and its not fluky Francona said Theyre playing better than us
If I had a better answer they wouldnt be They have been a problem for us all year We have one
more shot and thats all we can control now is trying to beat them tomorrow
Designated hitter
Frank Catalonotto proved to be a major thorn in the Sox side falling a single shy of becoming
the third player in Blue Jays history to hit for the cycle He tripled to the triangle in center
field and rode home on Vernon Wellss two-run homer in the first He homered to lead off the third
an inning in which the Jays also got a two-run shot from Eric Hinske He doubled in two runs with
the bases loaded in the fourth right after DiNardo had replaced Arroyo It was 7-1 then and there
was no looking back I really felt great in the pen said Arroyo after his second shortest start
of the season (he went 2 2/3 innings May 30 vs Baltimore allowing seven runs and 10 hits) Just
one of those days that every hit they had other than the check swing by Hinske they were all
mistakes and they smashed them Some days you get away with certain mistakes that allow you to
get in different counts But tonight they hit every one that I made a mistake on Arroyo (14-10)
had pitched well in September 4-0 with 360 ERA in five starts before last night It was the
second time in his previous 11 starts that he had allowed more than four earned runs Our
pitching just needs to step up and hold them down tomorrow Ortiz said We just have to win and
take it from there and then deal with the Yankees when they come to our house
The Sox scored
their first run on Renterias home run to left-center his eighth of the season and first since
Aug 21 breaking a homerless streak of 138 at-bats He has batted 433 during his seven-game
hitting streak Kevin Millar who stranded five runners doubled with one out in the second and
after a walk to Bill Mueller with one out Trot Nixon and Tony Graffanino couldnt get the runners
home In the third the Sox loaded the bases on a single by Damon The Sox loaded the bases but
Millar swinging at the first pitch popped to a shallow right field to end Bostons best threat
for a big inning There were other chances in the seventh and eighth but the Sox could do little
offensively Graffanino also had a base-running blunder when he tried to stretch a ball hit off
the left-center wall in the sixth with two outs into a double but he was thrown out
Blue Jays enjoy playing spoiler 09/29/2005 12:45 AM ET BOSTON Dont blame the Blue Jays for
having different priorities Everyone in baseball seems to be looking forward to the Red Soxs
season-ending series against the Yankees except the Jays who did their best to steal all the
drama on Wednesday night The Jays won their second straight game against the Red Sox this one
by a 7-2 score and set Boston one game back in the fevered race for first place in the American
League East Ask around in Torontos clubhouse though and youll see that the players understand
if the sporting world overlooks them
Thats natural That would happen everywhere said Toronto
manager John Gibbons Its such a big weekend They couldnt have written it any better coming
down to the final weekend with those two teams going at it We came here and went to Yankee
Stadium trying to disrupt things
We got a couple wins It would be nice to get one more With
all due respect to Bostons quick-strike offense this one was over early The Blue Jays swatted
three home runs in the first three innings ripping the momentum from the Red Sox and never
giving it back Boston starter Bronson Arroyo threw just three-plus innings and got charged with
all seven runs but after the game he provided some excellent perspective When asked if the Sox
have to run the table to win the East he broke it down plainly and simply If they lose Thursday
he said they may not have any other way into the postseason
If were down two games after
tomorrow then yes were going to have to Arroyo said But theres two things going on We have the
Wild Card and the Yankees Its not a dire situation like it was last year when we were down 0-3
but obviously were going to have to come out and play well Thats the home teams perspective
The Blue Jays are playing for something else entirely league-wide respect and the opportunity
to make an impact on the playoffs even if theyll be watching on TV
In my opinion it wasnt a
playoff atmosphere said Ted Lilly one of just two men to beat the Red Sox three times this
season But the one thing I noticed for certain is that the group of guys yesterday and tonight
took it like it was an important game Even though we might be out of it it seemed like in the
dugout when wed get out of a jam or guys would get big clutch hits wed get pretty excited as if
it was a playoff game
We love the fact that were playing the role of spoiler It gives us
something to play for said Frank Catalanotto who fell a single shy of the cycle on Wednesday
night We want to finish this season off strong Weve played well against Boston and we like
playing here I hope theyre not overlooking us because were trying to win every game
We want to
get a good feeling going into next season
* We love the fact that were playing the role of
spoiler It gives us something to play for * * Frank Catalanotto* Lilly pitched well but
Catalanotto was the true difference-maker The left fielder tripled in the first inning and
scored on a two-run blast from Vernon Wells giving the road team a lead it wouldnt relinquish
Two innings later Catalanotto hit a solo homer to give the Jays (78-80) a 3-1 lead Later in the
inning Eric Hinske hit a two-run homer to add to the road teams cushion Just in case that wasnt
enough Catalanotto came through with the next big hit With no outs and the bases loaded in the
fourth inning the left-handed hitter doubled high off the Green Monster Two runs scored and they
were both charged to Arroyo who left right before Catalanottos at-bat Arroyo (14-10) gave up
seven hits and seven runs Catalanotto had two more chances to hit for the cycle but he grounded
out in both attempts
I was looking for a pitch to hit and [trying] not to put too much
pressure on myself said Catalanotto the only player in Jays history to have a six-hit night I
wasnt able to hit a ball solidly and get it through
With all that offense the onus was on
Lilly to make it stand up And it was no slam dunk because the southpaw had lasted just one-plus
inning against New York in his last start This time he took care of business even with a few
uneasy moments Edgar Renteria homered off Lilly (10-11) in the first inning to make it a onerun game and Boston (92-66) pushed runners to the corners in the second Lilly escaped that
threat and a few more working into the seventh inning to earn his third win since the All-Star
break
The key there was we scored some runs to give him a little breathing room said Gibbons
He got out of some big jams How many homers did we have? Three? That doesnt happen too often
I was a little more competitive today which is nice said Lilly One thing thats been noticeable
to me regardless of what Ive been doing out there I feel like the guys are behind me I feel
like theyve done everything they can to help me Somehow I ended up getting 10 wins out of a
pretty disappointing [season]
Arroyo roughed up as Sox fall to Jays 09/29/2005 12:30 AM ET BOSTON The Red Sox are eagerly
awaiting the arrival of the Yankees on Friday Its not that the defending World Series champions
are being boastful The bigger thing is that they simply dont want to see the Blue Jays anymore
The Blue Jays pounded Bronson Arroyo and silenced the Red Sox 7-2 on Wednesday night at Fenway
Park It was the 11th time in 17 meetings that Toronto has upended Boston this season This loss
was more painful than perhaps all of the others in that it dropped the Sox a game behind the
Yankees in the American League East with four games left Fortunately for the Red Sox only one
of those games Thursday nights contest will be against the Blue Jays It will also be perhaps
the latest biggest game of the season for Boston
Theyre beating us and its not fluky said Red
Sox manager Terry Francona They are playing better than us If I had a better answer they
wouldnt be They have been a problem for us all year We have one more shot and thats all we can
control now is trying to beat them [Thursday] The only good news of the night came from
Cleveland where the Indians lost to the Devil Rays That left the 92-66 Red Sox in a tie with the
Indians in the AL Wild Card standings In an effort to reverse their mood there was music
playing in the clubhouse albeit softly after the loss Typically the clubhouse stereo only
operates after a win
Were fine; were doing OK Were trying to change the way we act when we
lose around here said Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz Thats why you can hear a little
bit of music popping get people going so we come back tomorrow hungry and play the game the way
were supposed to They need to Losing is no longer much of an option If we run the table were
definitely in the playoffs said Red Sox center fielder Johnny Damon We expect to go out there
and win every night Were a veteran team Weve been there We just have to show up and play We
thought we were ready tonight They told us different right out of the get-go While Arroyo was
gone just three batters into the fourth inning left-hander Ted Lilly continually snuffed out
rallies by the Red Sox Arroyo (three-plus innings seven hits seven runs) turned in his worst
outing in weeks giving the Blue Jays healthy swings from the outset Nobody looked more
comfortable than Frank Catalanotto who finished a single shy of the cycle Catalanotto ripped a
one-out triple in the first Then Vernon Wells hammered a two-run homer over the Green Monster
putting the Sox in a hole before they took a swing The Red Sox did get one back in the bottom
of the inning as Edgar Renteria bashed a solo shot to center It was Renterias first homer in 138
at-bats But Arroyo couldnt get anything established Again it was Catalanotto getting things
going in the third smacking a solo shot around the Pesky Pole in right Eric Hinske made more
noise later in the inning ripping a two-run homer to center field that made it 5-1 We got kind
of knocked out of that one before we got into it today said Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek
[Lilly] seems to always find a way to pitch well against us
Looking hardly like the man who
leads the Red Sox in quality starts Arroyo loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth and was
promptly removed in favor of Lenny DiNardo Back came Catalanotto again finding the Monster for a
two-run double that made it 7-2 * We have to keep fighting Were still facing a good situation
Cleveland lost tonight We still have four more games * * David Ortiz*
Just one of those days
that every hit they had they were all mistakes and they smashed them said Arroyo Some days you
get away with certain mistakes Tonight they hit every one that I made a mistake on The Red Sox
tried everything in their power to mount a comeback but the Blue Jays seemed to have an answer
for all of it With two on and two outs in the fifth Varitek lofted a ball seemingly into no-mans
land in right-center field However Reed Johnson dove and made a spectacular catch to end the
rally An inning later Tony Graffanino ripped one to left and thought he had a double But he was
thrown out at second ending that frame Desperation was truly evident in the bottom of the
seventh when Ortiz the menacing MVP candidate tried to bunt for a hit to set up a three-run
homer opportunity for Manny Ramirez Typifying the night Ortizs bunt was too hard and Renteria
was thrown out at second
Were facing this guy who has been dealing against us said Ortiz If
I hit a homer it doesnt matter were still down by a whole bunch of runs They had the space open
I was trying to at least get on base That way wed have Manny and if Manny hit a homer wed at
least get closer DiNardo was the bright spot of the night for the Red Sox holding the Jays to
one hit and no runs over his four innings Rookie Manny Delcarmen and veteran lefty Mike Myers
each pitched a scoreless inning giving the Red Sox six shutout innings out of their oft-maligned
bullpen But the bats had no late-inning magic in them
We have to keep fighting said Ortiz
Were still facing a good situation Cleveland lost tonight We still have four more games
And
theres no doubt the Red Sox will be happy to rid themselves of the pesky Blue Jays Our
pitching just needs to step up and hold them down tomorrow and try to win tomorrow and well go
from there Ortiz said Well deal with the Yankees whenever they come to the house
The Cat pounces on flat Red Sox Jay finishes single short of the cycle We love playing the role
of spoiler BOSTON The hallowed pages of late-season baseball lore in this historic city are
filled with names of friends and foes like Ruth Williams Yastrzemski Lonborg Gibson Fisk Dent
Buckner Boone and Ortiz But if tonights matchup between the Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox
unfolds the way this series has to date theyll be squeezing space in the margins to get a
Catalanotto Wells or even a Lilly in there someplace All three of those players especially Frank
Catalanotto came through in a huge way last night to capture another stunning victory with grave
playoff implications for the defending World Series champions Catalanotto fell just a base hit
shy of the cycle and hit one of three early home runs by the Jays that dropped the Bosox out of
first place on the eve of their much-anticipated weekend clash with the front-running New York
Yankees Its great We love playing here and we love the fact that were playing the role of
spoiler Catalanotto said after Toronto stunned the Red Sox 7-2 in front of a disbelieving crowd
of 35313 crammed into Fenway Park It gives us something to play for Hopefully we can come out
tomorrow and play hard too and really affect this race The Jays already have had an impact on
the American League East Barely 30 hours before Catalanotto and company wrapped up last nights
10th win for inconsistent starter Ted Lilly ? who pitches like Cy Young against the Red Sox as
opposed to Burt Young when facing other squads ? the Beantowners had grabbed a half-game lead on
the idle Yanks by taking the opener of Tuesdays doubleheader Since then with a 7-5 comeback win
in Game 2 and then last nights rout the Jays have sent the Red Sox reeling 1 1/2 games in the
other direction It was Vernon Wells getting it started in this one with a two-run homer off
Boston starter Bronson Arroyo in the first inning after Catalanotto tripled over the head of
centre fielder Johnny Damon Edgar Renteria halved the lead with a solo homer in the bottom of
the frame but Catalanotto restored it with a leadoff blast of his own in the third and Eric
Hinske added a two-run shot in the same inning to make it 5-1 I think we just didnt miss our
pitches when we got them said Wells whose blast cleared the Green Monster in left on an 0-1
curveball that looked more like an Oh my! freebie as it hung around forever in the strike zone
I think its great for us to see what its like to be in this kind of atmosphere Obviously it
would be better for us to be right there with them It would be even more of a blast Instead
theyll have to settle for spoiling everyone elses party Another loss tonight and Boston could
face the prospect of having to win all three games against New York to capture the division and
may be denied the wild card if Cleveland ever starts winning again Catalanottos homer hooked
just inside the famed Peskys Pole in right field Its named after another Red Sox legend Johnny
Pesky who turned 86 on Tuesday and saw Catalanotto just miss a homer in the doubleheader opener
that sailed directly over the same pole before being ruled foul
It was nice that I was able to
keep it on the fair side of the pole Catalanotto said of last nights shot Catalanotto doubled
home two more runs in the fourth and was one shy of the team record of eight consecutive hits
held by three players when he stepped to the plate in the sixth and grounded out In the eighth
he tried to take a pitch from fireballing reliever Manny Delcarmen the opposite way into left
field but instead hit a chopper to the right side for another groundout Lilly got through 6 2/3
innings allowing just two earned runs despite five walks to improve to 3-0 with a 240 earned run
average against Boston