History repeated itself Sunday afternoon.
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On Sunday, the stakes weren’t quite as high, but they were still significant: the rubber game of a showdown series between A.L. East rivals, with the Sox trailing 8-7.
In Sunday’s 11-8 win over the Blue Jays in Toronto, he clubbed a go-ahead three-run homer in the sixth inning to give Boston a 10-8 lead.
Ortiz then smashed a two-run shot to deep right field to make it 10-8 in the sixth. And they knocked Sanchez – who entered with the AL’s second best ERA (2.92) – out the game after just 3 2/3 innings.
The Red Sox won that game and eventually the ALCS and World Series. He was glad that Ortiz now is on his side.
“A little bit, yeah”, Ortiz said. “I got up and reached for it, and another person grabbed it, and I think he dropped it, and it rolled down underneath the seat next to me, and I reached under and grabbed it”. It wasn’t that bad (of a pitch).
Happ (18-4) allowed two runs and four hits in six-plus innings to win for the first time since August 17 at the New York Yankees, ending a three-start winless streak.
Edwin Encarnacion hit two home runs and Troy Tulowitzki hit his third career grand slam, but the Blue Jays couldn’t force a tie in the standings.
The two teams will meet again 17 games down the line, on the final weekend of the season, and the Blue Jays can only hope that, between now and then, they can make those three games mean something.
“He was off, no question about it”, Gibbons said. “It was great to see us come back after we fell behind”. Boston’s starter, Clay Buchholz also did not pitch well, as he gave up six earned runs over three innings. If Tortorella or other coaches are going to make something like a flag protest so personal, you don’t think it’s going to make it even more hard for, say, a gay hockey player to feel comfortable “coming out” to his teammates and organization?
“I got chills all throughout that meeting. Today was ugly. Obviously (the blister) didn’t help”.
“That team, man, hey, I’m telling you, man, they’re not too far away from where they’d like to be”, Ortiz said.
“It was just nice to get everybody together and talk about it and get back on the same page”, catcher Russell Martin said. “Regardless of the role, it’s a part of the game, and whenever my name is called, I try to go out there and give the team the best chance I can to win. Anything else I tried to throw, but the heater didn’t feel right”.
Ross Jr. got the two outs in order to end the inning. Schultz took over and allowed singles to Pedroia and Bogarts. Rick Porcello, Drew Pomeranz and David Price are Boston’s big-game pitchers, but even Price and Pomeranz have struggled at times this season.
“(Happ) stayed out of the middle of the plate”, Red Sox manager John Farrell said. And this was about one guy picking up another. Every out by guys coming out of the bullpen was key. “We’re somewhat in awe of what David is doing in his final run”. Encarnacion homered in the bottom of the first to tie it 1-1.
INDIANS 7, TWINS 1 Cleveland ace Corey Kluber struck out 10 in seven innings, and Carlos Santana hit a three-run home run for the visiting Indians.
Brock Holt is 1-for-3 with 1 strikeout.
Toronto led 6-4 after a five-run third capped by Tulowitzki’s 23rd homer of the season and his third career grand slam.
Bautista added to that lead with a single in the third inning to cash in Josh Donaldson.
Boston has compiled a 31-26 record against AL East opponents, and has posted at least two wins in each of their last four road series against division rivals. Xander Bogaerts and Dustin Pedroia also added two hits apiece.
“It’s just important to get runs in general”, he said about his 20 homer of the year.
Travis’ eight home runs, 35 RBI, and 38 runs in 62 games last season were seen as a harbinger of things to come.
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