Red Sox Stage Huge Comeback

Photo from masslive.com

What a game last night!  For all of you who went to bed when the Red Sox were still hitless, or even when they were down 5-1 in the 8th inning, you missed the best outcome to a horrendous start of a game that you could have imagine!  Plus, if you are a Patriots fan, yesterday was a great day for Boston comebacks!

But, before we get into the heroics and celebration from last night, there needs to be something said about Game 1.  In Game 1, we saw a great pitching performance by starter Jon Lester wasted by a close-to-no-hit performance by the offensive.  The Red Sox almost became the first team in history to be no-hit in an LCS series until Daniel Nava hit a single in the bottom of the 9th inning with one out.  Unfortunately, that was the extent of the offensive prowess for the Red Sox.

Last night's game started out much like Saturday's night's game.  Buchholz was pitching well until the the 6th inning, when the wheels seemed to fall off and he gave up 4 out of the Tigers' 5 runs.  The Red Sox didn't get their first hit until Shane Victorino singled with two-outs in the bottom of the 6th inning.  Next at-bat, Pedroia doubled to score Victorino.  The score was now 5-1, and it was the first run scored by the Red Sox.

Then, the 8th inning happened.  With one out, Middlebrooks doubled to left.  Next batter, Ellsbury walked.  Victorino struck out swinging before Pedroia singled to right field.  It wasn't deep enough to score Middlebrooks, so the bases were loaded when Ortiz came to bat.  The Tigers decided to go with their closer, and Joaquin Benoit was brought in to face Papi.  The first pitch he saw, Ortiz hit a grand slam into the Red Sox bullpen.  Red Sox bullpen catcher Mani Martinez snagged the ball as Torii Hunter came crashing over the wall into the bullpen.  You really need to watch it (again and again) to believe it.

Here's a close up of Torii Hunter falling into the bullpen:

Photo from The Boston Globe

And here's a close-up of the now viral sensation Boston bullpen cop:

Photo from The Boston Globe

The Red Sox were now tied 5-5, making a MASSIVE comeback to tie the game, but they weren't done there.  In the bottom of the 9th inning, with the momentum fully in the Red Sox's favor, Jonny Gomes singled to Jose Iglesias, who uncharacteristically over threw to first base, and Gomes was able to advance to 2nd base.  Next pitch with Saltalamacchia batting, Gomes was able to advance to 3rd base on a wild pitch.  Salty singled to left field, Gomes scored, and the Red Sox won in dramatic fashion 6-5!  It was amazing!

Don't take my word for it.  Here's the video to Salty's game-winning single:

My favorite part is watching the Red Sox players chase Saltalamacchia around the bases!  The players were pumped, as were the fans.  I couldn't fall asleep for another hour after that game because of how much adrenaline was pumping through me.  

The players took to Twitter during (for the players who weren't on the roster) and after the game to show their excitement.  I posted these responses below:

 The Red Sox and Tigers are now tied 1 a piece in the ALCS.  Tomorrow, John Lackey will be taking on Justin Verlander in Detroit at 4:00 PM Eastern at Comerica Park in Detroit on FOX.  I think it'll be a great game, as both teams will have something to prove.

I will be live tweeting during tomorrow's game, so make sure to follow the blog on Twitter @BornIntoItInIA.  If I can get it working, I'll try and get the streaming of the Twitter account on the blog as well.  Thanks for checking out the blog today!