Sunday's daytime fireworks came in the form of five homers and 12 runs scored as the Sox topped the Indians 12-7.
Despite a rough outing from Clay Buchholz, the Sox offense stormed back from a 6-4 deficit with two runs in the fifth and five runs in the sixth that included Jed Lowrie's grand slam into the right field seats.
Red Sox 12, Indians 7
Fenway Park, Boston, Mass.
October 4, 2009
Headliner: J.D. Drew smashed a pair of homers in the contest and was the lone Sox starter to come away with multiple hits. The right fielder ended the afternoon 2-for-3 and finished the regular season with 24 homers and 68 RBIs.
Dirt Dog: Jacoby Ellsbury picked up his major league-leading 70th stolen base of the year and scored the Sox' first run of the afternoon. The leadoff hitter reached base in the fifth on a dropped third-strike and his pinch runner, Joey Gathright, would later come around to score the game-tying run on Dustin Pedroia's two-run blast.
Reliever Michael Bowden picked up the win after pitching 2 1/3 innings of one-run ball. He allowed just three hits while striking out two Tribe hitters.
Better Luck Next Time: Indians reliever Rafael Perez was blasted for four earned runs on three hits and a walk in just two-thirds of an inning of work.
Key Moment: Down 6-5 with one on and no outs in the fifth, Pedroia launched a go-ahead, two-run homer into the Monster seats. The Sox would add five more insurance runs in the sixth.
On deck: The Red Sox wrapped up the 2009 season with a 95-67 record and are heading into the postseason where they will take on the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the ALDS.
Southpaw Jon Lester will start Game 1 for the AL wild-card winners while the Angels are likely to send John Lackey to the hill.
Lester is 2-2 with a 2.25 ERA in five career postseason starts. In the 2008 ALDS, Lester went 1-0 in two starts against the Angels where he pitched 14 shutout innings. Lester pitched seven shutout innings and allowed just six hits while striking out seven in Game 1 of the ALDS for the win. In his second start, Lester once again shut the Angels out for seven innings but received the no-decision after Justin Masterson blew the lead in the eighth. Closer Jonathan Papelbon would pick up the win thanks to Jed Lowrie's walkoff RBI-single in the bottom of the ninth.
Lackey is 3-7 lifetime against the Sox, including an 0-2 record in three career postseason starts.
