Coming on strong
Victorino’s slam sends Red Sox to Series vs. Cards
BOSTON — A celebration of beer and fried chicken was in order Saturday night at Fenway Park when the Red Sox pulled off another lateinning comeback in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series.
Shane Victorino’s seventh-inning grand slam off Tigers reliever Jose Veras erased a one-run deficit and led the RedSoxto a 5-2 win, launching Boston into its third World Series since 2004. Boston Strong? Absolutely. After two near-miss home runs fell inches short, by Dustin Pedroia in the third and Jonny Gomes in the seventh, Victorino launched an 0-2 pitch from Veras into the Green Monster seats, turning the ballpark upside-down.
The Red Sox will meet the Cardinals in a World Series for the fourth time in a matchup of the Birds vs. the Beards.
Game 6 was a virtual rerun of Game 2, when Max Scherzer shut down the Red Sox for seven innings before David Ortiz’s game-tying eighth inning grand slam off Joaquin Benoit ignited a 5-4 win.
Scherzer again dominated into the seventh, but he left with a 2-1 lead, two on and one out, after throwing 110 pitches.
An error by former Red Sox shortstop Jose Iglesias loaded the bases, and Victorino, batting .087 in the series, came through with his second career postseason grand slam, tying Jim Thome’s record.
Scherzer, who held the Red Sox hitless for 52⁄ innings in his Game 2 start, picked up where he left off, taking a shutout into the fifth. But Jacoby Ellsbury singled home Xander Bogaerts for the first run.
Red Sox manager John Farrell removed starter Clay Buchholz with one out in the sixth after a leadoff walk to Torii Hunter and a single by Miguel Cabrera, though Buchholz had thrown only 85 pitches. Franklin Morales walked Prince Fielder on four pitches to load the bases and gave up a tworun single off the wall to Victor Martinez, handing the Tigers a 2-1 lead.
But it was all just prelude to a crazy ending, the kind the Red Sox seem to have patented at Fenway Park.