2008 Woodie Awards
Rays outlast Red Sox in marathon slugfest
COURTESY
MCT
Issue date: 10/13/08 Section: Sports
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But that was only part of the power display performed by Longoria's Rays and the Red Sox in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series, which the Rays won, 9-8, in 11 innings Saturday night.
B.J. Upton's one-out sacrifice fly off Mike Timlin scored pinch-runner Fernando Perez with the winning run, helping the Rays even the best-of-seven series at a game apiece.
The series shifts to Boston for Game 3 Monday.
The marathon slugfest lasted 5 hours 27 minutes. The teams combined to hit seven home runs all by the fifth inning to tie an ALCS record.
Boston's Dustin Pedroia led the way with a solo home run in the third, and he fueled a three-run fifth with the first of three solo homers the Red Sox hit.
Two were off Rays starter Scott Kazmir, who threw 38 pitches in the first inning and was pulled after allowing a homer to Kevin Youkilis with one out in the fifth.
Jason Bay capped the rally with a towering home run off reliever Grant Balfour.
But the Rays, who were 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position in a 2-0 loss in Game 1, were revived by a once-struggling Longoria, who was 0-for-13.
Rays manager Joe Maddon told Longoria before the game to relax and stop chasing pitches out of the strike zone.
Maddon's advice paid off, as Longoria had three extra-base hits in his first three at-bats.
His two-run home run in the first tied the game. His third postseason homer tied him with Atlanta's Chipper Jones (1995) and Andruw Jones (1996), St. Louis' Willie McGee (1982) and the Yankees' Charlie Keller (1939) for the second-most by a rookie in postseason play.
Miguel Cabrera hit four for the Marlins in 2003.
During the Rays' two-run second, Longoria ripped a double and scored on Carl Crawford's single to enable the Rays to take a 4-3 lead.
And during a three-run fifth, Longoria knocked out Red Sox starter Josh Beckett by ripping a double and scoring on Crawford's single off lefty reliever Javier Lopez with the infield drawn in.
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