David Ortiz capped a three-run fifth inning with a solo bomb that proved to be the winning salvo as the Red Sox tripped the Orioles 4-2 to take a commanding 2-0 lead in their All-Time WAR ALDS. Ortiz's home run was the second of three smacked by Boston in the game to account for all Boston's runs. Ted Williams and Nomar Garciaparra authored their second homers in as many games as Nomah was the hero in Game 1 with his grand slam.
After a leadoff single by Fred Lynn in the fifth, Williams rocked a Mike Mussina offering over the Green Monster for a 2-0 lead. The Orioles doubled up Carl Yastrzemski after Mussina nailed Manny Ramirez, but Moose couldn't sneak past the greatest clutch hitter in Red Sox history. Big Papi followed Williams lead and went over and out to left. Below is his deciding blast.
Boston starter Roger "The Rocket" Clemens was firing on all thrusters for the first five innings allowing four hits and punching out five, but the 7 time CY Young winner began breaking up in the sixth. Baltimore put Red Sox pitching through the wringer in a 35 pitch stanza that saw them close the gap to 3-2. Baltimore leadoff hitter Brady Anderson launched a double and Clemens then walked Bobby Grich. Eddie Murray lined an RBI single to score Anderson. Clemens then beaned Ken Williams and was a victim of another RBI single by legendary first baseman George Sisler. "Gorgeous George" was a lifetime .340 hitter and hit over .400 twice (.407 in 1920 and .427 in 1922) making him only one of two players in American League history to hit over.400 (the other was Ty Cobb). After his MVP 1922 season, he missed the entire 1923 season with a sinus infection which affected his optic nerve causing chronic headaches and double vision. He did return to play in 1923, but he was never the same player again. Sisler is 4-7 in the series with 3 doubles and an RBI. Facing a bases-loaded situation and no one out, Clemens managed to bear down striking out Cal Ripken Jr. and got Ken Singleton on a shallow fly ball to left. "Smoky" Joe Wood was ushered on to face Brooks Robinson and got the final out on a pop up to second baseman Bobby Doerr.
Boston rode their steep bullpen the rest of the way, but they needed some timely defense from Fred Lynn in the eighth. Wood got the first out of the seventh and handed the reins over to Jonathan Papelbon. An all-star for the Red Sox in four consecutive seasons (2006-2009), Papelbon struck out three of the next four batters he faced. Sisler hit his second double of the game in the eighth to bring Ripken to the plate. Cal stroked a single up the middle and Lynn charged it delivering a rope to peg Sisler at the plate to preserve the 3-2 lead. Garciaparra gave the Red Sox a much-needed boost with his solo homer to push the score to 4-2, and Koji Uehara came on in the ninth to retire the Orioles in order for the save.
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