After spending their whole lives in quest of a World Series title, it would make perfect sense if Boston fans were a lot less edgy during the postseason now that their beloved Red Sox actually have a championship under the belts.
But that’s not the way things operate in Boston, where the hunger to succeed has only magnified since their 2004 title, and any postseason failure conjures up bitter memories of their near-misses from seasons past.
“It’s like if you’re eating a Hershey bar,” Boston reliever Mike Timlin said. “And instead of eating the whole thing, you only get a little corner.”
But Tuesday’s 7-3 loss to Cleveland in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series suggests the Red Sox may have an appetite for self-destruction.
Boston pitchers gave up seven runs in an inning for the second time in three games, and the Indians withstood a home run barrage in the sixth to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.
“I think the thing about the Indians is it’s not just one guy,” Indians center fielder Grady Sizemore said. “There’s a bunch of core guys in here who are working together. They’ve done a good job of bringing guys up from the farm system, guys who have played together and gone through the rough times together, and now it’s paying off.”
The Red Sox will send Josh Beckett up against C.C. Sabathia in Game 5 on Thursday, hoping to stave off elimination. The last time Beckett started an elimination game, with Florida trailing the Cubs 3-1 before Game 5 of the 2003 NLCS, he dominated from the outset and sparked a memorable comeback that resulted in a seven-game series victory and an eventual World Series title for the Marlins.
If Boston is to pull off a miracle, Beckett will have to repeat his ’03 heroics.
On Tuesday, a scoreless duel between knuckleballer Tim Wakefield and Paul Byrd turned into a mini-slugfest in the blink of an eye when Casey Blake and Jhonny Peralta homered during the seven-run fifth inning off Wakefield and Manny Delcarmen. Then the Red Sox answered with back-to-back-to-back home runs from Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez in the sixth.
Wakefield was in control throughout the first four innings, pitching on the fourth anniversary of one of his most infamous appearances, Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS. That was the night he served up the game-winning home run to the Yankees’ Aaron Boone in the 11th inning that ended the Red Sox’s season.
Wakefield’s knuckler was dancing and dipping with elan in the early going Tuesday. He struck out four hitters through the first two innings, and held the Indians hitless until Peralta doubled with two outs in the fourth. But when Blake led off the fifth with a home run to left, it started an avalanche of runs.
With runners on the corners and one out, it appeared as though Wakefield would escape further damage when he induced Asdrubal Cabrera to pop up into foul territory behind first base. But Youkilis dropped the ball after a brief juggling act, and Cabrera followed with a soft liner that glanced off Wakefield’s outstretched glove for an infield hit that scored the second run.
Victor Martinez’s two-out, RBI single made it 3-0 before Delcarmen entered and gave up a three-run home run to Peralta. The Indians added one more run in a 48-pitch inning, sending 12 batters to the plate and tying the franchise record for most runs in an inning in a postseason game, set Saturday night in the 11th inning of the 13-6 Game 2 victory at Fenway Park.
After Byrd spent 35 minutes in the dugout during the seven-run rally, he served up back-to-back home runs to Youkilis and Ortiz before Jensen Lewis made it a trifecta when he gave up a 451-foot homer to Ramirez. The New York Yankees were the only other team to accomplish the feat, against Cleveland in Game 1 of the 1997 Division Series.
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psullivan@tribune.com
GAME 5: 7:21 p.m. Thursday, WFLD-Ch. 32
