Thursday October 2 at Tiger Stadium
Tim Wakefield would oppose Jack Morris in the opener of this best of five series. Lance Parrish opened the second with a single. With one out, he was doubled home by Dave Bergman. After another out, Rupert Jones singled home Bergman. Dustin Pedroia led off the 4th with a single. With one out, David Ortiz singled, then Manny Ramirez was safe when Howard Johnson dropped a pop up behind third. In his youth, Morris would often show his disgust with errors made by his teammates by staring them down. As he has "mellowed" he has turned these emotions inside. Perhaps it would have been better to stare HoJo down as he could not find the plate with Kevin Youkilis and walked him to force in a run. But J.D.Drew hit a shot at Bergman who turned a nice 3-6-3 double play. The Tigers gave Morris an additional cushion in the sixth. with two outs, Parrish singled, followed by a single by Kirk Gibson. Bergman tripled them both home and scored when Mike Lowell misplayed a Chet Lemon ground ball. That was it, as Morris' (8-1, 2.76) went the distance, scattered four hits and allowed just the one run. Wakefield took the loss (5-2, 3.62). Tigers 5 Red Sox 1
Friday October 3 at Tiger Stadium
Josh Beckett would face Dan Petry. The Tigers struck first when,
in the second inning, Gibson doubled and was singled home by Bergman. They added a run in the third when Tom Brookens led off with a double and scored on Darrell Evans' two out single. That would be the last run Beckett allowed as he thereafter shut the Tigers down going the distance. Petry though was just as good. Until the 7th. Ortiz led off with a double. Walks to Ramirez and Youkilis loaded the bases and Drew drove home Ortiz with a sacrifice fly. Then Petry settled down and got Jason Varitek to strike out and Coco Crisp to fly out. But it was clear Petry had lost his good stuff as he allowed a lead off single to Julio Lugo and another single to Pedroia. When he walked Mike Lowell to load the bases with no outs, that was all. Lefty Bill Scherrer came in to face David Ortiz and struck him out. With right handed hitting Manny Ramirez coming up, Scherrer gave way to Doug Bair. Bair got Ramirez to hit into an around the horn double play to end the threat. Willie Hernandez came in in the ninth to close out the game. (10 saves 0.28) Petry was the winner (3-3, 3.58). Beckett deserved better in taking the loss (3-6, 3.28) Tigers 2 Red Sox 1
Sunday October 4 at Fenway Park
Milt Wilcox would go against Daisuke Matsuzaka. Lugo led off the bottom of the first with a double. After Wilcox got the next two batters, Tiger Manager Tom Davis ordered an intentional pass of Ortiz. It was the percentage play as Ortiz had led the league in homers and the next hitter, Manny Ramirez had yet to get a hit in this series. Wilcox did not like the idea and glared into the dugout. Wilcox was right as Ramirez lined a double off the right field wall to score both runners. The Tigers got one back in the second when Matsuzaka walked Gibson and Bergman and Larry Herndon singled home Gibson with two outs. The Red sox came right back in the third. Walks to Ortiz and Youkilis bracketed a double by Ramirez to load the bases Drew singled home two and sent Youkilis to third. He scored when Wilcox bobbled a soft ground ball by Varitek. In the fifth, Wilcox struck out Ramirez but then issued three straight walks to Youkilis, Drew and Varitek. Aurelio Lopez came in and gave up a single to Crisp but was saved from giving up a second run when Larry Herndon's throw from left cut down Drew at the plate The Tigers breathed a sigh of relief that they were only down 6-1 after 5. In the sixth Matsuzaka once again issued back to back walks to Gibson and Bergman. After
getting Lemon, he then walked Herndon and Brookens to force in a run. Lou Whitaker singled home two more and the lead was cut to 6-4. In the 7th, Lopez gave up a lead off homer to Drew (5), the only homer of the series. After giving up a single to Varitek and walking Crisp, Lopez gave way to Doug Bair. Bair got Lugo to line back to him and then Pedroia to hit a sharp ground ball to him which turned into an inning ending double play. Kyle Snyder came in to start the 7th and got himself out of a self inflicted bases loaded situation when Henrdon lined to him. He was not so lucky in the 8th. He hit Brookens to lead off the inning, then walked Whitaker. Alan Trammell 's single to score Brookens chased Snyder. Hideki Okajima got Evans to fly out but Whitaker scored on the out. He then struck out Parrish and Gibson to leave the Red sox up one. It stayed that way as Bair retired the Red Sox in the 8th. For the 9th, Red Sox Manager Eric Stouber went to his ace closer Jonathon Papelbon who had allowed only one run in 13.2 innings and had saved 9 games with no blown saves. But Papelbon opened the inning giving Bergman his third walk of the game. He then hit Chet Lemon in the ribs and walked Herndon. Tom Brookens dropped a perfect suicide squeeze and the throw to 
the plate by Lowell was not in time. Then Papelbon struck out Whitaker and when Trammell flied to left, Ramirez gunned down Lemon at the plate to end the inning in a 7-7 tie. Bair threw a perfect 9th. Manny Delcarmen came on in the 10th and though he walked Gibson, the Tigers couldn't score. Bair walked Lugo but he was out trying to steal and the teams went into the 11th. With two out, Brookens doubled and Whitaker singled and the Tigers went up one. Willie Hernandez came on to pitch a perfect 11th and end the sweep. (11 saves, 0.26) Bair got the win ( 3-1, 2.73). DelCarmen took the loss (0-2, 3.24) Tigers 8 Red Sox 7
--submitted by Tom “Crash” Davis--
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