After dropping the first two tilts on the road in the best-of-five American League Division Series (ALDS), the Boston Red Sox headed back home on the brink of elimination. Squaring off against a well-rounded Cleveland Indians team led by Francisco Lindor and José Ramírez, the Sox were in need of a miracle to keep their season alive.
Speaking of miracles, the man who was known for bringing forth supernatural occurrences on the diamond had announced a year prior that this 2016 season would be his last. The final chapter to a legendary book that was chock-full of wondrous moments.
Before he became a household icon, I had the privilege of meeting David Ortiz when he first signed with the Boston Red Sox. The newcomer, along with some of his teammates like Gabe Kapler and Kevin Millar, signed autographs at a spot near my home. Though I was just 7 years old at the time, I remember the line to get Kevin Millar’s John Hancock was longer than the one for Big Papi’s. Due to this, I opted to go into Ortiz’s lane, which, in hindsight, was a heck of a decision. While Millar became a Sox hero after drawing that critical walk against Mariano Rivera in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS, Ortiz morphed into a legendary figure. Aside from his own heroics in ’04, Ortiz helped the Sox win again in ’07 and played out of his mind throughout their championship run in 2013. When all was said and done, he finished with 541 home runs and got his own shiny plaque in Cooperstown on his first time on the ballot.
Getting back to the playoff matchup, knowing that this might be the final time we’d see Ortiz step into the batter’s box, my friends and I knew we had to ship up to Boston for the game. Upon arrival, there was still hope in the collective mind of the Boston faithful that the Sox would somehow flip the script and rattle off three straight. They had defied the odds before, and with names like Mookie Betts, Dustin Pedroia, Xander Bogaerts, and Ortiz in the lineup, coming back in the series wasn’t out of the question.
In the must-win game, Boston handed the ball to veteran Clay Buchholz, while Cleveland looked to Josh Tomlin to close things out. The two seasoned hurlers pitched well through the first three innings, as neither surrendered a run. However, in the top of the 4th, after José Ramírez ripped a single and Buchholz walked Lonnie Chisenhall, former Sox player Coco Crisp bunted his teammates to the ensuing bases. With men now on 2nd and 3rd, Tyler Naquin hit a single into right, which scored both Cleveland runners.
In the 5th inning, the Sox got one back. Andrew Benintendi smoked a double to left, which allowed Bogaerts, who got on base via a single, to score all the way from first. 2-1 Cleveland. The following inning, Drew Pomeranz relieved Buchholz, which on paper was a solid decision. He looked great in Game 1, throwing 2.1 innings of no-run ball (though he allowed one on a runner he inherited), with five punch outs.
Just like Ramírez had done in the 4th, he led off the inning with a disruption by drawing a walk. Playing more small ball, Chisenhall bunted him over to 2nd, giving Cleveland a chance to extend their slim lead. Into the box stepped Coco Crisp, whom Pomeranz had struck out when the two squared off at the top of the series. Unfortunately, Crisp learned from his mishap. Pomeranz left an off-speed pitch up in the zone, and Crisp sent it into the Green Monster seats. The long ball sucked the life out of the stands, and the place went quiet.
Yet, it’s never over until it’s over. In the bottom half of the inning, Ortiz hit a sacrifice fly, making it 4-2 Indians. Then, in the 8th, after Mookie Betts hit into a fielder’s choice, Ortiz came up again. With a chance to tie the game, the fabled slugger drew a walk, opening the door for Hanley Ramírez to be the hero.
