Then consider the outcome. In a memorable comeback that unfolded with thick black smoke from a nearby fire swirling above -- a scene so dramatic general manager Theo Epstein momentarily feared the crowd of 35,027 at Fort Apache, the Fens, was bearing witness to the apocalypse -- the Sox defied the odds and elements to outlast the Yankees, 5-4, in a Patriots Day thriller.
Kapler, who appeared clueless when he twice lost track of how many outs there were in the second inning, ultimately helped propel the Sox to their third victory of the four-game showdown by singling home McCarty with the decisive run with two out in the eighth. Kapler smacked a 94-mile-an-hour fastball from former Sox closer Tom Gordon for his slice of redemption as Terry Francona's crew prepared to depart for a six-game swing through Toronto and the Bronx.
"Taking three out of four from the Yankees is a tough thing to do in any venue," Kapler said. "This was important for us to do from a momentum standpoint. To be able to go on the road and sit on the plane with smiles on our faces, it's a nice thing."
Kapler was far from alone among the bit players making a difference. McCarty, who strode to the plate hitless in nine at-bats this season as he tries to prolong the day until he trades his cleats for a front office job, cleared the way for Kapler's star turn by taking a mighty cut against Gordon.
"I knew I just missed [the pitch]," McCarty said, "so I figured it was a popup."
Sure enough. But Sox left fielder Manny Ramirez sensed something good coming of it as his Yankee counterpart, Hideki Matsui, began to track the ball.
"I knew he was going to drop the ball because the wind was so bad," Ramirez said.
So did many of Ramirez's teammates.
"You could tell right away," said catcher Jason Varitek, who slugged a solo homer off Brown in the sixth inning. "Everybody in the dugout was screaming [to McCarty], `Run, run, run.' "
First, Matsui said, he lost the ball in the sun as McCarty began running. And by the time Matsui spotted the ball, the wind began to carry it away from him, leaving him only to lunge without touching it as it dropped for a double.
That was fine with McCarty.
