Hail the knights of the computer keyboards. While Schilling improved to 11-1 in the Hub and 20-6 overall, he stayed alive in the Cy Young race, gave his mates a rousing send-off for their weekend showdown at Fort Steinbrenner, the Bronx, and became the first Sox pitcher to win 20 games in his inaugural season in Boston since Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley went 20-8 in 1978.
Schilling credited the computer data in part for persuading him to join the Sox. He became the team's first 20-game winner since Pedro Martinez (20-4) and Derek Lowe (21-8) in 2002.
"Petey had some of the best seasons in the history of the game in this ballpark," Schilling said. "It's a challenge, but it can be done. I've just looked at it as another challenge."
The victory clinched the three-game series for the Sox after they dropped the opener. Unbeaten in their last 10 series, Terry Francona's renegades went from congratulating Schilling after the game to boarding a late-night train to Gotham, where they will try to narrow their 3 1/2-game deficit against the division-leading Yankees, who were idle. The Sox maintained their 5 1/2-game lead in their wild-card dash with the Angels, who won, 6-1, in Seattle.
"This is why we've been playing hard all year, to get to this situation and see what we're made of," said Johnny Damon, one of the offensive stars of the game. "We want to go in [to New York] and show them what we have."
Schilling reached his milestone by allowing the Rays four runs on eight hits over 7 2/3 innings as he avenged his only loss of the season at Fenway, an 8-3 defeat to Tampa Bay Aug. 9. In the process, he won a seventh straight start for the first time in his career. And as he left the mound, he raised his cap to acknowledge a thunderous standing ovation led by principal owner John W. Henry in his field box.
Then Schilling set his sights immediately on the Bronx.
"All the subplots for me going into the game were the chance to go into New York this weekend and really make that series matter," he said. "It was a big game, and it felt like it."
