Two to go

With second win in hand, Red Sox head to St. Louis halfway to elusive championship

October 25, 2004|Globe Staff

No one wants the Red Sox to capture the franchise's first world championship since 1918 more than the players who fell so excruciatingly shy in the four seven-game heartbreakers since that glorious day 86 years ago.

Bobby Doerr, Dom DiMaggio, and Johnny Pesky of the 1946 team stood vigil at Fenway Park for the first two games of 2004 Fall Classic. Carl Yastrzemski of the '67 club tossed an inspirational first pitch before Game 1. And Dwight Evans has represented members of the '75 and '86 squads in cheering on Terry Francona's boys of October.

So far, the alumni have thoroughly enjoyed the show.

"From talking to them, I know they believe the job's not finished," Evans said. "It's refreshing because they're not happy just to be here. They want the wedding ring."

The Sox moved a step closer last night to raising their ring fingers and eradicating decades of franchise futility as they overcame a record-setting display of defensive ineptitude and upended the Cardinals, 6-2, before a euphoric 35,001 in the Fens to seize a 2-0 advantage in the best-of-seven extravaganza.

"No one remembers who finishes second," said the indomitable Keith Foulke. "We want to be the last team left in the big leagues."

The old-timers could thank the medical marvel, Curt Schilling, some finely-timed hitting, and a relief effort anchored by Foulke for delivering the Sox tantalizingly closer to a dream finish. Pitching with a dislocated ankle tendon temporarily stitched into place in a breakthrough medical procedure, Schilling all but silenced the dangerous Cardinal lineup, surrendering only an unearned run on four hits and a walk over six innings.

Schilling hobbled to the clubhouse after firing 94 pitches.

"You could see he was battling with his ankle," catcher Jason Varitek said. "We did the right thing getting him out of there."

Foulke and the Sox' bullpen did the rest as the Cardinals mustered only one run off Mike Timlin in the eighth inning and spiraled to their eighth straight road defeat in the World Series since 1985.

Schilling got all the support he needed on a trio of two-out, two-run hits -- a first-inning triple by Jason Varitek, a fourth-inning double by Mark Bellhorn, and a sixth-inning Wall-ball single by Orlando Cabrera.

So, it's two down, two to go, as Pedro Martinez prepares to start Game 3 tomorrow against Jeff Suppan in St. Louis.

"We're halfway to where we want to be," Timlin said.

Of the 48 teams that have won the first two games of a World Series, 37 (or 77.1 percent) have won the series. Even better for the Sox faithful, 28 of the 33 (84.8 percent) home teams that have gone up, 2-0, have prevailed.

Schilling said he woke up in such pain yesterday because of a suture aggravating a nerve that he was immobilized.