Sox clinch spot with rally in 9th

Detroit's 7-4 loss to the Royals, coupled with the Sox win, ensured the Sox will be playing after the regular season ends next Sunday.

With seven games to play, the Sox reclaimed the best record in the league, and maintained a 2 1/2-game lead in the American League East over the Yankees.

"For us to clinch a playoff spot in the fashion we did - we talked about it earlier with some guys, it's definitely worth celebrating," said Mike Lowell, after the team privately conducted a brief toast behind closed doors.

"You know, would we rather toast today or be where we were last year? The Tigers would rather be us, trust me. So it's definitely something to celebrate.

"We don't want to be complacent. We definitely want to win the division and we definitely want to have the best record. That doesn't mean you should diminish something along the way. We want to celebrate one, two, three, four more times."

This crowd was ready to party, even if manager Terry Francona had said before the game he was disinclined to do so, with the division title yet to be decided. But Jason Varitek spoke for the people when he led off the ninth inning with a game-tying home run off Devil Rays closer Al Reyes.

Eric Hinske followed by lashing a ground double down the line in right. After Coco Crisp popped to third, Lugo hit the first pitch he saw into the left-field stands.

"Julio might not have done what people expected, because people want more and more and more," Ortiz said, "but he can get some clutch hits. He put it together when we needed it."

Lugo had gone 204 at-bats between home runs before he connected Tuesday in Toronto. Now, in the span of five days, he has two. He has hit five home runs in the ninth inning in his career; this one will be remembered by more than his immediate family, since it not only was the first he has ever hit to decide a game, but it also put the Sox into postseason play for the 18th time in franchise history.

"Never happened, never in professional baseball," Lugo said of going long in such circumstances.