But as Saturday night droned into Sunday morning, the Red Sox ran out of time, pitchers, and options, leaving the fate of this ballgame in the hands of Eric Gagné and Javier Lopez.
The results were nothing short of devastating. Gagné set the table for the loss by giving up a single and a walk, then Lopez spectacularly imploded by getting whacked for three runs. Francona gave him the hook and went to Jon Lester, but he, too, proved to be a disaster, serving up a three-run home run to Franklin Gutierrez, who had not come close to scratching out a hit in the game to that point.
With all the twists and turns that had tormented the patient, yet frigid crowd of 37,051, certainly one of the more sobering was the 11th-inning appearance of Gagné, who has been consistently inconsistent throughout his brief tenure with the Red Sox.
Nearly everyone in the park was expecting the worst, and they got it. Gagné had been called upon for mop-up duty in Game 1 and promptly loaded the bases before eventually striking out the side and escaping unscathed. It was assumed he would not be used at any pivotal point in this series unless it was absolutely necessary.
Unfortunately for Boston, the situation in the 11th fit the bill.
Manager Terry Francona had already shot his wad of reliable bullpen arms by using Manny Delcarmen, Hideki Okajima, Mike Timlin, and closer Jonathan Papelbon (for scoreless innings in the ninth and 10th). That left him Lopez, Lester, Wakefield, and Gagné as candidates to pitch the 11th with the score knotted 6-6.
He went with the bearded one, and Gagné momentarily rewarded Francona by punching out Casey Blake. But then Grady Sizemore singled and Asdrubal Cabrera walked. You could hear the collective moans from Athol to Yarmouth as Gagné, his head down, left the mound.
