There are no shortcuts, this path to the World Series, and no shortage of suspense.
The Red Sox traced their return passage to the Series through Yokohama and Kyoto, Sacramento and Starkville, Miss., the hamlets of Georgia and the suburbs of Houston, a city kid from Cincinnati joining forces with a Dominican muscleman who joined with a son of Cuba who connected with a Native American, all put together by a brainy decision-maker from Brookline and paid for by a reclusive moneyman from Arkansas.
The Sox won their 12th American League pennant by beating the Cleveland Indians by the deceptive score of 11-2, before a crowd of 37,165 at Fenway Park, the first congregation since 1986 with the chance to celebrate a championship at home. The Sox, who broke open last night's game with eight runs in their last two at-bats, come back to Fenway Park to open the 103d World Series Wednesday night against the Colorado Rockies, the National League champions who have won 10 straight and 21 of 22.
The Sox won the last three games by the combined score of 30-5, becoming the 12th team in big-league history to win a best-of-seven (or best-of-nine) series after trailing, 3 games to 1. Red Sox teams have done it three times - 1986, 2004, and now this.
"I think when you're in this kind of pressure cooker, you can either fold or implode or you can relax and be yourself," said general manager Theo Epstein. "That's what our guys do. None of the circumstances bother them."
Daisuke Matsuzaka, son of Japan, was the winner, going the first five innings and allowing both Cleveland runs.
"Daisuke did all we wanted, giving up two runs in five innings in the most important game of the year for him," said Sox chairman Tom Werner, who last December hosted the dinner with Daisuke and his agent, Scott Boras, that greased his way to Boston. "He had the weight of two countries on him."
Fellow countryman Hideki Okajima picked him up with two scoreless innings, inducing a huge double-play ball in the seventh. Dustin Pedroia, the rookie from northern California, singled and scored the first run, hit a two-run home run that gave the Sox a 5-2 lead in the seventh, and hit a bases-loaded double in the eighth, scoring three more.
"I'm proud of the whole organization for drafting that kid and developing him," Epstein said. "I'm so proud of him for all the hard work, defying the odds, not listening to his critics along the way. Every time he gets criticized for being too small or something, he does something. It makes him try harder. Obviously, the kid's a great player."
Jonathan Papelbon entered with two on and no outs in the eighth with the game still in the balance and applied the crusher, setting the side down in order, then reprising his "Riverdance" during the madcap celebration that followed.
