These Sox are unlike any Boston baseball team since the earliest years of Fenway Park. They have won five consecutive postseason games, six straight World Series games, and they're taking a 2-0 Series lead to Coors Field for the resumption of the 103d Fall Classic tomorrow night.
Leading the army of steamrollers is 40-year-old general Curt Schilling, forever established as one of the best big-game pitchers in baseball history. Hurling what might have been his final game as a member of the Red Sox, old Blood-and-Guts stopped the stunned Rockies for 5 1/3 innings, allowing only a run, to improve his career postseason record to 11-2.
"It's a good feeling when he pitches," said Sox manager Terry Francona. "Whatever the situa tion, you know he's going to be prepared for it."
Schilling was bailed out by the redoubtable Hideki Okajima, who retired seven consecutive Rockies, four on strikouts. Initially considered little more than a friendly stablemate for $103 million man Daisuke Matsuzaka, Okajima made the All-Star team and earned a spot in World Series lore with his first appearance in the showcase event. Jonathan "Riverdance" Papelbon came on for the save, which included the first pickoff of his big league career. The game ended when Papelbon fanned Brad Hawpe with a 99-mile-per-hour fastball at 12:09 this morning.
"This was the Papajima Show tonight," said Schilling. "That was phenomenal. That was the story tonight. Tonight we had to have it and they both answered the bell."
"We scored two runs in 18 innings in this ballpark," said Rockies manager Clint Hurdle. "That makes it tough to win . . . I anticipate us playing better baseball when we get home."
The early-evening ballpark buzz was that Neil Diamond was going to be on hand to sing "Sweet Caroline" in person, but the frog prince never appeared. Instead, Fenway fans were happy to get James Taylor. Strumming his six-string, J.T. performed the national anthem solo, before young heart transplant recipient Andrew Madden of Odessa, Texas, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. It was 48 degrees and felt like the Turnpike could have been covered with snow from Stockbridge to Boston.
