Add home runs by David Ortiz and Jason Varitek, another understudy-as-star performance by shortstop Alex Cora, nine more innings of errorless baseball by record-setter Kevin Youkilis and his still-perfect-in-'08 teammates, plus another day of scoreless relief, this time by Bryan Corey and Manny Delcarmen, and the Sox headed for Toronto with what resembled a spring in their steps.
"I don't think the whole Japanese thing is as big a deal as everybody is making it to be," said Lester, who allowed just three hits and three walks in 6 2/3 scoreless innings in an effort as impressive as Matsuzaka's (6 2/3 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 9 K's) the night before. "Take another stride forward and keep working."
Lester became only the second Sox lefthander in the last 13 years to win here. The other, Oakland reliever Alan Embree, took the loss yesterday, giving up a two-run home run to Ortiz that broke a scoreless tie in the seventh. Another former Sox reliever, Lenny DiNardo, was charged with two runs in the eighth after giving up four consecutive singles, Youkilis knocking home the fourth run with a bases-loaded single off Santiago Casilla. Varitek then took Athletics closer Huston Street deep with a home run in the ninth that didn't need a television replay to validate it.
"It happens," Varitek said of being deprived the night before when umpires ruled his ball had not cleared the yellow line designating a home run. "We won, that's what counts. I've had some good at-bats, that's about all I can say."
Ortiz would beg to differ about the impact of the Asian adventure. Hitless through 12 at-bats this season, Ortiz blooped an opposite-field single in the fifth, then followed a double by Youkilis with his first fence-clearing shot of the season. The Sox had stranded 10 runners through six innings, Oakland starter Rich Harden pitching out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the first.
