Then came that end, a ninth inning in which a walk to Dustin Pedroia was followed by a David Ortiz single that fell in front of center fielder Grady Sizemore, bringing up one of the hottest hitters in baseball. But Kevin Youkilis's plate appearance left only a piece of bat skidding between third base and shortstop, another out on the scoreboard, and a chance for Jason Bay.
There it was. The ball sailed into the night, into the seats in left field, yet another dramatic moment for a player who is attempting to turn consistent (his reputation) into clutch (his new M.O.). Bay's 408-foot home run broke the scoreless tie and gave the Sox their 11th consecutive win, a 3-1 victory over the Indians. (As if that weren't enough, Bay's home run was followed immediately by one of the rarest sights in baseball: a Mike Lowell triple.)
"I think he's a good player," said manager Terry Francona. "And I think good players get opportunities. There are some things that led up to that - Pedey laying off a good 3-and-2 breaking ball on a guy that's throwing 97 - but he took a good swing.
"Maybe 'clutch' is you've got to be good enough to have the talent, then when the opportunity comes, you don't try to do too much, or do more. But it's certainly welcome."
So, too, is the brilliance from Wakefield, who gave the Sox seven one-hit innings. In the first game of the winning streak, against Oakland, the Sox were desperate for length, desperate for a good start. Wakefield delivered that day, and he hasn't stopped, though last night's win went to Manny Delcarmen. Take out his first start against the Angels - a pedestrian six innings with three runs - and Wakefield has a 1.17 ERA in his last three outings.
It seems clear that Wakefield is on one of those runs, when the opponent, batter, and venue don't matter.
