Just minutes later, as they trudged into the clubhouse, Evan Longoria hit a home run to give the Tampa Bay Rays an 8-7 victory against the Yankees and the American League wild card.
The Rays go on. The Sox go home.
“This was one for the ages,’’ said general manager Theo Epstein.
Carl Crawford, one of the symbols of the franchise’s failed plan to overwhelm baseball with a high-salaried collection of stars, nearly caught Andino’s sinking liner.
“I thought I had a chance,’’ said Crawford, whose throw to the plate came too late. “It was right there.’’
Papelbon allowed doubles by Chris Davis and Nolan Reimold before the winning single. It was only his third blown save of the season, but the second in a week.
“I’m surprised. Everybody in this clubhouse expected to be in the playoffs,’’ Papelbon said. “We fell short of our goal this year. I don’t think this is going to define me as a player. I don’t think this is going to define us as a ball club.’’
Others will certainly disagree. The Sox had a nine-game lead for the wild card on Sept. 3 before collapsing. They lost 16 of their final 21 games. No team in history ever lost a bigger lead in the final month of the season.
Once 84-54, the Sox finished in third place for the second straight season. That trend could lead to major changes, from the dugout to the front office.
“We’re not a playoff team. The Rays deserved it and we didn’t,’’ said David Ortiz. “You can’t say we were a good team.’’
Manager Terry Francona, who will come under fire after a 7-20 month, appeared stunned afterward.
“We needed to take care of business today and we didn’t,’’ he said. “I don’t know how to evaluate it. Every time you lose it hurts. When you go home before you’re ready, it hurts. As tough as it has been this month, we weren’t ready to go home.’’
It was a dramatic night at Camden Yards. The Sox were up, 3-2, in the middle of the seventh inning when heavy rain started to fall, and the game was delayed. Dustin Pedroia had driven in two runs and looked like the hero.
