Red Sox 11, Indians 2
Thanks to some key pitching, a scoring outburst in the eighth and a little Dustin Pedroia, the Red Sox are returning to the World Series just three years after winning the title in 2004.
In Game 7 of the ALCS, Boston took a 3-0 lead after three innings of play, but Cleveland rallied to score one run in both the fourth and fifth innings. In the top of the seventh, the Tribe squandered a scoring opportunity when Casey Blake grounded into a double play to strand runners at the corners. Making things worse for Cleveland, Blake then booted a Jacoby Ellsbury grounder in the bottom of the seventh, and two batters later Pedroia hit a two-run homer to give Boston a 5-2 lead. The final blow for the Tribe was in the eighth, as relievers Rafael Betancourt and Jensen Lewis combined to give up six runs, allowing the Red Sox to take a commanding 11-2 lead. Nonetheless, it was a trying evening for the Indians, who failed to close out the series after taking a 3-1 lead.
The Red Sox now move on to face the surging Colorado Rockies in the World Series. Game 1 is Wednesday at Boston and will pit Josh Beckett against Jeff Francis.
