Jhonny Peralta and Casey Blake each had 2 hits and hit home runs to lead a 7-run 5th inning and give the Indians all the runs they'd need to get by the Red Sox, 7-3. Paul Byrd allowed just 2 runs on 6 hits over 5 innings. Boston's Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz, and Manny Ramirez hit solo back-to-back-to-back home runs to account for all of the Sox runs on the evening. Indians lead the series 3-1.
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W: P. Byrd (W, 1-0); L: T. Wakefield (L, 0-1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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HR: BOS: D. Ortiz (1), K. Youkilis (1), M. Ramirez (2). CLE: J. Peralta (2), C. Blake (1). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Game Notes
- For the first time in LCS history, three players connected on back-to-back-toback home runs, as the Red Sox hit 3 straight home runs in the top of the 6th inning
- In each of the last 3 games of this series, Red Sox starting pitchers have lasted 4.2 innings each, the 2nd time in Boston postseason history that three consecutive starters failed to pitch 5.0 innings.
- The Indians have scored first in every game this series.
Recapping the Game in Quotes
Q. You neutralized one of the best teams in baseball over five innings. How?
PAUL BYRD: You know, I went out there, and my goal going in was to move the ball in and out, inside part of the plate, outside part of the plate. I think sometimes these guys can scare people and shy away from throwing the ball in, thinking they're going to hit another home run. So that was my goal going in, was to move the ball in and out. I didn't really expect to strike anybody out. I was hoping to jam some people. I had a good fastball. I hit 90 miles an hour, which happens a few times a year. I high-fived a couple of guys in the dugout and said, hey, pick me up here, I just hit 90. But Wakefield was really tough. He threw a great game, was phenomenal tonight, and I wasn't expecting very many runs, and next thing you know we have seven. So it was a great night for us.
Q. Last night Jake I think threw 21 out of 28 first-pitch strikes. You were at a high percentage tonight, too. Is that something you guys changed from Game 1, where you looked at Game 1 and saw the trouble that C.C. had getting behind and were more aggressive?
PAUL BYRD: Yeah, I think so, and this team right here is patient. They don't swing at bad pitches. If they fall behind, you have to come in the strike zone a little bit more. The strike zone shrinks in playoffs sometimes depending on which park you're at. I think our goal after the first game was to be more aggressive, try and get ahead in the count and make them hit our pitches.
Q. Your at-bat, the home run, Wakefield had been unhittable up to that point. Take us through that at-bat, and what changed in that inning with Tim where you guys were able to get to him and then get to the bullpen?
CASEY BLAKE: Man, I don't know. I wanted to be aggressive. I mean, the first pitch to me looked like it was going to be chest high, and that thing just dropped off the table for a strike, and I just said, gosh. With him it's just a matter of maybe just getting one that just doesn't move that much and just trying to square it up. Sometimes against him you're up there just scratching and battling, just trying to just make solid contact and not look like an idiot up there swinging at that pitch when it's coming in there like that. Like I said, I got lucky there, hit one on the barrel, and it seemed like that got us going a little bit. You've got to give credit to the guys coming up later, some of the two-strike base hits, Asdrubal and Vic. Those guys were battling.
Notes and quotes courtesy of MLB