BOSTON, 20 October 2004 — David Ortiz drove in three runs, including the game winner in the bottom of the 14th inning, to lead Boston to a rallying 5-4 victory over the New York Yankees which kept the Red Sox’s postseason hopes alive Monday.
Ortiz’s shot to center field off Esteban Loaiza in the 14th scored Johnny Damon and sent the best-of-seven American League Championship Series back to New York for Game Six with the Yankees up 3-2.
At nearly six hours, Game Five was the longest encounter in postseason history.
The Red Sox have now seized two straight come-from-behind victories in extra innings after dropping the first three games of the series.
It was the second night in a row that Ortiz delivered the game-winning hit, following his 12th-inning homer in Game Four which helped the Red Sox avert a Yankees sweep.
“All I do is hit ... so when I get the chance, I have to get it done,” Ortiz told reporters.
Boston, however, faces a tough task to advance to the World Series as no team has ever rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win a championship series.
Both teams were forced to go deep into their bullpens after Boston banged in two runs to tie the game 4-4 in the eighth. Neither the Yankees nor the Red Sox could produce in the ninth, sending the contest into extra innings.
Yankees manager Joe Torre said Boston had gained the momentum in the series after the two dramatic finishes at Fenway Park but suggested New York would bounce back.
New York’s Mike Mussina got off to a shaky start, throwing 34 pitches in the first inning as Boston took an early 2-0 lead on an Ortiz RBI and a bases-loaded walk.
Mussina ultimately settled down and struck out seven hitters, including three in the third inning alone. Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter proved again why he is one of the most valuable players in postseason play.
Seizing on Boston starter Pedro Martinez’s 100th pitch of the game with bases loaded in the sixth, Jeter sent the ball bounding into right field to drive in three runs.
Ortiz struck again in the eighth with a home run off Yankees reliever Tom Gordon.
Jason Varitek hit a sacrifice fly to center field off Yankees closer Mariano Rivera to bring Dave Roberts home and tie the game 4-4. Tim Wakefield earned the win. He pitched three innings, struck out four batters and allowed one hit and one walk.
Martinez struck out six batters and yielded seven hits, four earned runs and five walks over six innings. In addition to his seven strikeouts, Mussina surrendered six hits, two earned runs and two walks over six innings.
Curt Schilling, Boston’s best pitcher, is expected to start against Jon Lieber in Game Six, although Schilling must first overcome an ankle injury that forced him to leave Game One early.
