Recap: Tampa Bay vs. Boston
Sports Network | October 18, 2008
St. Petersburg, FL (Sports Network) - Kevin Youkilis homered and drove in a pair, and Jason Varitek hit a go-ahead solo homer in the sixth, as the Boston Red Sox tied up the American League Championship Series with a 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 6.
The Red Sox moved closer to pulling off another stunning October comeback, as the best-of-seven series is knotted at 3-3, with the decisive Game 7 set for Sunday back at Tropicana Field.
Varitek's homer was his first hit of the series, while David Ortiz went 2- for-4 with a double and an RBI for the Red Sox, who last year rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the ALCS against Cleveland en route to a World Series title.
Boston has three times come back from a 3-1 deficit in a best-of-seven ALCS -- 1986 against the Angels, 2004 against the Yankees and 2007 against the Indians -- and are on the verge of doing it again. The Red Sox also improved to 9-0 under manager Terry Francona in ALCS elimination games.
B.J. Upton homered -- his seventh of the playoffs -- for the Rays, who in Game 5 on Thursday squandered a seven-run lead along with a chance to move to their first-ever World Series in an 8-7 loss.
