Indians Score 7 in 11th to Take Game in Boston

Oct 14, 03:39 AM

Current Headlines: By Jim Salisbury, The Philadelphia Inquirer

Oct. 14--BOSTON -- Trot Nixon was not invited back for an 11th season with the Boston Red Sox this year, so what he did last night -- this morning, really -- felt extra gratifying.

The veteran outfielder came off the bench and delivered a tiebreaking, pinch-hit RBI single to help the Cleveland Indians beat the Red Sox, 13-6, in 11 innings and even up the American League Championship Series at a game apiece.

The series resumes tomorrow night in Cleveland.

Nixon's one-out single to center off lefthander Javier Lopez scored Grady Sizemore to break a 6-6 tie. The Indians scored six more runs in the 11th, three on a home run by Franklin Gutierrez, to turn the game into a rout that ended at 1:37 a.m.

Nixon, 33, was a key member of the Red Sox team that won the 2004 World Series. He went 5 for 14 (.357) with three RBIs in Boston's sweep of St. Louis.

In the last off-season, he signed with the Indians as a free agent.

A marquee pitching matchup between Cleveland's Fausto Carmona, who had the AL's second-best ERA this season, and Boston's Curt Schilling turned into a dud as neither got through the fifth inning at Fenway Park.

The Red Sox took a 6-5 lead in the fifth on back-to-back homers by Manny Ramirez and Mike Lowell. The Indians tied it in the sixth with a walk, a single and groundout.

Ramirez's homer was his 23d in postseason play, moving him past Bernie Williams for first place all-time.

Boston had won Game 1 behind Josh Beckett, who delivered six innings of four-hit, two-run ball. Beckett was the majors' only 20-game winner this season.

With Schilling on the mound for Game 2, the Red Sox had reason to be confident.

At 40, Schilling doesn't throw as hard as he did when he helped the Red Sox win the 2004 World Series, or the Diamondbacks the 2001 World Series, or the Phillies the 1993 National League pennant, but he still has that postseason aura.

In 16 postseason starts entering last night, Schilling was 9-2 with a 1.93 ERA.

"When you need to win a game, putting the ball in his hands is a good feeling," Boston manager Terry Francona said before the game.

Putting the ball in Schilling's hand might be a good feeling for Francona, but last night he had to take it out of the pitcher's hand in the fifth inning after Schilling allowed nine hits and five runs.

The Red Sox had given him a 3-1 lead in the third, but Schilling let it get away in the top of the fourth when he allowed a pair of one-out singles and a three-run home run to dead center by Jhonny Peralta.

An inning later, Grady Sizemore drilled a one-out homer to right against Schilling to give the Indians a 5-3 lead. Three batters later, Schilling's night was over after just 42/3 innings.

It was his shortest postseason start since he lasted three innings in Game 1 of the 2004 AL Championship Series against the Yankees. Of course, Schilling pitched with an injured ankle in that game. Later in that series, he pitched the Sox to a win in Game 6 with blood famously oozing from the ankle.

With Schilling out of the game, the Red Sox stormed back in the bottom of the fifth inning and took a 6-5 lead on back-to-back homers by Ramirez (two-run shot) and Mike Lowell against reliever Rafael Perez, who had taken over for Carmona earlier in the inning.

The lead was short-lived as the Indians tied the game in the sixth on a walk, a single and a groundout against reliever Manny Delcarmen.

Contact staff writer Jim Salisbury at 215-854-4983 or jsalisbury@phillynews.com.

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