The 2007 season ended with the second Red Sox World Series championship in four seasons, a Rookie of the Year award for Dustin Pedroia and a second place Cy Young finish for Josh Beckett.
But one of the more memorable days of the season came on Mother’s Day in a dramatic and improbable come-from-behind victory. The “Mother’s Day Miracle,” as it was dubbed, saw the Red Sox mount a six-run ninth-inning rally with one out to overcome a 5-0 deficit against the Baltimore Orioles.
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It was the kind of day that would make mom proud. Well, the mothers on the winning side, at least.
The setup
It was Julio Lugo who eventually provided the walk-off hit, and, ironically, the NESN broadcast opened with a segment on Lugo’s early success in Boston after arriving as a free agent that winter.
“It has been a revolving door for the Red Sox at shortstop over the last couple of years and the Red Sox have another good one in Julio Lugo and he’s playing very good baseball especially the last couple of days, seven hits so far in this series against Baltimore,” NESN analyst Jerry Remy remarked to play-by-play man Don Orsillo. “Lugo is the type of hitter who can use the whole field, of course he has great speed, he’s a tremendous base stealer, puts a lot of pressure on infielders, and he’s played great defense.”
The Red Sox had gone 15-3 against the Orioles the previous season and were looking for their fourth win in five games against Baltimore to start the season. Beckett, with a 2.51 ERA and seven wins through seven starts, was on the mound, but it would be Orioles starter Jeremy Guthrie who shone as the star of the game — for the first 8 1/3 innings, at least.
Before the drama of the ninth, though, a different kind of intrigue held the public’s attention, as Beckett was removed with an injury.
He had struck out seven through four innings while holding the Orioles to two runs and two hits, but in the bottom of the inning Kyle Snyder began warming in the Red Sox bullpen.
NESN showed pitching coach John Farrell on the phone as a trainer followed Beckett to the clubhouse. Beckett would leave the game with an avulsion on his right middle finger, an injury later described by sideline reporter Tina Cervasio as a tearing away of the skin — not quite a blister, but a deep cut. Beckett would end up on the injured list and would ultimately miss two starts.
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With his starter gone early, Manager Terry Francona went through a series of arms, including Snyder, Javier Lopez, Joel Pineiro and J.C. Romero. They combined to give up three more runs, while Guthrie cruised against the Red Sox on a sleepy afternoon where it seemed Beckett’s injury would be the main postgame storyline.
Guthrie allowed doubles to Kevin Youkilis and JD Drew in the second and fifth, and a single to Alex Cora (who’d started the season 20-for-42 but was now splitting time with the rising Pedroia) in the sixth.
As the Red Sox entered the bottom of the eighth, Orsillo noted Guthrie had thrown just 73 pitches. No Red Sox runner had advanced to third base. The Orioles tacked on runs in the seventh and eighth. Wily Mo Pena took over in left field for Manny Ramirez.
“The Red Sox will try to prevent the first shutout for the Orioles this season,” Remy said.
The stakes, it seemed, were low. Guthrie returned to the mound in the bottom of the ninth with his pitch count at a comfortable 85.
“We saw Felix Hernandez shut down the Red Sox earlier this season in a complete-game shutout,” Orsillo said. “And Guthrie is trying to make a bid here today to do the same for the Orioles. Lugo, (Coco) Crisp and (David) Ortiz have other ideas as they bat here in the bottom of the ninth.”
The rally
Lugo led off with a bouncing ball back over the mound that Miguel Tejada fielded for the first out. Guthrie had retired eight in a row.
Only two outs left for the Red Sox.
Then Crisp came to the plate.
On an 0-2 pitch, Crisp hit a high pop up between third base and the mound. Chris Gomez, who’d just entered the game as a defensive replacement at third, raced in while catcher Ramon Hernandez stepped out from behind home plate. When Hernandez realized Gomez wouldn’t get to the ball, he got under it and got a glove on it, but the ball popped out. Crisp reached first.
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“Probably would have been just as easy for the pitcher to make,” Remy said.
Guthrie hardly seemed rattled or fatigued, but Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo made the inexplicable decision to remove him. Danys Baez had been warming.
Baez entered to face Ortiz and the slugger drilled the second pitch off the center field wall, scoring Crisp and sparking life into the Fenway crowd. 5-1, Orioles
Chris Ray started to warm in the Orioles bullpen.
Pena came to the plate in place of Ramirez and slapped the ball into left field past a diving Gomez, moving Ortiz to third.
“Sometimes that’s all it takes is a little mistake, and that pop up that was dropped gives the Red Sox a chance,” Remy said. “Ortiz with a double. Here comes Perlozzo again. He’s got Ray loose in the bullpen and he’s going to go get him.”
J.D. Drew stepped in to hit against Ray, and Orsillo reminded viewers that the pitcher had given up a grand slam to Pena at Camden Yards earlier in the season.
Ray got to a 3-2 count on Drew before walking him to load the bases for Youkilis with one out.
“You’ve really got to question the move by Sam Perlozzo to take Guthrie out of this game,” Orsillo said, again perplexed at the turn of events for the Red Sox in the span of a few minutes. “He was cruising, 85 pitches into the ninth inning. The error by the catcher and now all of the sudden you leave it up to the Orioles bullpen and here we go.”
It had been a quiet Fenway crowd minutes earlier. Now the fans were chanting “Youuuuk” and dreaming of a walk-off.
“The Red Sox have had some comebacks in the past here against the Orioles,” Remy said, referencing a David Ortiz walk-off home run off B.J. Ryan when the Red Sox beat Baltimore on June 2, 2005.
Youkilis, who was 7-for-12 with 5 RBIs with runners in scoring position in his last six games, drew a full count against Ray as fans stood in anticipation.
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Ball four high and inside sent Youkilis bending backwards out of the box before heading down to first and forcing in a run. 5-2, Orioles
Orioles pitching Leo Mazzone trotted out to visit Ray in an attempt to stop the bleeding.
“Chris Ray came into this game with only two walks on the season. Two walks and 18 strikeouts and he’s walked the first two batters he’s faced here,” Remy said.
An emotionless Guthrie sat in the dugout chewing gum as catcher Jason Varitek came to the plate.
“If you’re thinking home run,” Remy said, “Ray has given up two of them this season, one of those to Wily Mo Pena.”
First pitch was another ball.
“He can’t find it right now,” Remy said.
“Thirteen pitches, nine balls,” Orsillo added.
Perlozzo furiously chewed his own gum with a furrowed brow as Ray set for the 1-0 pitch.
“Varitek lines it into right-center field!” Orsillo yelled. “From third comes Pena, J.D. Drew in behind him, ball is bobbled out in right center, two runs are in and it’s a one-run game now!” 5-4, Orioles
“The outfielders playing very deep because of the potential tying run at first base,” Remy said. “They were on the line at first and third and deep in the outfield and Varitek with a line shot in that gap in right-center field. Boy, (third base coach) DeMarlo Hale was thinking for a second of bringing Youkilis home but wisely held up after the bobble.”
Ray intentionally walked first baseman Eric Hinske to load the bases and get to Cora.
“Still just one out,” Orsillo said. “The tying run 90 feet away.”
Remy again mentioned the perplexing move to remove Guthrie after 91 pitches and 8 1/3 innings.
“Since then it’s been nothing but trouble for Baltimore and everything good for Boston,” he said.
“The guy who’s had a flair for the dramatic so far this season in Alex Cora will bat,” Orsillo said.
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Ortiz stood on the top step of the dugout clapping his hands together.
“The Red Sox had been dormant all day,” Orsillo said. “They’re awake now.”
On a 2-2 count, Cora slapped the ball toward second.
“Cora chops it, right side,” Orsillo said. “Roberts comes home with it and the force out! Youkilis is out for out number two.”
“What a smart play there by Roberts,” Remy said. “He had no chance to get a double play. He’s coming toward home plate in a one-run ballgame that’s going to be a tie game and he gets the force out at home on a very close play.”
Francona jogged out to argue the call to no avail as NESN showed the replay from different angles of Youkilis sliding into home plate.
Now with two outs, the bases were still loaded with Varitek at third, Drew at second and Cora at first.
Lugo stepped to the plate for the second time in the inning after grounding out 20 minutes earlier. He drew the count to 2-2 before fouling a ball down the right field line.
“Red Sox trying to make this Mother’s Day a memorable one,” Orsillo said.
With a full count, Ray set to throw, but Lugo backed out and called time.
“It’s almost like freezing the kicker. Let him think about it a little longer,” Remy said.
On Ray’s 30th pitch, Lugo swung.
“The 3-2 pitch, Lugo chops it to the right side,” Orsillo said, his voice rising in excitement. “(Kevin) Millar’s going to need help — over is Ray and oh no! Here comes another run —the Red Sox win! Varitek in! Hinske in! Boston comes all the way back — a six-run ninth!” 6-5, Red Sox
Lugo leaped into the air as the ball bounced off Ray’s glove as the pitcher tried to cover first. Drew, the game-winning run, crossed home plate with his arms out. He hugged Varitek and the team poured out of the dugout to mob them behind the plate.
“Little ground ball toward first base, you knew it was going to be close because of the speed of Lugo,” Remy yelled over the roar of the crowd amid pandemonium at Fenway. “The throw is going to be on target, they’re going to give an error to the pitcher covering first base. The throw is a little behind him but he takes his eye off the ball to pick up the bag, and once it gets by him two runs come across.
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“What an inning for the Red Sox.”
As the play unfolded, cameras on the Orioles dugout showed Perlozzo’s frustrations boil over. He ripped his hat off and threw it.
“Julio Lugo, you made a very special Mother’s Day for some moms out there,” Cervasio told Lugo after an on-field interview.
There would be 96 regular season wins for the Red Sox that season, but none were more dramatic than that Sunday afternoon at Fenway.
(Photo: Jim Rogash / WireImage)
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