2 down ... 9 to go

first team to win 11 games wins the world series

dramatic finish to a great game out in anaheim tonight ... or this morning if you prefer ... this game started 1/2 hour earlier than wednesday night's affair ... but finished at exactly the same time as game 1 ... 1:21 am ... jason bay sets the tone early for the boston red sox with a 3 run home run in the 1st inning ... red sox build the lead to 5-2 ... but daisuke matsuzaka is shaky all night ... in constant trouble ... the los angeles angels chip away ... dice-k gives up 3 runs ... okie gives up a run ... (mickey mouse) masterson gives up a run ... angels tie the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the 8th inning ... after using him to get the last out of the 8th inning ... the angels send k-rod back out to pitch the 9th inning ... in a non-save situation (tie game) ... fyi ... k-rod is francisco rodriguez ... k-rod is the angels' 26 year old superstar closer who set a major league record with 62 saves this season ... as a point of comparison ... jonathan papelbon had 41 saves ... big papi doubles deep into the shift to lead off the inning ... coco crisp runs for ortiz ... and after youkilis grounds out ... jd drew blasts a 2 run home run to right center field to put the red sox ahead to stay at 7-5 ... papelbon closes out the game with a perfect bottom of the 9th

the red sox have now won 11 consecutive postseason games against the angels ... dating back to 1986 (donnie moore/dave henderson) ... a major league record ... ironically, the record the red sox broke ... the oakland a's 10 consecutive postseason wins against the red sox back in the 90's ... more importantly ... the boston red sox take a 2-0 lead in the best of 5 alds ... and can eliminate the los angeles angels of anaheim with a win back at fenway park on sunday night

game 2 <> american league division series (alds)

boston red sox 7 .. los angeles angels of anaheim 5

winning pitcher <> jonathan papelbon (1-0) ... losing pitcher <> francisco rodriguez (0-1)

#1 star of the game <> right fielder jd drew

5 at bats <> 3 hits <> 2 runs scored <> 3 runs batted in <> 1 double <> 1 home run

carried the red sox on his back in june with big papi out ... was mvp of the all-star game ... spent half of august and all of september disabled with a bad back ... 4 at-bats against live pitching since 8/18 ... no long balls since 7/26 ... tonight ... a lazer-like game winning two run home run to right center in the top of the 9th inning ... with the game tied 5-5 ... against the best closer in all of baseball in 2008 ... welcome back jd

#2 star of the game <> left fielder jason bay

5 at bats <> 3 hits <> 1 run scored <> 3 runs batted in <> 1 home run

bay is now hitting .556 in his postseason career with 2 meaningful home runs and 5 runs batted in

#3 star of the game <> closer jonathan papelbon

2 innings pitched <> 0 hits <> 0 runs <> 0 walks <> 1 strikeout <> 21 pitches

bottom of the 8th inning ... chone figgins leads the inning with a triple ... jonathan papelbon is summoned to get 6 outs ... and hold figgins at 3rd base if possible ... paps gets garrett anderson to foul out ... figgins can't score ... but mark teixeira hits a sacrafice fly to left bringing figgins home with the game tying run ... paps gets vladi to pop up for the final out of the 8th ... and then ... after jd's blast puts the red sox back on top 7-5 ... paps closes out the 9th inning quickly and quietly ... and is the pitcher of record on the winning side

honorable mention #1 <> manager terry francona
all the right moves ... with mike lowell out of the lineup with the bad hip ... kevin youkilis is shifted to 3rd base instead of jed lowrie ... mark kotsay plays 1st base instead of sean casey ... and alex cora plays shortstop instead of jed lowrie ... youkilis makes the top 2 defensive plays of the game ... flawlessly bare handing a well placed bunt by tori hunter to start the bottom of the 9th inning ... and on the very next chance ... catching a (pinch hitter) gary matthews jr foul ball 3 rows deep in the 3rd base stands ... kotsay has 2 hits and plays excellent defense at 1st ... and cora doubles, walks and scores a run

honorable mention #2 <> the fans at angels stadium of anaheim
if this happens along the 3rd base line at fenway ... no way the angels 3rd baseman comes away with that foul ball ... the next jeffrey vannick would have made sure of that ... in real time the angels fans closest to the ball looked to be getting out of the way ... as if welcoming youk into their seats ... and after the catch ... "youuuuuk" could be heard loud and clear around angels stadium

next up <> fenway park <> sunday night <> 7:27 pm edt
game 3 <> alds (an elimination game)
los angeles angels of anaheim vs boston red sox
joe saunders (17-7) vs josh beckett (12-10)
leave the freakin' red things on the west coast
real baseball fans don't need props

sorry frankie ... but you can't let yourself get beat throwing your 3rd best pitch 3 times in a row to a hitter with one of the sweetest swings in all of baseball