John Lackey came up huge for the Red Sox on Tuesday afternoon.
That's something you didn't think you would here coming into the 2013 season. But the righthander delivered a start, that Theo Epstein envisioned when he signed Lackey before the 2010 season.
Lackey, facing the biggest start of his Red Sox career, went toe to toe with one of the best pitchers in the game and didn't blink.
Lackey surrendered singles in the first to both Tori Hunter and Prince Fielder and looked shaky before getting Victor Martinez to fly out to center field to end the inning.
Then came the poweroutage. The 15 minute delay caused by the poweroutage, seemed to refocus John Lackey as he was nearly unhittable once he retook the mound.
Lackey retired the first nine hitters he faced, following the delay before allowing a leadoff double to Jhonny Peralta in the fifth. After Alex Avila advanced Peralta to third with a groundball to second base, Lackey buckled down. He fanned Omar Infante on a 2-2 slider, before getting Don Kelly to ground out to end the inning and keep the game scoreless.
With Justin Verlander shutting down the Red Sox lineup, Lackey did what everything the Red Sox needed him to do.
Then with one out in the seventh inning, Mike Napoli connected off Justin Verlander. After laying off a 2-2 slider in the dirt, Napoli launched a 96-mph fastball over the left-center field fence to give the Red Sox a 1-0 lead.
Lackey gave up a one out single to Victor Martinez in the seventh. He bounced back by getting Jhonny Peralta to fly out to right field before giving way to Craig Breslow.
Lackey's frustration was visible when Farrell came out of the dugout to take the ball from the 34-year old right hander.
Breslow walked Alex Avila to put runners on first and second, but got Infante to groud into a fielders choice to end the inning.
Lackey finished with a post season career high 8 strikeouts, while allowing only four hits through 6 2/3 shutout innings.
The Red Sox bullpen did the job from that point forward.
Breslow struckout Jose Iglesias to begin the eighth inning, then walked Austin Jackson before giving way to Junichi Tazawa. Tazawa surrendered a one out single to right field by Torii Hunter that allowed Jackson to go to third base ahead of Miguel Cabrera.
But, just when Red Sox Nation's collective breath was being held, Tazawa pumped three fastballs past Cabrera for the second out the inning.
Once again, Farrell popped out of the dug out to go to the bullpen with Prince Fielder coming to plate. Farrell elected to go to Koji Uehara for the four out save.
Uehara rewarded his managers confidence by dispatching of Fielder on three pitches, the last a spitter that he buried in the dirt.
Victor Martinez greeted Uehara with a leadoff single in the ninth, but after that Koji shut it down. He induced Peralta into a 6-4-3 double play on a great turn from Dustin Pedroia and struck out Avila to nail down a crucial win for the Red Sox and extending the Red Sox bullpens scoreless inning streak to 8 in the ALCS.
But, the story of the day was John Lackey who continued his comeback season with it's best chapter to date. Going pitch for pitch with the best baseball has to offer and coming out on top.
In the biggest game of the season for Boston, Lackey delivered just as Epstein and Cherington believed he would.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
