The Red Sox had John Lackey on the mound in hopes of not being swept by the Orioles. He'd have to pitch well since he'd be up against the O's ace Chris Tillman. Lackey did just that and pitched a complete game win against the O's. The Sox won and clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2009.
To say Lackey did a good job last would be a gross understatement. Lackey didn't give up a hit until he was in the 7th inning. He lost the no hitter when he gave up a solo HR to Adam Jones, but other than that he was pretty perfect. Luckily, Lackey got enough run support from the bats to have the solo HR not hurt him. The Sox scored all their runs in the 2nd inning when Drew hit a 2 run HR and then Pedey hit an RBI single. Sox 3-0. After Jones hit the solo HR, the Sox were still leading 3-1. Lackey kept dominating the Orioles though and pitched a complete game win to have the Sox clinch a post season berth. The Sox didn't celebrate last night though since they are waiting for the AL East clinching celebration, which is only a matter of time.
The Magic Number for the Sox to clinch the AL East is ONE. So if either the Sox win or the Rays lose anytime between now and the end of the season, the Sox will clinch the AL East. What a difference a year makes.
Red Sox 3 Orioles 1 BOXSCORE
WP: Lackey (10-12) LP: Tillman (16-7)
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