My father used to tell me the game is not over until the last out. That was six decades ago. Why have I not learned?
When Yasiel Puig crushed an Eduardo Rodriguez fastball for a three-run homer and a 4-0 Los Angeles lead in the sixth inning of Game 4 of the World Series, I told my wife the Red Sox had just lost. Oh, is the game over, she asked. My reply? No, there are three innings to go, but the Red Sox aren’t doing anything tonight. And that was true. Journeyman left hander Rich Hill, a former Red Sox pitcher, was working on a one-hit shutout for the Dodgers at the time.
Little did I know what was coming. The Red Sox scored nine runs in the last three innings and shocked the Dodgers, 9-6. Now they lead the best-of-seven series, 3-1, and can wrap up their fourth title in the last 15 seasons Sunday night. If the Dodgers stave off elimination, the action will return to Boston for Game 6 Tuesday night.
This rally stunned everyone in Dodger Stadium except, perhaps, the Red Sox themselves. They believe they can come back from any deficit. So what if their predecessors had never won a World Series game after trailing by four runs. These are manager Alex Cora’s Cardiac Kids.
Pinch-hitter Mitch Moreland launched a three-run homer with two outs in the seventh inning. First baseman Steve Pearce belted the game-tying home run in the eighth. Pinch hitter Rafael Devers stroked a tie-breaking single in the ninth. Pearce followed with a three-run double to right-center, and shortstop Xander Bogaerts drove in Pearce with a single to center.
Boston fans in the crowd – and from the sound there must have been thousands – cheered their heroes while L.A. fans struggled to comprehend the meltdown they had just witnessed. I just smiled and remembered that my father used to tell me the game is not over until the last out. How true.
