BOSTON - They fluttered in and rocketed out: Three more homers sent sailing over the Green Monster to help the Tampa Bay Rays blow out Boston for the second straight game and move within one win of their first AL pennant.
Evan Longoria hit his rookie-record fifth home run of the playoffs, and Carlos Pena and Willy Aybar also homered off aging knuckleballer Tim Wakefield on Tuesday night to give the Rays a 13-4 victory over the Red Sox that put the defending World Series champions on the brink of elimination.
Carl Crawford tied an AL championship series record with five hits and Andy Sonnanstine pitched 7 1-3 innings of six-hit ball as Tampa Bay took a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven playoff. Aybar had four hits and five RBIs.
After an off day, James Shields and Game 1 winner Daisuke Matsuzaka are scheduled to pitch Thursday night at Fenway Park in a potential clincher for the surprising Rays.
Tampa Bay had never even approached a .500 record during its first decade in the majors before edging wild-card Boston for the AL East title by two games. But the Rays were poised and powerful against a Red Sox team that has made the playoffs in five of the last six years, advancing to the ALCS four times and winning it all twice.
Rays 13
Red Sox 4
Carl Crawford tied an AL championship series record with five hits and Andy Sonnanstine pitched 7 1-3 innings of six-hit ball as Tampa Bay took a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven playoff. Aybar had four hits and five RBIs.
After an off day, James Shields and Game 1 winner Daisuke Matsuzaka are scheduled to pitch Thursday night at Fenway Park in a potential clincher for the surprising Rays.
Tampa Bay had never even approached a .500 record during its first decade in the majors before edging wild-card Boston for the AL East title by two games. But the Rays were poised and powerful against a Red Sox team that has made the playoffs in five of the last six years, advancing to the ALCS four times and winning it all twice.
Rays 13
Red Sox 4
