What A Way To Finish

Papelbon walks off hanging his head
and in disbelief like most Boston players.

Prior to the start of the 2011 Major League Baseball season many had already crowned the once-cursed Boston Red Sox AL East division champions, they would represent the American League in the Fall Classic, and ultimately win their third World Series title in eight years. That's why they play the game.

The Red Sox completed the greatest September collapse Wednesday night losing to the never say die Baltimore Orioles 4-3. While the Tampa Bay Rays continued their improbable run at history, playing the role of Cinderella.

Red Sox fans found themselves in unfamiliar territory, rooting for the hated New York Yankees with their Lets Go Yanks signs scattered throughout Camden Yards.

Both teams sent their ace left-handers to the hill hoping if nothing else to live to play another day. Boston's Jon Lester, who was starting on three days rest for only the second time in his career, had a 14-0 record in 17 career starts against Baltimore, giving the Sox the slight advantage. Down South David Price, like Lester, had pitched in a World Series as rookie knowing exactly what pressure is.

With New York grabbing an unearned run in the first at Tampa Bay, former AL MVP and the heart and soul of this Red Sox team, Dustin Pedroia got the scoring started with an RBI single in the third.

Baltimore quickly answered in the home half of the inning with two of their own after J.J. Hardy's 30th home run of the season, tying him for the major league lead among shortstops.

After a two-out grand slam by Mark Teixeira in the second inning their arch rival, with nothing to play for, held a 5-0 lead after only an inning and a half. Up in Maryland, Boston had knotted the score at two after an Alfred Simon balk.

Then almost simultaneously Teixeira hit his second home run in consecutive at-bats against Price while Pedroia was giving the Sox a 3-2 edge with a solo shot of his own, willing his way to the postseason. Price would not return for the fifth at Tropicana Field after a disappointing 97-pitch effort. His replacement would not fair much better as reliever Juan Cruz surrendered a home run to only the second batter he faced, Yankee left fielder Andruw Jones.

Tampa Bay found themselves facing 7-0 deficit with only one hit through six innings, there season in doubt and an uphill climb upon them. During Boston's seventh inning rain delay NESN welcomed in long-time Boston Globe sports writer Dan Shaughnessy to the booth, where he pronounced the Rays dead in the water and was ready to crown the Red Sox wild card champions.

I guess the Rays didn't get the memo.

Joe Maddon's squad rallied with a four-hit, six-run eighth inning capped off by a three-run home run by the new face of their franchise, Evan Longoria, cutting the New York lead to one.

While the Sox resumed play against the Orioles, the Rays were down to their final strike. Pinch-hitter and Red Sox killer Dan Johnson launched a 2-2 changeup into the right field stands for a two-out game-tying home run.

Johnson watches the flight of his game-tying
ninth inning home run Wednesday.

Pandemonium at the Trop.

It was the second time Johnson, who hadn't recorded a hit since April 27th and had accumulated a .108 average, played ninth inning hero for the Rays.

In 2008, the left-handed slugger smacked a game-tying home run against Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon, helping propel Tampa to their first division title and postseason berth in franchise history.

Meanwhile after squandering numerous scoring opportunities Papelbon was brought in to preserve a one-run lead and ensure the Sox at least one more game. After deposing the first two hitters on strikes, Chris Davis promptly lined the first pitch he saw from the hard-throwing right-hander into the right field corner, sliding into second with a double.

Just before the clock struck midnight Eastern Time, Cinderella got her wish.

Baltimore's Nolan Reimold, a name that now will forever live in Red Sox lore, lined a game-tying ground-rule double, crushing Red Sox Nation. It was Papelbon's third blown save of the season and the second in the month of September against the Orioles. The other coming back on the Sept. 20 at Fenway Park with the man striding to the plate responsible for it.

Robert Andino spoiled the Red Sox evening with a three-run double once already this season, could he do it again?

Andino drilled a bullet to left field as Carl Crawford would not make a play he would usually make in his sleep, scoring the game-winning run and sending shock waves through New England.

With the score being posted in Tampa and the Rays' fans erupting in excitement, minutes later Longoria would hit a walk-off home run down the left field line, tallying his second jack of the game and sending Tampa Bay to the 2011 postseason. It was the first time a team faced a 7-0 deficit in their final regular season game only to come back and win to make the playoffs.

Longoria's walk-off blast also put himself in some pretty elite company joining baseball legend Bobby Thomson as the only other player to hit a walk-off home run on the final day of the season to put their team in the postseason.

As for the Red Sox, they did not win consecutive games once during the month of September. You have to go as far back as Aug. 27 when the Sox swept a double-header from the Oakland Athletics to find back-to-back wins for this club.

They finish the month with a 7-20 record, a .259 winning percentage, their worst since 1952. It was the first time since 1993 Boston would lose 16 or more games in September and first time since the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons they would not make the postseason in consecutive seasons.

The last time we saw the Red Sox in the playoffs it was a familiar sight as Papelbon was blowing a two-run lead, allowing the Angels to exercise their postseason demons, advancing to the ALCS.

Boston finishes 3-9 in their last 12 games and 2-5 in their last seven meetings with the Orioles.

Longoria celebrates after launching his
Rays into the postseason.

Many are calling for manager Terry Francona's head, but my how we forget so quickly. Francona replaced Grady Little as manager following the 2003 season. He is responsible for orchestrating a 0-3 ALCS comeback against the Yankees and ending an 86-year curse. In Tito's tenure at the helm the Sox have posted a .574 winning percentage, good enough for second in franchise history and the majors since '04.

His 28 postseason wins and 2 World Series titles are by far the most during his eight seasons in Beantown.

It all starts with pitching and that's something that was dismal for Boston the final month of the regular season. As a whole the staff posted a 5.84 ERA with six blown saves while the starters saw their ERA balloon to 7.08.

After blowing the largest lead (9 games) in September history, 1978 is in the rearview mirror with 2004 and 2007 feeling like a very long time ago.

Credit goes to Maddon as he never let his guys quit. In an offseason that say Tampa lose their top 6 highest paid players including players like the reigning AL saves leader Rafael Soriano, their home run leader Carlos Pena and the face of their franchise with Crawford departing to Boston, they were a team without an identity.

For two teams that both started the season 0-6, it will be a tale of two very different seasons.

For the Red Sox Sept. 28, 2011 will be a day that will forever live in infamy as it was the Rays date with destiny. Even Hollywood couldn't have written this script.

The San Francisco Giants got into the postseason on the final day of the season a year ago with the same type of formula for success, pitching. We all know how that fairy tale ended. How will this one?