September 27, 2004: Bronson Arroyo’s 10th win clinches playoff berth for Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox had just closed out the home-field portion of the 2004 season at Fenway Park with back-to-back wins over the New York Yankees. They finished the schedule with a seven-game road trip, beginning on Monday, September 27, with the opener of a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Tropicana Field.

With a six-game lead over the Anaheim Angels in the American League wild-card race, all the Red Sox needed was one win to clinch their spot in the playoffs.

Devil Rays manager Lou Piniella started rookie lefty Scott Kazmir, working in his seventh big-league game. The 20-year-old Kazmir – selected in the first round by the New York Mets in June 2002, then traded to Tampa Bay in July 2004 – was 2-2 with an ERA of 6.38. He had held the Red Sox scoreless for six innings on September 14 and won the game, 5-2, but he’d had a rough outing in Toronto five days later, giving up seven runs in just two innings.

In this game he squared off against Terry Francona’s choice, right-hander Bronson Arroyo, who came in with a record of 9-9 and an ERA of 4.15. Arroyo’s last four decisions had all been wins.

Kazmir blazed through the first three innings. He struck out two Red Sox in each inning, and the only baserunner was on a four-pitch walk to Kevin Youkilis in the third. There hadn’t been a base hit or even a ball hit to the outfield.

Arroyo walked one in the first but despite an error on the next play, escaped damage. In the bottom of the second inning, though, he gave up a run. With one out, DH Midre Cummings singled. Shortstop Julio Lugo doubled to left, driving in Cummings and making it all the way to third himself on the throw to the plate. Two infield popups – one fair and one foul – stranded Lugo and ended the inning.

The Rays got another run in the third. Carl Crawford led off with a single. Arroyo struck out right fielder José Cruz but hit third baseman Aubrey Huff with a pitch.1 A wild pitch allowed both baserunners to move up 90 feet. After the wild pitch, Huff came out of the game, replaced by pinch-runner Jorge Cantú.

Rocco Baldelli hit a fly ball to straightaway center field, and Crawford tagged and scored. First baseman Tino Martinez became the second Devil Ray hit by a pitch in the inning, but Arroyo got the third out when Cummings flied to right.

Kazmir took the 2-0 lead to the fourth. After second baseman Mark Bellhorn popped up to short, Kazmir’s first pitch to DH Manny Ramírez hit him. Warnings were immediately issued to both benches by plate umpire Bruce Dreckman. Kazmir’s third pitch to left fielder Kevin Millar was yet another hit-by-pitch, and the benches emptied.

The Boston broadcasters believed there was no way that Kazmir – who hadn’t allowed a hit yet – would have intentionally hit Millar, given the automatic ejection that followed.2 Piniella was automatically ejected as well.3

Jorge Sosa relieved Kazmir. He struck out catcher Jason Varitek and got shortstop Orlando Cabrera to pop up to second base.

Lugo singled off Arroyo in the bottom of the inning, but a popup to short and a 4-6-3 double play ended the fourth.

The Red Sox tore into Sosa in the top of the fifth. First baseman Dave McCarty led off with a single to left, the first hit of the game for the Red Sox. Youkilis drew his second walk. Gabe Kapler flied out, but center fielder Johnny Damon hit a three-run homer into the first row of seats in right field. The Red Sox took a 3-2 lead on Damon’s 19th home run of the season.

Sosa had thrown 27 pitches to the first four batters, but he remained in the game. Bellhorn swung at the second pitch and doubled over the first-base bag and into right. Manny Ramírez homered to straightaway center. The ball went well over the wall at 404 feet and landed on the roof of the Batter’s Eye Restaurant behind it. Ramírez’s AL-best 43rd home run of the season and 390th of his career made it 5-2, Red Sox.

Arroyo pitched around Crawford’s leadoff single in the fifth and then put up a one-two-three sixth. He started the seventh by striking out second baseman Geoff Blum, but after catcher Toby Hall hit a double deep to center field, Francona called on lefty Mike Myers to face Crawford. Seven pitches later, Crawford walked. Curtis Leskanic relieved Myers. He got Cruz to pop up foul to first and Cantu to ground into a force play at second base.

Chad Gaudin had kept the Red Sox off the scoreboard in the sixth and seventh, and Lance Carter took over for Gaudin to pitch to the Red Sox in the eighth. On an 0-and-2 count, Varitek, batting left-handed, hit his 18th home run of the season, to center just over the wall above a leaping Baldelli.

Cabrera singled but was thrown out trying to get to second base. McCarty swung at Carter’s first pitch and homered to center, also over a leaping Baldelli. It was McCarty’s fourth home run of the season. Carter struck out Youkilis but after Kapler singled, he was relieved by Trever Miller. The new pitcher was touched for a single by Damon, Kapler going to third. It took eight pitches but Miller struck out Bellhorn. The Red Sox had a 7-2 lead.

Mike Timlin became Boston’s fourth pitcher in the eighth, making a career-high 73rd appearance. He allowed a two-out solo homer to Cummings but carried the Red Sox three outs closer to the postseason.

With the 7-3 lead, it wasn’t going to offer a save opportunity, but Francona turned to Keith Foulke to close out the game for Boston. Blum flied out to right on the first pitch he saw. Hall grounded out third to first, likewise first-pitch hitting. Crawford struck out looking.

The game was over and Bronson Arroyo had his 10th win of the year, joining four other Red Sox pitchers in double digits. At season’s end, Curt Schilling was 21-6, Pedro Martínez was 16-9, Derek Lowe was 14-12, Tim Wakefield was 12-10. And Arroyo was 10-9. The five starters had a total of 73 wins. Foulke and Timlin each had five wins in relief. Each of the Red Sox starters had 28 or more starts, a first in franchise history.4

Most importantly, the win clinched a playoff slot for the Red Sox. For the second season in a row, they were the AL’s wild-card team. Champagne was broken out and teammates doused, but Arroyo noted a degree of relative moderation: “Everything is so calm compared to last year when it was berserk at Fenway. We’ve got business to finish. Hopefully, there are a couple more milestones to get to.”5

“I’m expecting to go further and further,” said Pedro Martínez. “I don’t want any more of just clinching the wild card.”6

Acknowledgments

This article was fact-checked by Carl Riechers and copy-edited by Len Levin.

Photo credit: Trading Card Database.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Reference.com, Retrosheet.org, and You Tube.com.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TBA/TBA200409270.shtml

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2004/B09270TBA2004.htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFSzVFaulWE

Notes

1 The ball appeared to strike Huff on his left knee. He was the 19th batter Arroyo had hit during 2004. When Tino Martinez was hit, he became the 20th.

2 See the YouTube broadcast of the game cited in the list of Sources. They expressed their belief that Ramirez was intentionally hit, in retaliation, but that Kazmir would never have hit Millar right after warnings were issued. Kazmir said, “A couple of pitches got away from me. … I was trying to throw inside. I had a no-hitter going. Why would I want to hit somebody on purpose?” It was a judgment call, and crew chief Gerry Davis explained afterward, “It’s our job to stop things from escalating.” Damian Cristodero, “Bosox Get Hit, Then Hit Back, Hard,” Tampa Bay Times, September 28, 2004: 1C, 3C. 

3 There had been a history of conflict between the Red Sox and Rays, which Scott Carter of the Tampa Tribune noted went back to August 2000. Davis said, “We had a heads-up [from MLB] for this series because of the bad blood in the past.” Scott Carter, “Rays Hang In, Then Watch Red Sox Head to Playoffs,” Tampa Tribune, September 28, 2004: 1, 7.

4 Bob Hohler, “Plunkings Strike a Sour Note,” Boston Globe, September 28, 2004: D5.

5 Bob Hohler, “Berth Announcement,” Boston Globe, September 28, 2004: D1, D5.

6 Gordon Edes, “It’s Just a Baby Step They Hope Leads to Bigger Things,” Boston Globe, September 28, 2004: D1, D6.