'02 Bosox defeat '07 Tigers 3 games to 2 in ALDS

Game 1: The opener was litterally stolen by the Bosox. With their ace (on paper) Pedro Martinez on the mound the Red Sox looked to sock Jeremy Bonderman and the Tigers. Well, Pedro didn't even get out of the 4th inning and the ledger had him giving up 6 runs (5 earned). Boston narrowed the gap to 1 in the bottom of the 4th as they posted 3 runs to make it 4-3. Pedro's replacement, Arrojo, gave up 3 more runs in his almost 4 innings of sloppy work. Going to the top of the 8 the Tigers were up 8-4 and Bonderman looked sharp. enter the Tiger bullpen. The achilles heel of the team. The floodgates opened up in the 8th as Boston posed 5 runs to tie it. The bottom of the 9th saw Manny lead off the inning with a walk off homer as Urbina notched the win.

Game 2: Reeling from Boston's comeback in game 1 Detroit was never in the second game. Derek Lowe gave up 2 hits and no runs until he left in favor of Allan Embree with 2 outs in the 8th. Detroit scored a run to break the shutout on a Sheffield solo shot as the Bosox took a 2 game to none lead to Motown.

Game 3: Comerica was a sellout for the lone home game their wild card Tigers were going to play. This was a must win game. Tim Wakefield started for the Sawx who were looking to close it out. Staked to a 7-1 lead and cruising all looked to be over for the Motown 9, but Wakefield lost it in the 6th and both he and Embree gave up 6 runs as the Tigers tied it. With momentum on their side Detroit scored 2 in the bottom of the 7th as Casey Fossum hit Sheffield with a pitch too far inside and Maglio Ordonez crushed a 2-1 meatball deep into the Detroit night to send the series back to Boston standing at 2-1 in favor of the hometeam.

Game 4: Looking to close it out the Bosox trotted Pedro back out on the hill in hopes that he would redeem himself for his pittiful performance in the opener. 4 runs in 5 innings is not considered redemption in anyone's book. Pedro threw 144 pitches and was gone as he flirted with trouble all game and finally found it in the 6th. Boston chipped away at Bonderman and got within one but Ledezma came out of the pen to close it out and force a deciding game 5.

Game 5: While Pedro was last seen calling the Tigers his daddy, Derek Lowe again showed why he is ready to assume the mantle of "closer". Giving up 1 run in 6 1/3 innings of pitching is what closers do and Lowe was up for the task. Haney and Wakefield got the Sawx to the 9th where Urbina closed it out. Shea Hillebrand homered in the 4th to make it 3-1 and Trot Nixon banged out 3 hits. Urbina gave up 2 hits to Detroit in the 9th, but when the pressure was on he struck out Sheffield with runners in scoring position and the game on the line.