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| (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images) |
Pinch-hitting
Mike Carp took the first pitch he saw in the 10th inning over the center field wall for a game-winning grand slam in
Boston's 7-3 win over the Rays. The blow sent the two or three dozen Tampa fans in attendance to the exits to fight a three-hour traffic jam on the bridge. The Red Sox reduced their
Magic Number to clinch the division to
eight and took a commanding 9.5 game lead over the Devil Dogs.
Ryan Dempster pitched another credible game—going five innings and giving up just one earned run while striking out seven.
Brandon Workman gave up the game-tying runs—including a solo HR to Red Sox seven-weeker
James Loney. The Boston offense—in addition to Carp—was led by
Dustin Pedroia (2-4 with 2 runs scored),
Daniel Nava (2-3, RBI) and
Mike Napoli (1-3, 2 RBIs). The absolutely incredible
Koji Uehara pitched another 1-2-3 9th—
setting a Red Sox franchise record with 34 consecutive batters retired.
