Thrilling rally lifts Sox past Tigers

BOSTON – Amazing!The Boston Red Sox staged an improbable comeback to win Game 2 of the American League Championship Series, 6-5, over the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park on Sunday.On the heels of their 1-0 loss to the Tigers in Game 1 Saturday, things had seemed bleak for the Red Sox, who head to Detroit today tied 1-1 in the series and set to face flamethrower Justin Verlander.Yesterday?s comeback had echoes of 2004, when the Sox came back from three down to defeat the New York Yankees to win the pennant and break the mythical Curse of the Bambino … and 2007, when they won their second title in the new era, and had to come back from a 3-1 deficit to the Cleveland Indians.Similar to Saturday, the Red Sox were handcuffed – at least initially — by Tigers pitching. Saturday, it was Anibal Sanchez who fanned 12 by himself. The bullpen followed with five more K?s.Sunday, it certainly took time for the Red Sox to seize the Mojo created by the Patriots? come-from-behind 30-27 win over the New Orleans Saints. Potential Cy Young winner Max Scherzer shut them down, striking out 13 through seven innings.Ah, but then there were the eighth and ninth innings…Start with the bottom of the eighth, when Jose Veras came in for Scherzer. With one out, Will Middlebrooks doubled to left. Drew Smyly relieved Veras, and Jacoby Ellsbury walked. Al Alburquerque then came in for Smyly, and struck out Shane Victorino. However, Dustin Pedroia singled to load the bases.Tigers manager Jim Leyland continued the trips to the mound, bringing in Joaquin Benoit … and David Ortiz hit a game-tying grand slam.Koji Uehara pitched a 1-2-3 ninth. Then, in the bottom of the inning, with Rick Porcello pitching, Jonny Gomes hit an infield single and took second on an error by Tigers shortstop Jose Iglesias. Gomes took third on a wild pitch. Jarrod Saltalamacchia brought him home with the winning run on a single.Uehara got the win and Porcello took the loss.Between Saturday night and through seven innings Sunday, the Red Sox could muster up only three hits and one run. They were nearly no-hit Saturday until there was one out in the ninth, when Daniel Nava singled. And Sunday, Scherzer held them hitless until Victorino singled. And when Pedroia followed with a double, the Sox finally had their first run.While Jon Lester held Detroit to a single run Saturday, Clay Buchholz had no such luck Sunday. The Tigers got to him for a run in the second when Victor Martinez hit a one-out double and scored on back-to-back singles by Jhonny Peralta and Alex Avila.It stayed that way until the sixth, when the Tigers knocked Buchholz out of the box with a four-run inning.It started again with one out when Miguel Cabrera, who had been relatively quiet to that point, hit a towering shot into the Monster Seats in left. Prince Fielder followed with a double, and he came around on Martinez? two-bagger to make the score 3-0. Avila completed the four-run inning with a home run over the bullpens in right.Of course, the Red Sox would follow with their own four-run inning not long after.