It could have been scripted. Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched one of his best games in a Red Sox uniform, only to have the ultimate villain—A-Fraud—wipe it all out on an 0-2 pitch.Then, the Red Sox, with their backs to the wall in the 9th against Mariano Rivera, surged to the lead thanks to two guys (Hall and Kalish) who were not even blips on the Fort Myers radar screen.
Then, Joanthan Papelbon, who, in one outing, could have redeemed himself with the fans and the organization, blew his 8th save by coughing up the tying run in the bottom of the inning. And, worse, he whined about the umpiring.
Finally, Hideki Okajima, clinging to his only effective pitch (his change-up) can't find the plate and walks in the winning run in the 10th. Season over (pretty much).
It was a typical Red Sox-Yankee game. It ran past midnight. It was a classic.
