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BOSTON(AP) A double inside the line and a fan going over the line were very helpful for the
Seattle Mariners
on Friday night.
Rob Johnson
doubled down the right-field line, scoring two runs in the 11th inning and the Mariners beat the
Boston Red Sox
7-6.
Earlier in the game, a male fan along the third-base line reached for
Ryan Langerhans
' foul pop that
Red Sox
third baseman
Kevin Youkilis
was attempting to make a play on. Seattle went on to score three runs after that play in the fourth inning and hung on after
Boston rallied with two runs in the eighth.
''There were so many guys that stepped up when we needed it,'' Seattle manager
Don Wakamatsu
said, not including the fan who helped.
Seattle's
Ronny Cedeno
hit a tie-breaking, two-run homer in the three-run fourth, three batters after the fan snatched the ball in front of Youkilis'
backhanded bid.
Tim Wakefield
made his 383rd start for the
Red Sox
, surpassing
Roger Clemens
for the top spot on the team's all-time list.
''It's a pretty cool stat to be a part of,'' Wakefield said. ''I didn't realize I was getting close until three or four starts
ago.''
George Kottaras
hit his first major-league homer in the bottom of the 11th for the
Red Sox
.
Trailing 2-1, the Mariners got their unexpected help from a fan.
Langerhans doubled with one out on the next pitch after the fan caught his foul with his hat just near Seattle's on-deck circle
as Youkilis attempted to reach for it. When he got back to his position, Youkilis glared at the fan a few times.
''It was a pretty big sigh of relief because at first I thought it was easily into the stands and then I saw that Youkilis
had a pretty good bead on it,'' Langerhans said. ''I was like 'Oh, no.' And then that guy kind of getting in his way. I definitely
had a sigh of relief and fortunately I was able to get on the next pitch.''
After
Chris Woodward
lined to center for what could have ended the inning, Johnson doubled off the Green Monster to tie it 2. As the fans around
third base were chanting ''throw him out,'' Cedeno homered to center to put the Mariners ahead 4-2.
''(With) his reaction I thought he had a chance at it,'' said Boston shortstop
Nick Green
, who tied it at 5 with an eighth-inning, two-run double.
Jose Lopez
added a solo homer for Seattle, which won for the 11th time in 16 games.
J.D. Drew hit a solo homer for the
Red Sox
, who saw their major league-best home record fall to 25-11.
Franklin Gutierrez
opened the 11th with a single against
Ramon Ramirez
(5-3) and Langerhans walked. Woodward sacrificed the runners before Johnson hit his third double of the game, a line drive
the right-field line.
Chris Jakubauskas
(5-5) pitched two hitless innings for the win and
Mark Lowe
, despite giving up the homer to Kottaras, earned his first save.
The
Red Sox
rallied in the eighth against two relievers. Green doubled high off the left-field wall against
Shawn Kelley
after
Sean White
walked
Jason Bay
and
Mark Kotsay
singled.
Wakefield gave up five runs and 10 hits in eight innings, extending his home unbeaten streak 11 games dating to last Sept.
12. He is 8-0 in those starts.
''Sometimes the breaks go your way and sometimes they don't,'' Wakefield said of the foul ball.
Seattle starter
Felix Hernandez
gave up three runs in seven innings, striking out seven and walking two with two wild pitches and a balk.
Drew hit his 11th homer in the seventh, but Lopez homered into the ''Monster Seats'' leading off the next inning.
Boston scored two runs in the first when
Jason Bay
snapped an 0-for-17 stretch with an RBI double.
David Ortiz
scored the second run on Hernandez's wild pitch.
Hernandez entered with a 2-0 record and 0.00 ERA in his two career starts in Fenway Park, throwing 15 scoreless innings.
NOTES: Hernandez was 3-0 with an 0.94 ERA in June. ... Bay, from Trail, British Columbia, become a U.S. citizen Thursday in
a naturalization ceremony at Boston's Faneuil Hall. ''I didn't realize how big of a deal it was,'' he said in the clubhouse
before the game. ''A lot of people offered me congratulations.'' ... Boston manager
Terry Francona
flip-flopped Bay and DH Ortiz in the order to break a string of right-handed hitters. ... Hernandez threw first-pitch strikes
to the first 10 batters he faced.
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