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© 2004 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved. |
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Game balls: Rating Game 4 10/28/2004 12:37 AM ETBy Anthony Castrovince / Special to MLB.com
Four Wallys: Makes Red Sox Nation feel good Three Wallys: The fur could use a little fluffing Two Wallys: Might be time to dry-clean the outfit One Wally: You're stuck rallying the faithful in northern Maine Red Sox Nation: Was it worth the 86-year wait? When the last out was made, and the decades of torture finally came to a close, no doubt many Sox fans rejoiced and said, "Yes!" Trot Nixon: His two-out double in the third broke the game open for the Sox, who went on to cruise to victory. Nixon went 3-for-4 in the game. Johnny Damon: Nothing like a leadoff home run to set the tone for the biggest night in the history of the Red Sox franchise. The man with the most hair in baseball also added a two-out triple in the sixth. Derek Lowe: Just call him "The Clincher." Lowe kept the Cardinals on their heels all night, allowing just three hits in seven shutout innings. He retired 13 consecutive batters at one point, delivering an outing that Red Sox fans will simply never forget. Keith Foulke: We'll be seeing the highlight of him grabbing Edgar Renteria's final grounder for years. He wrapped up an outstanding string of postseason performances in which he was, simply, lights out. The Curse of the Bambino: Dead and gone. Bring out the Barcalounger, because the "1918" chants can finally retire.
Four arches: Clear view down-river Three arches: Walker underneath Two arches: Saw it in the guidebook One arch: I thought you said St. Paul Jason Isringhausen: Kept the potent Sox at bay over the final two innings. A lone bright spot in an otherwise abysmal night for the Cards. Jason Marquis: Made it into the sixth inning, which is more than can be said about any other Cardinals pitcher in this Series. But Marquis was far from perfect. The leadoff home run he surrendered to Damon ensured that the Cardinals would, once again, face an uphill battle. He also gave up a two-run double to Nixon in the third. Marquis settled down after that, but his performance still wasn't enough to get the W. Cardinals offense: Who knew the Cardinals traded for Larry Walker to have him lay down sacrifice bunts -- in the first inning, no less? That move just showed the Cards' desperation to get anything going offensively. It didn't work. As they fell victim to the first World Series sweep since 1999, this Cardinals team had all the firepower of a water gun. Walker, Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen and Jim Edmonds combined to go 1-for-14 in Game 4. Scott Rolen: Still looking for that first hit of the Series. Maybe in Game 5, Scott. Oh, wait ... This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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