Victorino’s Bat Helps Boston Win World Series

Maui-born Shane Victorino talks to Fox Sports after the Boston Red Sox defeated the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-1, on Wednesday to win the World Series. Image obtained from Fox Sports TV broadcast.

By Maui Now Staff

The first two and a half innings of the World Series Game 6 were all about blown chances.

Both teams were leaving runners on base early on, but Maui-born Shane Victorino changed all of that with one swing of the bat in the bottom of third.

The Flyin Hawaiian gave the Red Sox a 3-0 lead with his two-out double off the Green Monster. Victorino pounded his chest and yelled as he advanced to third base.

One inning later, he drove in his fourth run of the game with a bases-loaded single as Boston led 6-0 en route to winning the World Series over the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-1.

After once going 86 years without a World Series title, the one the Red Sox clinched Wednesday was their third in the last 10 seasons, the most of any team in the Majors over that span.

Victorino missed his third career postseason grand slam by a matter of feet. During the ALCS, he became one of only two players in baseball history with multiple postseason grand slams.

“My parents always told me to take every moment, live every moment, and love every moment, and that’s all I tried to do,” Victorino told Fox Sports after the game.

Michael Wacha, the Cardinals’ brilliant rookie, finally seemed mortal. He had allowed just three runs in his previous 29 innings this postseason. He was pulled midway through the fourth inning, and walked off the mound clearly distraught.

He would eventually be charged with six runs.

Each time the Red Sox rallied, in the third and fourth innings, David Ortiz had been intentionally walked only to come around to score.

Boston starter John Lackey, meanwhile, pitched six and two-thirds strong innings. He worked around nine hits to allow only one run, while striking out five batters. The crowd gave him an ovation as he walked off the mound, with the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh inning. Lackey tipped his hat.

Then Junichi Tazawa finished the inning and the Boston fans spent the rest of the night counting down outs until another championship, their third in 10 years.