Boston Red Sox Xander Bogaerts (R) greets Johnny Gomes at home plate after Gomes hit a three run home run in the sixth inning a. UPI/Bill Greenblatt
As wild of a finish as things were on Saturday night, Game 4 of the World Series ended with a sudden thud, when rookie Kolten Wong was picked off first base with Carlos Beltran holding the bat in his hand at the plate. The Cardinals failed to produce any ninth heroics and lose 4-2, evening up the World Series at two games apiece on Sunday night.
Allen Craig, who was involved in Saturday night’s wild win, came off the bench and singled with two outs, bringing up Beltran with Matt Holliday waiting on deck. That’s as far as the Cardinal sluggers got as Boston closer Koji Uehara picked off the rookie pinch-runner at first base for the final out.
By then the real damage had been done after the Sox got to starter Lance Lynn in the six inning of a 1-1 ball game. Lynn was replaced by Seth Maness with runners on first and second with two outs, when Jonny Gomes, inserted into the lineup about 75 minutes before the when Shane Victorino couldn’t shake off a bad back, hit a tiebreaking three-run homer off reliever Seth Maness on a hanging sinker.
Felix Doubront and John Lackey, both starters during the regular season, pitched the middle innings for Clay Buchholz who kept it close while pitching with a dead arm.
Watch the game’s final play courtesy of Fox Sports and MLB.com
Beltran singled in the game’s first run in the third after Matt Carpenter singled and went to second on a error by Jacoby Ellsbury in center. The Cardinals cut the lead in the seventh when Carpenter singled in Shane Robinson.
Adam Wainwright looks for redemption when he goes up against Game 1 winner Jon Lester on Monday night.
