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Red Sox attempt to complete comeback against Rays

Oct 19, 2008 - 12:57 PM American League Championship Series Series tied 3-3

Boston at Tampa Bay, 8:07 p.m. EDT

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (Ticker) -- It appears to be deja vu all over again for the Boston Red Sox.

On the verge of rallying from another American League Championship Series deficit to a World Series spot against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Red Sox visit the Tampa Bay Rays in Game Seven on Sunday.

Boston became the first club in baseball history to rally from a three-games-to-none deficit in 2004, coming back to defeat the New York Yankees.

The Red Sox came back again last season, rallying from a three-games-to-one deficit to beat the Cleveland Indians.

Tampa Bay is close to becoming another victim for the defending World Series champions, who rallied from a 7-0 deficit in Game Five to post an improbable 8-7 victory. Jason Varitek hit the go-ahead home run and the Red Sox's bullpen threw four scoreless innings in Game Six to force a decisive game with a 4-2 triumph on Saturday.

"I hope (our experience) is a factor," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "Again, you know, any way you can gain an advantage, you're going to try. They're going to try to do the same thing.

"It's going to come down to who plays better. It's probably pretty appropriate. We come down to the last game and whoever plays better gets to move on."

Despite the lack of experience in pivotal situations, Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon believes the game is a great opportunity for the Rays.

"It's a great learning experience," he said. "It's all about how we react to the moment, and it's a seventh game. For us to win that game would be something special for us, also. So it's not about looking into the past. It's about looking into the future right now."

Jon Lester (1-1, 1.83 ERA) will take the mound for the Red Sox, hoping to bounce back from a sub-par outing in Game Three. The lefthander was tagged for five runs - four earned - in 5 2/3 innings after failing to yield an earned run in 14 frames during the divisional series.

Lester will have to contend with B.J. Upton, who has hit seven home runs in his last eight contests. Upton hit a three-run homer off the 24-year-old in Game Three.

The Rays will counter with Matt Garza (1-1, 4.50), who earned the victory in Game Three. The righthander gave up one run and six hits over six innings to earn his first career playoff win.