Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Dice-K shows his worth, wins Game 7
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With the Red Sox clinging to a 3-2 lead, Indians second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera stepped into the batter's box against Matsuzaka with one runner on base and two outs. With one swing of the bat, the Indians might've swung the contest in their favor -- much like Kenny Lofton did against Matsuzaka with a two-run homer in Game 3.
With the fans at Fenway Park roaring and on their feet, Matsuzaka and Cabrera enagaged in a prolonged confrontation.
Cabrera watched the first two pitches fly by for strikes before taking a ball. Matsuzaka then watched the Indians hitter foul four of the next five pitches off to stay alive. Finally, Matsuzaka's ninth pitch of the at-bat -- an 84-mph changeup -- tailed away from Cabrera's swing, resulting in an inning-ending strikeout.
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