Ortiz keeps Red Sox hopes alive with more extra-inning heroics

BOSTON -- After the game that seemed like it would never end, Boston's season goes on.

David Ortiz' RBI single on the 471st pitch of the game with two outs in the 14th inning Monday night capped a second straight amazing comeback and gave the Red Sox a 5-4 victory over the New York Yankees in the AL championship series.

The Sox, down to their last inning Sunday night, now are one game away from climbing out of a 3-0 deficit and forcing an anything-can-happen Game 7.

Game 6 moves to New York on Tuesday night.

This time, Boston waited only until the eighth inning, when Ortiz's home run and Jason Varitek's sacrifice fly tied the score 4-4.

The next six innings were filled with double plays, three passed balls in one inning, two Red Sox runners thrown out trying to steal and 10 runners left on base.

When it was over, the teams had played back-to-back marathon games that totaled almost 11 hours -- 5 hours, 2 minutes on Sunday and 5 hours, 49 minutes Monday -- the longest by time in postseason history.

Boston was six outs from elimination in this one before Ortiz's leadoff homer off Tom Gordon and Varitek's sacrifice fly off Mariano Rivera in the two-run eighth.

Mike Timlin, Keith Foulke, Bronson Arroyo, Mike Myers, Alan Embree and winner Tim Wakefield combined for eight shutout innings after the Yankees scored four runs off starter Pedro Martinez.

Wakefield wiggled out of trouble in the 13th when Gary Sheffield struck out leading off but reached on a passed ball, and two more passed balls by Varitek on Wakefield's knuckler left runners on second and third.

But after the ball nearly got away from Varitek again, popping out of the catcher's glove but staying near the plate, Wakefield struck out Ruben Sierra on a 70-mph knuckler, leaving the Yankees 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

Johnny Damon walked with one out in the 14th to start the winning rally and Manny Ramirez walked with two outs. Ortiz then fouled off eight two-strike pitches, including one that just missed a home run down the right-field line, before dumping a soft single into center field.

Half of the Red Sox ran to greet Damon coming home; the others met Ortiz halfway to second base. Raising his arm in triumph, as he did the night before with his winning two-run homer in the 12th, he leaped for joy.

Now injured ace Curt Schilling is slated to start for the Red Sox in Game 6 against Jon Lieber, but there could be a holdup: Rain is forecast for New York on Tuesday night.

None of the other 25 teams that fell behind 3-0 in a postseason series has ever come back to win -- and only two of them pushed it to a sixth games.

But for the second straight night, the Yankees failed to finish off their old rival.

Derek Jeter's opposite-field, three-run double to right on Pedro Martinez's 100th pitch had given New York a 4-2 lead in the sixth. It turned out to be the only hit for the Yankees in 13 at-bats with runners in scoring position.

Mike Mussina left after Mark Bellhorn's leadoff double in the seventh, but Tanyon Sturtze and Gordon combined to get out of trouble.

Ortiz hit an opposite-field liner over the Green Monster leading off the eighth, Kevin Millar walked and Trot Nixon had a hit-and-run single that sent pinch-runner Dave Roberts to third.

Yankees manager Joe Torre brought in Rivera, who threw 40 pitches the previous night. He threw two balls to Varitek, whose sacrifice fly to center easily scored Roberts with the tying run.

Rivera blew a save for only the fifth time in 37 postseason chances -- but the third time in 13 days.

Boston closer Keith Foulke, who had thrown 50 pitches in Game 4, got Miguel Cairo on an inning-ending foul pop in the top half with runners on second and third -- New York would have scored if Tony Clark's two-out drive to right didn't hop over the low fence for a ground-rule double.

Johnny Damon reached on a broken-bat single leading off the bottom half, beating Cairo's throw from second. Damon, just 1-for-22 in the series before that hit, tied to steal second on the first pitch to Orlando Cabrera but was thrown out by catcher Jorge Posada.

Bronson Arroyo came in to start the 10th and Boston retired the Yankees in order for the first time in the game. With fatigue setting in, sluggers took wild swings in an attempt to win it in one shot.

Light-hitting Doug Mientkiewicz doubled off Felix Heredia with one out in the 10th on a drive that right fielder Gary Sheffield allowed to go over him and bounce over the wall.

Quantrill relieved and Kapler advanced Mientkiewicz to third with a grounder. Varitek, 6-for-17 against Quantrill in his career,

Mike Myers and Alan Embree combined on a one-hit 11th, extending the scoreless streak for Boston's bullpen to 11 1-3 innings.

With hitters talking some wild swings in an effort to end it, Bill Mueller blooped a single to right off Quantrill leading off the bottom of the 11th, a ball that landed just between Cairo and an onrushing Sheffield.

Mark Bellhorn, 2-for-18 in the series, fouled off a pair of bunts before singling to right, moving Mueller to second.

Leadoff man Johnny Damon tried to bunt on the next pitch and popped to catcher Jorge Posada, making him 2-for-26 in the series. Quantrill hurt a leg trying to get to the bunt, and Loaiza came in and got Orlando Cabrera to hit into an inning-ending double play.

Boston tried to change its perennially bad luck, with switch-hitter Varitek hitting right-handed against the right-handed Mike Mussina and Millar trimming his billy-goat beard.

While Mussina retired his first 19 batters in the opener, Orlando Cabrera singled sharply to left with one out in the first and Ramirez singled him to third. Ortiz lined a single to right on Mussina's 16th pitch for a 1-0 lead. Millar's walk loaded the bases, and Trot Nixon hit a bouncer to first baseman Clark, who threw home for the forceout.

Varitek, a switch hitter who had trouble batting left-handed against the right-handed Mussina in the opener, walked on a 3-2 pitch to force in another run. Mueller then took a called third strike.

Williams opened the second with his 21st postseason homer, a drive into the right-field seats that extended his record.

Nixon robbed Rodriguez of an extra-base hit in the third with a diving catch of a slicing pop near the right-field line.

Sheffield and Hideki Matsui followed with singles that put runners at the corners with two outs, but Martinez struck out Williams. Notes: Yankees 1B John Olerud, on crutches Sunday after injuring a foot in Game 3, was walking Monday but was not available.