Jacoby Ellsbury broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the ninth inning, bringing Jarrod Saltalamacchia home to give the Red Sox the walk-off 3-2 win.
The Red Sox received six strong innings from Josh Beckett, who really only gave up one bad pitch in the first inning. After a lengthy rain delay, Beckett took the mound, struck out Michael Brantley looking on four pitches, and then left a fastball over the middle of the plate to Jason Kipnis. Kipnis didn't let the opportunity go to waste, hammering the hanger into the Red Sox' bullpen to give the Indians the 1-0 lead.
The Red Sox did fail to capitalize fully on their own chances in the second. After loading the bases with zero outs, the Sox got three straight strikeouts from Jason Varitek, Darnell McDonald, and Jacoby Ellsbury to end the inning, with only one run scoring on a wild pitch.
The second run scored by the Indians also came by way of the homer, though it's hard to say Beckett made a bad pitch. A low-and-away changeup shouldn't be too dangerous, but Lonnie Chisenhall managed to put enough wood on it to wrap a solo shot just past Pesky's Pole in right.
Trailing by one run, the Sox tied the game in the sixth, with Kevin Youkilis launching a hanging slider over the wall in left, only saved from Lansdowne street by a sign on the Monster.
Josh Beckett exited the game after the sixth, with six hits, seven strikeouts, and no walks to his name, handing the ball over to Franklin Morales and Jonathan Papelbon for three scoreless innings with just one hit between them. So it was that the Sox entered the ninth in a 2-2 tie.
The Sox got their much-needed baserunner with one out, as Jason Varitek singled up-the-middle. With Jarrod Saltlamacchia taking over the running duties at first, Josh Reddick place one perfectly, picking up a weak single on a fly ball. With Salty now standing at second, Jacoby Ellsbury stepped to the plate.
Ellsbury took the first pitch, and then took a good cut on a low fastball, putting it on a line into center field. Jarrod Saltalamacchia rounded third, and raced towards the plate as fast as possible. The throw from Ezequiel Carrera would reach the catcher first, but it came in well towards first. Saltalamacchia was still a short ways from home, though, and had to slide around a diving Carlos Santana. The tag came up short, and the Red Sox walked off with the 3-2 win.