After a postseason meltdown for the ages, the Detroit Tigers have two choices: dwell on what happened or just forget it and focus on Game 3.
After a nail-biting 1-0 Game 1 win, the Tigers looked to have everything going for them in Game 2.
Max Scherzer was following up Anibal Sanchez's Game 1 masterpiece with one of his own, allowing one run on two hits while walking two and striking out 13.
He had a no-hitter going until Shane Victorino singled with two outs in the bottom of the sixth.
The Tigers' bats had even come alive with a 5-1 lead after the sixth.
Alex Avila had three RBIs, an RBI single in the second and a two-run home run in the sixth.
Miguel Cabrera had a home run, his second of the postseason. Victor Martinez had an RBI double.
All of those runs came off of Clay Buchholz, who was 12-1 with a 1.74 ERA in the regular season.
But the bullpen, which had been so good in preserving a 1-0 lead Saturday, was not up to the task in Game 2.
Jose Veras gave up a double to Will Middlebrooks, Drew Smyly walked Jacoby Ellsbury and Al Alburquerque gave up a single to Dustin Pedroia.
Had Phil Coke pitched more recently than Sept. 18, perhaps he might have been available to face David Ortiz.
Had Bruce Rondon been healthy enough, perhaps he could have gone against Ortiz.
But they weren't available so manager Jim Leyland turned to closer Joaquin Benoit.
Ortiz took Benoit's first pitch deep for a game-tying grand slam.
"I knew I put a good swing on it," Ortiz told FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal on the field after the game. "I know my boy Torii chasing everything out there, nine-time Gold Glove, you never know. He almost got that ball. But thank God it went in the bullpen."
Hunter, Ortiz's former teammate with the Twins, gave chase but could not get the ball before it went into the bullpen, as did Hunter, who went over the wall and appeared to hurt himself.
"I'm all right," Hunter told FOX Sports Detroit's John Keating on the post-game show. "I just tried to give an effort. He hit the ball and it was hit pretty hard, just going up and trying my best to get the ball and ended up flipping over.
"Just going after it pretty hard. It was all or nothing. Couldn't believe that happened."
Neither could Tigers fans.
But they could believe that after that, the Tigers lost the game in the bottom of the ninth on Jarrod Saltalamacchia's walk-off RBI single, leading to a 6-5 Red Sox victory and 1-1 series tie.
"It's playoff baseball," Leyland said in the interview room. "It looked like we had one in hand and we let one get away, no question about that. But they've been two great games, no question about it.
"Scherzer was terrific. He was spent. (Saturday) night our bullpen was flawless and (Sunday night) it just wasn't quite as good."
Scherzer confirmed that he was done after throwing 108 pitches.
"I was done. You can write that," Scherzer said. "I was done. Everybody, they wanted me done, I was done. I was not going out there for the eighth inning. I knew I was reaching the end. I could tell on my arm. My arm was getting tired."
One reason the Tigers should be able to put Game 2 behind them is they have another ace up their sleeves.
Justin Verlander, who has yet to give up a run in 15 innings this postseason, is set to take the mound in Game 3 Tuesday at Comerica Park.
"You gotta see the glass half-full," Scherzer said. "This one stings tonight, but the sun comes up tomorrow, and we’re going to be playing these guys in front of our fans, and it’s up to us if we’re going to choose if we’re going to come out and compete. I think we will.
"I don’t think this is going to deter our effort any which way. I believe in this in this clubhouse, everybody in here. I believe in all the 25 guys here. I still believe in us.
"We got Verlander going next time out. We feel good about ourselves. We believe that we’re going to win Game 3."
