SPORTS TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2013 Photo of the day Red Sox dump Cards

ST. LOUIS: There’s no telling how these wacky World Series “I take a lot of pride in the at-bat in front of me and games will end. One night after a rare obstruction call, behind me,” Gomes said. “Obviously, Big Papi is pretty much Jonny Gomes hit a decisive homer when he wasn’t even in an intentional walk. I did what I could to give him a little the original lineup and Koji Uehara picked off a rookie at protection.” Carpenter singled in a run in the seventh off first base for the final out Sunday in Boston’s series-leveling Craig Breslow in the seventh after pinch-hitter Shane 4-2 win over St. Louis. An entertaining, even goofy World Robinson doubled with two outs against Doubront on a Series is level at two games each, ensured the title will be ball that skidded away from Gomes. Junichi Tazawa came in decided back at Boston’s Fenway Park. and got Holliday to hit an inning-ending grounder to sec- “Emotional roller-coaster here, obviously,” Gomes said. ond, a night after allowing a tiebreaking, two-run double to Inserted into the lineup about 75 minutes before the game, Holliday. Gomes hit a tiebreaking, three-run shot off reliever Seth Doubront got the win with 2 2-3 innings of one-hit relief. Maness in the sixth inning. Lackey, the Game 2 loser and Boston’s probable Game 6 Felix Doubront and surprise reliever John Lackey, both starter, pitched the eighth for his first relief appearance in starters during the regular season, picked up for a gritty nine years, overcoming a two-base throwing error by third Clay Buchholz to help the Red Sox hang on. And of course, baseman Xander Bogaerts - Boston’s seventh error of the another bizarre ending: Uehara picked off pinch-runner Series - and a wild pitch. With a runner on third, Lackey got Kolten Wong - with postseason star Carlos Beltran standing Jon Jay to pop up and David Freese to ground out. Uehara, at the plate. It was the first postseason game in history to Boston’s sixth pitcher, got three outs for his sixth save this end on a pickoff, according to STATS.Game 5 is Monday postseason, completing a six-hitter. Lynn was the hard-luck night at Busch Stadium, with Boston left-hander Jon Lester loser, leaving with the score tied and two on for Maness, facing Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright in a rematch of the who allowed Gomes’ homer on his fifth pitch. opener won 8-1 by the Red Sox. A night after one of the craziest endings in Series history Gomes helped get Boston started in the fifth when he - an obstruction call on Red Sox third baseman Will followed David Ortiz’s leadoff double with a 10-pitch walk Middlebrooks - Boston ensured the Series will return to that tired starter Lance Lynn, who had faced the minimum Fenway Park for Game 6 on Wednesday night. “We stayed Competitors race during the Red Bull Kart Fight Japan Final at MEGA WEB in Tokyo Japan 12 batters through the first four innings. Stephen Drew’s away from throwing the ball down the third base line on October 14, 2013. — www.redbullcontentpool.com sacrifice fly tied the score 1-all, erasing a deficit created tonight,” Gomes said. It was a special anniversary for both when center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury’s third-inning error teams. Exactly nine years earlier, the Red Sox completed a advanced Matt Carpenter into scoring position for Beltran’s four-game sweep of the Cardinals across the street at old RBI single. Ortiz, who homered in the first two games of the Busch Stadium for their first championship since 1918. And Series, had three of Boston’s six hits and was the club’s two years earlier, Freese hit a tying, two-run, two-out triple Misbah warns Pakistan leader, smacking his hands together and screaming at in the ninth against Texas and a winning homer in the 11th teammates to get going when he pulled into second base to force a Game 7, which St. Louis won the following night. on his double. Then, after the fifth inning, he huddled the Fielding for the Red Sox became trouble again in the not to get complacent Red Sox for a pep talk in the dugout. third when Carpenter singled to center with one out, and Not long after, Gomes’ drive put Boston ahead 4-1 in the the ball appeared to take a high hop and roll away from sixth. With adrenaline taking over, Gomes spiked an arm Ellsbury. Carpenter sprinted to second on the second error SHARJAH: Pakistan Misbah-ul-Haq warned his Pakistan will be beefed up with the inclusion of its one- through the air as he rounded first base, yelled and banged of the Series by Ellsbury - who had just three during the team Monday not to get complacent with the absence of day specialists - allrounders Shahid Afridi and his chest with a fist twice. Teammates tugged on Gomes’ regular season. top South African players Hashim Amla and in Mohammad Hafeez, middle order batsman Umar Akmal beard for good luck when he got back to the dugout, Beltran singled into center field two pitches later, mak- the one-day series. and opener Nasir Jamshed. Fast bowler Wahab Riaz, rookie including a two-handed pull by Mike Napoli. While talk of ing him 8 for 10 with 12 RBIs with runners in scoring posi- Amla flew home after the first test to be with his preg- Sohaib Maqsood and wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed are the umpires’ calls dominated discussion following two of the tion during the postseason. There almost was another mis- nant wife, while Steyn has been rested for the first two others to join the team for ODIs. opening three games, this one turned on a manager’s cue in the fourth following a one-out walk to Jay. Freese one-day matches of the five-match series. “I always feel “We’ve been playing together for a long time now,” that after such news the team (Pakistan) gets complacent,” Misbah said of the inclusion of experienced players. “You pregame decision. John Farrell’s original Red Sox lineup bounced to Drew, and the shortstop grabbed the grounder Misbah said. “If the (opposition) team is at full strength, it’s can’t say it’s a new team or it’s new faces ... these guys are didn’t include Gomes, but Victorino’s back had been both- on the run and flipped the ball with his glove high to better for us. “South Africans have very strong replace- really playing one-day cricket for the last 3-4 years, and ering him since Saturday, so Daniel Nava was moved from Pedroia at second. He jumped and just got his left foot ments, we have to be mentally strong ... don’t look which most of them are playing even before that.” left field to right and from fifth to second in the batting down in time to force Jay, who slid into him hard. After player is playing and which is not.” Pakistan has fairly good results in limited-overs cricket order. Gomes was inserted into the No. 5 hole behind Ortiz. Ortiz’s double to the right-center field wall in the fifth, The series begins Wednesday at Sharjah Cricket this year. While it lost narrowly to the Proteas in South “Since I signed up for this game, all I wanted was the Gomes fell behind 0-2 in the count and then worked out his Stadium, which also hosts the last game on Nov. 11. Dubai Africa, Misbah’s men went on to win the ODI series in the opportunity,” Gomes said. “I just wanted to be in the box.” walk. Lynn appeared to be too fine with his pitches as he will host the second one-dayer on Nov. 1, while Abu Dhabi West Indies and Zimbabwe. Gomes had been 0 for 9 in the Series before the home run, walked rookie Bogaerts, loading the bases, and Drew lofted will organize back-to-back ODIs on Nov. 8 and 11. “We really played well in the ODIs against South Africa and Red Sox outfielders had been 4 for 40 with no RBIs. a fly to medium left near the foul line. South Africa bounced back to draw the test series 1-1 in so that gives us a bit of confidence,” Misbah said. “The con- Following Dustin Pedroia’s two-out single and a four-pitch Holliday’s one-hop throw home hit the sliding Ortiz in Dubai last Saturday and preserved its unbeaten record of ditions (in UAE) always favor Pakistan, so we are looking walk to Ortiz by Lynn, Maness threw five straight sliders to the back and bounced away. Lynn recovered to strike out not losing a test series away from home since 2006. forward to play good series.” Gomes, who sent the last one into the Red Sox bullpen in left David Ross and induce an inning-ending groundout from “They are always tough,” Misbah said. “One-day cricket Pakistan is likely to extend its batting lineup and give as Matt Holliday kept running back only to run out of room. pinch-hitter Mike Carp. —AP or , you really need to be on your toes while Akmal duties of wicketkeeping like he did against the West playing against them.” South Africa coach Russell Domingo Indies before missing the series against Zimbabwe due to said his team will go into the ODI series hoping to get used health problems. South Africa legspinner Imran Tahir, who to the conditions in the United Arab Emirates after spend- was born in Lahore, ran through Pakistan in Dubai with 8- ing nearly a month in the gulf country. 130 in the match that included 5-32 in Pakistan’s first “It is completely different format but we will take a little innings total of only 99. bit of confidence,” Domingo said. “Hopefully, we are used Misbah was wary of a legspinner’s inclusion in the ODIs, to the conditions in the UAE.” South Africa lost the one-day but hoped after playing Tahir for 42 overs in the second series 4-1 in Sri Lanka in July, but Domingo insisted his innings in Dubai his batsmen would not be bothered team had better results against Pakistan. much. “On a day a legspinner can make really a big differ- “We haven’t played well of late, especially in Sri Lanka, ence,” Misbah said. “Now we are used to him (Tahir) ... but at but we beat Pakistan in South Africa so a bit of confidence the same time legspinner is a kind of bowler who can give from that and obviously from the last test (victory),” he said. you in the middle of the innings.” — AP New Zealand to seek revenge in B’desh ODIs

DHAKA: New Zealand will be seeking to avenge a humili- Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim was drawing ating loss to Bangladesh three years ago when the one-day inspiration from the Test series, which they dominated in international series against the hosts starts in Dhaka today. phases, while also remembering their stunning success New Zealand were stunned in 2010 when they went three years ago. down 4-0 to a young Bangladeshi side, a drubbing that “If you see the overall results, we have earned a lot of sparked repercussions back home with several team offi- positive things in terms of individual performances and the cials forced to quit. team as well,” Mushfiqur said. “So from this side, everyone is New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum insisted yes- confident. The last time we played against them we won 4- ST. LOUIS: Boston Red Sox first baseman Mike Napoli applies the tag on St. Louis Cardinals pinch-runner Kolten Wong terday that the current side has learnt the lessons from that 0 in the ODIs, so we have good memories, although that is on a pick-off throw by closer Koji Uehara to end Game 4 of the World Series. — AP defeat. “We certainly haven’t forgotten it, 4-0 was a very three to four years ago. one-sided contest which Bangladesh thoroughly deserved “I think in our own ground we are a strong side in ODIs. to win,” McCullum said ahead of the first ODI. If we can play up to our potential in all the three depart- “We played some bad shots, we weren’t prepared for ments then we will do well,” he said. Paris key to world top spot the series and we have tried to plan against that by having However, Bangladesh suffered an injury blow in the lead guys prepare a lot better. up to the series, with pace bowler Shafiul Islam ruled out PARIS: Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic take their battle to opposite half of the draw, it means that only one of them “From our point of view we want to carve out our own with an twisted ankle to be replaced by Al-Amin Hossain. end 2013 as world number one to the Paris Masters next can qualify for London should Wawrinka win his first match. performances, and it would be great for us to turn the All-rounder and batsman Mominul week while the desperate stampede to reach the World Wawrinka is bidding to clinch a berth at the season-end- tables from what happened the last time,” he said. Haque were also suffering from fever, but Mushfiqur said Tour Finals wraps up. Nadal, the comeback king of the year ing showpiece for the first time. Gasquet qualified in 2007, New Zealand were frustrated in the just finished Test both should be available for today’s first match at the Sher- having romped to the French and US Opens, as well as when the event was held in Shanghai, while Tsonga is aim- series, with both matches against the hosts in Chittagong e-Bangla National Stadium. The second and third matches deposing Djokovic as world number one, is seeking anoth- ing for his fourth qualification. The Paris Masters also sees and Dhaka ending in a draw. will be held on October 31 and November 3 in Dhaka and er landmark in the French capital. the return to action of Marin Cilic, the Croatian player who But McCullum said he was more confident of his side’s Fatullah. The Spaniard is bidding to become the first player to had a nine-month doping ban cut to four months last chances in the one-dayers, pointing to the experience and New Zealand (from) - Brendon McCullum (captain), win six Masters titles in the same season. But he has been week. The 25-year-old, now ranked 47 in the world, faces success of the players in the shorter game. , Hamish Rutherford, Colin Munro, Ross showing signs of wear and tear in recent weeks as his qualifier Igor Sijsling in the first round with a potential sec- “We have got more experience in the one-day side,” he Taylor, Anton Devcich, , , Corey efforts in clinching 10 trophies since his return from a sev- ond round meeting against Del Potro. — AFP told a press conference in Dhaka. “I think, now the Test Anderson, Nathan McCullum, , James en-month injury lay-off in February begin to take their tra- team we are developing as a Test team we are nowhere Neesham, , Mitchell McClenaghan, Kyle Mills. ditional late-season toll. near the finished product. I think the one-day team is pret- Bangladesh (from) - Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Despite losing his top ranking, Australian Open champi- ty set in how we play.” Tamim Iqbal, Anamul Haque, Shamsur Rahman, Mominul on Djokovic has still been the form player of recent weeks, “We have had more success in the one-day game of Haque, Naeem Islam, Shakib Al Hasan, Nasir Hossain Ziaur winning titles in Beijing and Shanghai. late, we probably feel a lot more confident in the one-day Rahman, Sohag Gazi, Abdur Razzak, Mashrafe Mortaza, Al- “I put myself in a better position right now with back-to- format at this point of time.” Amin Hossain, Rubel Hossain. — AFP back wins,” Djokovic said of his hopes of returning to the top spot which may be slim with Nadal not having points to defend having missed the 2012 Paris Masters. “My motivation is there always, especially when I’m play- ing finals of such a big event,” added the Serb who has a busy end of year on the cards with the Davis Cup final against the Czech Republic to be played in Belgrade. Ahead of the Paris Masters, five of the eight places at the season-ending World Tour Finals had already been claimed with Nadal, Djokovic, David Ferrer, Juan Martin del Potro and Tomas Berdych all assured of being in London. Roger Federer had hoped to join them on Sunday but his 7-6 (7/3), 2-6, 6-4 defeat to Del Potro in the Swiss Indoors final kept him waiting. He can now assure himself a place in the tournament by winning his opening second-round match in Paris where he faces the winner from Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny, the Valencia champion on Sunday, and South African Kevin Anderson. If he wins he will be into the London year-ender for a 12th straight edition where he would be bidding for a sixth title. Federer’s Swiss compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka and French duo, Richard Gasquet and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga are expected to scrap for the last two entries. Gasquet, who was holding down the final qualification spot at ninth posi- tion in the race to London, was just 65 points ahead of his compatriot, 10th-placed Tsonga at the start of last week. DHAKA: captain Brendon McCullum tries to catch a ball during a training session at the Sher-e But the pair could potentially meet on Wednesday in the Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka, in preparation for the first (ODI) cricket match against Paris third round and with eighth-placed Wawrinka in the Rafael Nadal Bangladesh. — AFP