BOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox "cowboyed up" last night at Fenway Park.
And now they're headed for the next rodeo, a date in the American League Division Series against Oakland, beginning Wednesday at the Athletics' Network Associates Coliseum.
The Sox, thwarted in their bid to clinch their first playoff spot since 1999 on Wednesday night, came through on their second attempt to claim the wild-card berth.
They exploded offensively early and often last night in dismantling the Baltimore Orioles, 14-3, before a delirious sellout crowd of 34,526 in the final home game of the regular season.
Boston's next home game will be a week from tomorrow, against Oakland in Game 3 of the best-of-five ALDS, at a time to be determined.
Boston blasted Baltimore starter Omar Daal for two runs in the first, chased him during a five-run, third-inning outburst that was punctuated by slumping Nomar Garciaparra's three-run homer, and tacked on two more runs in the third at the expense of Sean Douglass for a quick 9-0 lead.
Kevin Millar's three-run homer off Douglass made it 12-0 in the fourth as the chilled champagne in the Red Sox' clubhouse waited patiently for the glorious mauling to end, the game lacking any drama and looking like a spring-training contest, with manager Grady Little clearing his bench midway through.
While the offense was clicking, Derek Lowe proved himself playoff-ready by limiting Baltimore to two hits and two runs, only one earned, in six innings. Lowe, who won 21 games last year, finished this year at 17-7.
And at 10:05, when Ramiro Mendoza, of all people, slipped a called third strike past Brian Roberts, ending the game, the Sox raced out of their dugout to celebrate their wild-card status.
They met on the mound, exchanging hugs and handshakes. Little ambled out after most of his team, but David Ortiz was there to give him a bear hug.
After donning wild-card hats and T-shirts, the Sox fanned out and saluted the crowd, which had been on its feet and roaring from the first pitch of the ninth inning. Tim Wakefield even emerged later with a bottle of champagne, spraying it on some fans in an effort to include them in the celebration.
Millar, standing on the pitcher's rubber, grabbed a microphone and thanked the fans.
"It's time to cowboy up," said Millar, who has made the words a Red Sox slogan. "We're going to take this to the next universe. Boston, we love you."
"These fans deserve this," added Todd Walker. "They definitely deserve a World Series championship. We're fired up. We're going to roll into Oakland and whip some (rear end) and go from there."
So now, finally, the postseason questions can be answered by Little.
For the last few days, with a playoff spot virtually in the bag but not officially so, Little was non-commital when asked any question that pertained to postseason plans.
"Let's get in first," said Little repeatedly.
They are now in. So will they go with 10 or 11 pitchers on the playoff roster? Will struggling left-hander Scott Sauerbeck be included? Will Little select one from the bullpen trio of Bronson Arroyo, Brandon Lyon and Todd Jones to fill out the relief corps?
What will the rotation be after Pedro Martinez opposes Tim Hudson in Game 1? Will Tim Wakefield and Lowe pitch the next two games, in that order, giving Wakefield, a fly-ball pitcher, the start in Game 2 in the spacious Coliseum while the sinker-balling Lowe can start Game 3 at Fenway, where he was 11-2 with a 3.21 earned-run average?
Will John Burkett or Jeff Suppan, each of whom has had his ups and downs recently, be the No. 4 starter, if one is necessary?
Will Little platoon second baseman Walker against Barry Zito and Ted Lilly, left-handers who will pitch Games 2 and 3, respectively? Will Little stick with Doug Mirabelli catching Wakefield, as he has all season, while Jason Varitek, a big part of the team's heart and soul, sits on the bench?
Those, however, weren't questions to be answered last night.
Last night was a night for celebration for the Sox and their fans.
The Red Sox didn't win the American League East, conceding that title to the New York Yankees for the sixth straight year. But Boston now has 94 wins --good enough, as per Major League Baseball rules, to enter the postseason.
And, as the Red Sox have been pointing out all month, the Anaheim Angels won the World Series last year as the wild-card entrant.
"The goal of the season was to get into the playoffs," 29-year-old rookie general manager Theo Epstein had said before the game. "When it happens it will be satisfying."
It happened last night. And after a meaningless three-game weekend series on the road against Tampa Bay, which starts tonight, the Red Sox' second season will begin, in the ALDS.
