Chris Gomez, the ninth hitter in the Toronto batting order, hits an eighth-inning grand slam, breaking a 3-3 tie.

09:23 AM EDT on Friday, April 23, 2004

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

AP photo Boston second baseman Mark Bellhorn dives to try to make the tag on Toronto's Orlando Hudson as he steals second base during the third inning in Toronto last night.

TORONTO -- The last time Terry Francona visited the mound to remove Curt Schilling, the veteran pitcher did nothing to hide his displeasure. His body language -- and his postgame comments -- clearly telegraphed his unhappiness.

Last night, when Francona came to get the ball in the eighth inning, his starter offered no resistance. Before Francona could reach the mound, Schilling, head bowed in disappointment, placed the ball in his manager's hand and trudged toward the dugout.

If Francona executed too quick a hook against the Yankees last Saturday, he may have been too slow to react last night. Leading, 3-1, heading into the bottom of the seventh, Schilling got the first two

outs, then suffered a stunning collapse.

Of the next 11 hitters to face him, seven reached base, and all seven scored, giving the nose-diving Toronto Blue Jays a 7-3 victory, snapping an eight-game home losing streak.

"My decision didn't work," acknowledged Francona.

The Blue Jays, who entered last night hitting just .210 as a team, stroked 13 hits off Schilling in winning at SkyDome for the first time this season. The last time Schilling gave up 13 or more hits was Sept. 20, 2002, at Colorado.

The big blow came off an unlikely bat. Journeyman shortstop Chris Gomez, the ninth hitter in the Toronto batting order, pulled a pitch from Schilling down the left-field line in the eighth for his first career grand slam, snapping what had been a 3-3 tie.

"He hung a split," said Francona, "and Gomez did what you're supposed to with it. I thought (Schilling) was going to get him out. I thought it was the right thing to do. Pitchers like Schilling -- and this applies to Pedro (Martinez), (Derek) Lowe, (Tim Wakefield) -- you have to beat them. Well, they did."

The pitch, Schilling's final one for the night, was his 123rd of the game.

"I felt good, I felt strong," maintained Schilling. "I'm disappointed. When I take a lead into the seventh, I expect to win. I didn't make pitches. I had a multitude of opportunities in the seventh and eighth innings, but I didn't get the job done."

Through six innings, Schilling had given up just six hits and a run as the Sox looked positioned to complete a sweep of the reeling Jays. A two-run homer by David Ortiz off Miguel Batista staked Schilling to a 2-0 lead just three batters into the game, and an RBI single by Jason Varitek in the third stretched the margin to 3-0.

Toronto used an infield hit and a stolen base by Orlando Hudson and a run-scoring single from Howie Clark to get a run back in the bottom of the third.

Schilling seemed to get stronger after that. Beginning with a flyout by Vernon Wells for the final out of the third, he retired 11 of the next 13 Toronto hitters he faced, including four by strikeout. One of two hits against him in that span should have been caught by left fielder Manny Ramirez, but Ramirez seemed to misjudge the ball and pulled up instead of catching it.

But after fanning Eric Hinske and Kevin Cash for the first two outs in the seventh, Schilling's night began to unravel. The speedy Hudson drove a triple on the turf to right center and trotted home when Gomez dropped a ball just beyond the reach of second baseman Mark Bellhorn into shallow center.

Frank Catalanotto pulled Toronto even with a single to center before Wells flied to center, leaving two stranded.

Schilling got right back into trouble in the eighth when Carlos Delgado led off with a single to right. Josh Phelps, who had homered off Schilling two weeks ago at Fenway, took a called third strike before Hinske singled.

When Schilling got Kevin Cash to pop to first, he was an out away from getting out of the inning still tied. But he walked Hudson, setting the stage for Gomez' unlikely heroics.

"We had (lefty Mark) Malaska ready for Hudson, but we just decided Schilling was going to stay through Gomez," said Francona.

By then, it was too late to rue the missed scoring opportunities earlier in the game.

The Sox stranded baserunners in scoring position in the first, second, third and fifth innings, but their biggest squander came in the sixth. With one out, Cesar Crespo tripled off Batista and Johnny Damon joined him on base with a walk.

Jason Frasor came on to strike out Bill Mueller and got Ortiz to hit a bullet directly at Clark in right field.

There was more of the same in the seventh when Ramirez opened the inning with a double to center but didn't advance. The Sox stranded a staggering 13 runners.

"The first couple of games," said Francona, "we kind of got away with it."

Not last night.