Curt Schilling shakes off a liner off his foot in the first inning and, backed by the timely hitting of Jason Varitek, blanks the Devil Rays.

08:40 AM EDT on Thursday, April 29, 2004

BY JOE McDONALD
Journal Sports Writer

AP photo Red Sox' Curt Schilling tips his cap after pitching seven scoreless innings against the Devil Rays at Fenway Park last night.

BOSTON -- A shot off the foot in the first inning last night served to kick start Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling.

The Red Sox ace took a line drive off his foot courtesy of Tampa Bay's Aubrey Huff, and the ball ricocheted into right field for a base hit.

After that, Schilling settled down and led Boston to a 6-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Fenway Park.

"My heart was in my throat," said Boston manager Terry Francona of the ball Huff slammed off his ace. "From where I was sitting, it looked like it hit him square, and I think it did. I don't think it hurt him, because he couldn't feel it. But you don't want to see that at all. He really did pitch well after that.

"They made him work the first time through the order and they had a good plan of attack. He pitched out of trouble, fortunately for us. Then he settled down and was really, really good."

After he was hit by the line drive, Schilling retired 21 of the next 24 batters he faced and finished with 7 1/3 scoreless innings with eight strikeouts and no walks.

Tampa Bay skipper Lou Piniella said it best: "I'd never seen Schilling pitch in person. Impressive."

If the line drive off his foot didn't freak Schilling, you might figure the fan that charged the mound in the sixth inning would. Fortunately, security personnel tackled the fan before he could reach Schilling, who was unfazed.

"I didn't know whether to high-five him or close line him," Schilling laughed. "It was a good tackle. But when I have (Varitek) catching, I'm not worried about anyone reaching the mound. That was a first time for me, though."

It's was a much different outing for Schilling compared to his last start in Toronto, where he allowed seven runs on 13 hits in 7 2/3 innings, including a grand slam. Those 13 hits were one shy of his career-high 14, which he allowed as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks against Colorado in September of 2002.

He's been thinking about that last outing -- six of the runs scored after the sixth inning -- ever since he walked off the mound at the SkyDome last week.

"I used my last start as a backdrop for tonight," said Schilling. "I was extremely unhappy with the way the game came out in Toronto. I'm still trying to establish myself here, and I wanted to be counted on to get big outs after the sixth inning. (Toronto) was a hard one to shake off, but I was determined after the sixth tonight to make my pitches."

He was able to command all four of his pitches while keeping the Devil Ray batters off balance, mixing his 97-mph fastball with a nasty splitter. That's something he didn't have against the Blue Jays on April 22.

After Schilling was done with his work, it was up to the bullpen, which has been absolutely stellar of late.

Boston relievers have not allowed a run in 27 consecutive innings, and after Schilling was done last night, Alan Embree and Lenny DiNardo closed the door.

"It's not going to happen all year," said Francona of his bullpen's streak. "They haven't given up runs for a long time. It's an amazing streak they have going here, and I hope they continue to feed off each other because I think they are. It's been a lot of fun for me to watch them work."

With all the pitching success the Sox are having, you can't win without offense.

After three scoreless innings for both sides, the Red Sox bats were fired up in the bottom of the fourth inning. With one out, Manny Ramirez ripped a double off the Monster. Varitek followed with a two-run blast to deep right field for a 2-0 lead.

Varitek, who struck out looking his first time up, crushed a 1-2, waist-high fastball off Tampa Bay starter Paul Abbott and deposited it 10 rows behind the Sox' bullpen. Prior to his homer, he had gone 17 at-bats without a hit.

Varitek continued his assault on the Devil Rays' pitching staff in the bottom of the seventh. With the bases loaded following a walk to Bill Mueller, a double by David Ortiz and an intentional walk to Ramirer, Varitek worked the count full and drilled a line drive single to right for a 3-0 lead.

Later that inning Mark Bellhorn, who came into the game hitting .185, ripped a two-run single to left, giving the Sox a 5-0 lead. Mueller added a RBI-double in the eighth, scoring Johnny Damon from first, for a 6-0 advantage.

Boston's offense came through last night, but it was Schilling's performance on the mound that proved crucial last night.

When he was lifted after 7 1/3, he was welcomed with a standing ovation as he made his way to the dugout, and gently tipped his cap to the 35,120 fans in attendance.

"I live for that," Schilling said of the response from the fans. "I absolutely love it. I think about that before every game. This is like nothing I've ever been a part of."