Extended Box

BOSTON (4) VS OAKLAND (5) - FINAL IN 12 INNINGS

BOSTON                 ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
J Damon cf              5  0  1  0   1  0   4  .200
N Garciaparra ss        5  1  2  0   1  1   2  .400
T Walker 2b             5  2  4  3   0  0   0  .800
 D Jackson 2b           1  0  0  0   0  1   2  .000
M Ramirez lf            5  0  0  0   1  1   5  .000
D Ortiz dh              5  0  0  0   1  2   1  .000
K Millar 1b             6  0  2  0   0  1   2  .333
B Mueller 3b            5  0  1  0   1  1   2  .200
T Nixon rf              3  0  0  0   0  1   1  .000
 a-D McCarty ph         0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 b-A Brown ph-rf        1  0  0  0   0  1   2  .000
 c-G Kapler ph-rf       2  0  0  0   0  1   2  .000
J Varitek c             3  1  2  1   2  1   0  .667

Totals                 46  4 12  4   7 11  23

a-hit for T Nixon in the 8th;  b-struck out swinging for D Mccarty in the 8th;
c-struck out looking for A Brown in the 11th.

BATTING: 2B - B Mueller (1, R Rincon). HR - T Walker 2 (2, 1st inning off T
Hudson 0 on, 2 Out, 7th inning off R Rincon 1 on, 2 Out), J Varitek (1, 5th
inning off T Hudson 0 on, 1 Out). RBI - T Walker 3 (3), J Varitek (1). 2-out
RBI - T Walker 3. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - J Damon 2, D
Jackson 1, M Ramirez 3, G Kapler 1. GIDP - J Damon. Team LOB - 13.

BASERUNNING: SB - J Damon (1, 2nd base off K Foulke/R Hernandez).

FIELDING: E - P Martinez (1, throw); T Walker (1, throw). Outfield assists -
J Damon (M Tejada at 2nd base). DP: 1 (J Varitek).


OAKLAND                ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
M Ellis 2b              4  1  1  0   2  2   3  .250
E Durazo dh             4  1  2  3   2  0   0  .500
E Chavez 3b             6  1  0  0   0  1   8  .000
M Tejada ss             6  0  1  1   0  1   0  .167
S Hatteberg 1b          4  0  0  0   2  1   0  .000
J Guillen lf            3  0  1  0   0  2   0  .333
 a-T Long ph-lf-rf      2  0  0  0   1  2   1  .000
R Hernandez c           4  0  2  1   2  0   1  .500
J Dye rf                3  0  0  0   0  0   2  .000
 b-B McMillon ph        0  0  0  0   1  0   0  .000
 E Byrnes pr-lf         1  1  0  0   0  1   1  .000
C Singleton cf          4  1  1  0   0  0   2  .250

Totals                 41  5  8  5  10 10  18

a-struck out swinging for J Guillen in the 8th;  b-walked for J Dye in the
9th.

BATTING: 2B - C Singleton (1, P Martinez); E Durazo (1, P Martinez). RBI - E
Durazo 3 (3), M Tejada (1), R Hernandez (1). 2-out RBI - M Tejada, E Durazo, R
Hernandez. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - M Ellis 1, E Chavez 3.
Team LOB - 13.

BASERUNNING: SB - C Singleton (1, 2nd base off D Lowe/J Varitek), E Chavez
(1, 3rd base off D Lowe/J Varitek).

FIELDING: DP: 1 (M Ellis-M Tejada-S Hatteberg).


----------------------------------------------------
    BOSTON          - 100 010 200 000   --   4
    OAKLAND         - 003 000 001 001   --   5

Two outs when winning run scored.
----------------------------------------------------

BOSTON                       ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
P Martinez                    7       6   3   3   4   3   0   3.86
M Timlin (H, 1)               1       0   0   0   0   2   0   0.00
B Kim (H, 1)                    2/3   0   1   1   1   1   0  13.50
A Embree (B, 1)                 1/3   1   0   0   0   0   0   0.00
S Williamson                  1       0   0   0   1   2   0   0.00
D Lowe (L, 0-1)               1 2/3   1   1   1   4   2   0   5.40

OAKLAND                      ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
T Hudson                      6 2/3  10   3   3   1   5   2   4.05
R Rincon (B, 1)                 2/3   2   1   1   1   1   1  13.50
C Bradford                      2/3   0   0   0   1   1   0   0.00
K Foulke                      3       0   0   0   2   3   0   0.00
R Harden (W, 1-0)             1       0   0   0   2   1   0   0.00

WP - R Harden. IBB - J Varitek (by C Bradford), N Garciaparra (by K Foulke),
B Mueller (by R Harden), T Long (by D Lowe). HBP - C Singleton (by B Kim).
Pitches-strikes: P Martinez 130-80; M Timlin 13-9; B Kim 15-7; A Embree 5-4; S
Williamson 18-8; D Lowe 42-23; T Hudson 106-71; R Rincon 23-12; C Bradford
12-5; K Foulke 51-28; R Harden 20-9. Ground balls-fly balls: P Martinez 6-11; M
Timlin 0-1; B Kim 0-1; A Embree 1-0; S Williamson 0-0; D Lowe 3-0; T Hudson
10-4; R Rincon 0-1; C Bradford 1-0; K Foulke 0-6; R Harden 1-1. Batters faced:
P Martinez 30; M Timlin 3; B Kim 4; A Embree 2; S Williamson 3; D Lowe 10; T
Hudson 29; R Rincon 5; C Bradford 3; K Foulke 11; R Harden 5.

UMPIRES: HP--Randy Marsh. 1B--Eric Cooper. 2B--Wally Bell. 3B--Gary Darling.
LF--Tim Welke. RF--Greg Gibson.

T--4:37. Att--50,606.
Weather: 63 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 17 mph, out
to right.
 

How They Scored

BOSTON 1ST:   J Damon grounded out to second.  N Garciaparra struck out
swinging.  T Walker homered to right.  M Ramirez struck out swinging. (1 Run,
1 Hit, 0 Errors)  BOSTON 1, OAKLAND 0.

OAKLAND 3RD:   J Dye flied out to right.  C Singleton doubled to right.
M Ellis walked.  E Durazo doubled to right, C Singleton and M Ellis scored.
E Chavez flied out to left.  M Tejada singled to center, E Durazo scored,
M Tejada out at second on rundown attempting to advance on throw. (3 Runs,
3 Hits, 0 Errors)  BOSTON 1, OAKLAND 3.

BOSTON 5TH:   T Nixon flied out to center.  J Varitek homered to right.
J Damon grounded out to first.  N Garciaparra singled to left.  T Walker singled
to center, N Garciaparra to third.  M Ramirez grounded into fielder's choice to
shortstop, T Walker out at second. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors)  BOSTON 2, OAKLAND 3.

BOSTON 7TH:   J Varitek walked.  J Damon grounded into double play, second to
shortstop to first, J Varitek out at second. N Garciaparra singled to left.
R Rincon relieved T Hudson. T Walker homered to right, N Garciaparra scored.
M Ramirez flied out to right. (2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors)  BOSTON 4, OAKLAND 3.

OAKLAND 9TH:   D Jackson at second base. B Kim relieved M Timlin. R Hernandez
flied out to center.  B McMillon hit for J Dye. B McMillon walked.  E Byrnes
ran for B McMillon. C Singleton hit by pitch, E Byrnes to second.  M Ellis
struck out swinging.  A Embree relieved B Kim. E Durazo singled to left center,
E Byrnes scored, C Singleton to third.  E Chavez grounded out to shortstop.
(1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors)  BOSTON 4, OAKLAND 4.

OAKLAND 12TH:   E Durazo walked.  E Chavez grounded into fielder's choice to
second, E Durazo out at second.  M Tejada grounded out to third, E Chavez to
second.  S Hatteberg walked, E Chavez stole third.  S Hatteberg to second on
fielder's indifference. T Long intentionally walked.  R Hernandez reached on
bunt single to third, E Chavez scored. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors)  BOSTON 4, OAKLAND 5.

Game Story

OAKLAND, California (Ticker) -- The team that does not bunt
won a postseason classic with one.

Ramon Hernandez dropped a bunt base hit with the bases loaded
and two outs in the bottom of the 12th inning as the Oakland
Athletics rallied for a stirring 5-4 triumph over the Boston Red
Sox in Game One of their American League Division Series.

In a game that featured a little of everything, Hernandez
stunned the Red Sox and caught everyone off guard by pushing a
bunt to the third base side of the mound.

With Boston reliever Derek Lowe frozen, third baseman Bill
Mueller charged and barehanded the ball.  After a glance at
baserunner Eric Chavez approaching the plate, Mueller just hung
on to the ball as the A's raced from the dugout in celebration.

"I never ended a game like this with a bunt, especially with a
guy like me that can't run very much," Hernandez said. "I looked
down third base and coach (Ron Washington) gave me the sign for
bunt. I looked at the third baseman and he was playing deep.
Why not give it a try?  If I get a good bunt down the line, I
might make it. He was playing very deep and he didn't expect
the bunt especially how slow I am."

"I noticed that Bill Mueller was playing just a tad more back
than where he should be," Washington said.

The Red Sox were still getting over the play nearly an hour
after the game.

"Well you just try and see if you can field the ball and get
an out," Mueller said. "There's a lot of options when fielding
a bunt like that. It all depends on the situation. And you just
hope you can make one and beat the percentages."

"It was a great bunt," Boston catcher Jason Varitek said. "It
was a terrific play on their part.  The bunt hit a corner of the
plate and got a long bounce.  It was a brilliant play. I guess
he felt he had to do it since the matchup favored Lowe."

Lowe, who said he is still in line to start Game Three at Fenway
Park, gave Hernandez credit.

"It was very surprising," Lowe said. "It's a game of
opportunities wasted by both sides.  In that situation, 0-1, we
were caught off guard.  But in the postseason you take chances
and they took a chance and it paid off."

Oakland's brain trust never has hidden the fact that it dislikes
the bunt, claiming it is ineffective strategy to sacrifice
outs. It did bunt more under first-year manager Ken Macha, but
general manager Billy Beane - who defies much of baseball's
conventional wisdom - has been an outspoken critic of the
fundamental practice.

Statistically, only the Toronto Blue Jays had fewer sacrifice
bunts than Oakland this season.

Only a remarkable play by Gold Glove third baseman Eric Chavez
kept the game tied in the top of the 12th inning. Manny Ramirez
opened the 12th with a walk against rookie Rich Harden and took
second on a wild pitch.  But David Ortiz could not move the
runner, striking out on four pitches.  Kevin Millar popped out
and AL batting champion Bill Mueller was walked intentionally.

Chavez then turned in a superb defensive play, backhanding a
scorching ground ball by Gabe Kapler and diving to the bag ahead
of Ramirez.

"I was playing so deep and the ball was hit down the line, that
was just my first instinct," Chavez said. "I really didn't want
to try to make a play across the field. My first instinct was to
get up. If I got him at third, I got him. If he was safe, at
least the ball was still in the infield and we had one more
chance to get him out."

Lowe, a former closer starting his second inning, walked Erubiel
Durazo to start the bottom of the frame but got Chavez on a
forceout.  With Chavez running, Miguel Tejada bounced to third
and Mueller had to go to first.

Chavez then stole third as Scott Hatteberg walked.  After
Hatteberg took second on indifference, Terrence Long was walked
intentionally. Hernandez took a strike, then dropped down the
game-winner.

"It was freaky," Chavez said. "With a slow catcher. All I can
tell you is that Wash said that 'I am going to watch Billy
Mueller and if he is back, I am going to give Ramon the bunt
sign and just be aware for it.' Really it was all Wash. He had
been thinking about that once I got to third."

Game Two is an afternoon affair Thursday.  Oakland sends
lefthander Barry Zito to the mound against Boston knuckleballer
Tim Wakefield.

"To win the first game of a short series is real big," Durazo
said. "And winning in extra innings like that makes the team
feel pretty good."

Boston was an out away from seizing home-field advantage in the
series but endured another nightmarish bullpen collapse.

Oakland trailed 4-3 heading into the bottom of the ninth and
embattled Boston closer Byung-Hyun Kim got Hernandez to fly out
to open the inning.  But the Korean sidewinder walked pinch
hitter Billy McMillon on four pitches and hit Chris Singleton
with a pitch.

Kim regrouped in time to strike out Mark Ellis and Boston
manager Grady Little called upon lefthander Alan Embree to get
Durazo.  The A's designated hitter foiled the strategy by
driving a single to left field that scored pinch runner Eric
Byrnes with the tying run.

"My job is to get lefty batters out," Embree said. "I go with my
game plan and tonight it didn't work. I made my pitch and he
went the other way with it and it fell into the gap. It was a
good piece of hitting."

Embree did manage to retire Chavez to send the game to extra
innings and Oakland closer Keith Foulke needed just seven
pitches to get through the top of the 10th.

The ninth-inning collapse by Kim and Embree spoiled a gutty
effort by Boston starter Pedro Martinez, who tossed a
season-high 130 pitches - the final offering enabling him to
escape a bases-loaded jam in the seventh.

Martinez was staked to a 4-3 lead in the seventh when Todd
Walker hit his second home run of the game - a two-out, two-run
blast off Ricardo Rincon.

Walker, who had four hits, launched a homer in his first career
postseason at-bat in the opening inning.

"My night means nothing," Walker said. "I've played a lot of
baseball and I've seen this happen only once before. "

Staked to the lead, Martinez struggled in the bottom of the
inning.  He gave up back-to-back two-out walks to Ellis and
Durazo, loading the bases for Chavez.  Martinez got a quick
strike on the Oakland slugger before getting him to foul out.

Martinez allowed three runs and six hits in seven innings.  He
walked four and struck out three.

Oakland starter Tim Hudson allowed three runs in 6 2/3 innings.
He worked around 10 hits and a walk but left with cramping in
his fingers.

For Boston, it marked the second time in nine years that they
have lost a marathon Division Series opener.  In 1995, the first
year of the Division Series play, Boston lost a 13-inning
contest in Cleveland.