Boston Red Sox right fielder Shane Victorino stepped up to the plate in the seventh inning of Game 6 of the American League Championship Series on Saturday with the bases loaded and a chance to erase a 2-1 deficit.


He had the chance to wipe away all memory of a dark phase in Red Sox history-an unfathomable September collapse in 2011 and an equally unimaginable last-place finish in the AL East Division in 2012.
Meanwhile, the odds were stacked against him. Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Max Scherzer had dominated through six innings, relinquishing just three hits.


Victorino had the opportunity to bring about total redemption-for a team and city that sorely needed it. 


With one crack of the bat, he delivered. Victorino launched a grand slam into the Green Monster seats to hand the Sox a 5-2 lead and send Fenway Park into a frenzy.


All Boston had to do was turn to the best 1-2-3 punch in the game. Relief pitchers Junichi Tazawa and Craig Breslow held the game in the seventh and eighth innings, and from there, closer Koji Uehara did the rest.


His third save of the series became the one that would deliver Boston to the promised land of its first World Series in six years.
The scene was unlike any that Boston had seen in some time.
"Just listen to the crowd," Victorino said. "The one thing I came here to do is to be a part of this city. With all we went through as a city, there is definitely a bond."


The bond between the Red Sox and its city was in full display in Game 2 on Oct. 13, especially after a 1-0 defeat in Game 1, in which Boston-the best offense in the league-failed to muster a hit until the ninth inning.


The Sox's bats remained silent throughout Game 2, leading to a seemingly insurmountable 5-1 deficit in the eighth inning.
Designated hitter David Ortiz, the last remaining player from that historic 2004 team and the face of the modern-day Red Sox, had other plans in mind.


With the bases loaded and a playoff series on the line, Big Papi did what he does best. The veteran slugger pounced on a flat breaking ball, soaring over the leaping grasp of Tigers right fielder Torii Hunter and into the right field bullpen.


Just like that, after the eventual 6-5 victory, the Red Sox had all of the momentum.


Tigers ace Justin Verlander and Red Sox starting pitcher John Lackey were locked in a pitchers' duel in Game 3. However, as in Game 2, the outcome came down to one swing of the bat.


First baseman Mike Napoli zeroed in on Verlander's only mistake pitch in the seventh inning, muscling the ball out of the park for a solo home run. The bullpen took care of the rest and the Sox held a 2-1 lead.
Starting pitcher Jake Peavy unraveled, though, for the Red Sox, coughing up seven runs in a 7-3 loss in Game 4. It soon became a must-win situation for Boston in Game 5.


Napoli took it from here, carrying the team on his back once more with a solo blast in the first inning.


Boston soon followed with three more runs, and even though the Sox surrendered three runs between the fifth and seventh innings to make things interesting, Uehara did what he does best. He mowed through the heart of the Tigers order, pulling Boston within one victory of the World Series.


He also pulled Boston to the World Series with a dominant ninth inning in Game 6, securing the save to set up a 2004 World Series rematch with the St. Louis Cardinals.


Nine years later, the magic is still in the air in Boston. The two teams will kick off World Series tomorrow night at Fenway Park at 8:07 p.m.