Last night could have been different. Monday night's devastating loss to the Rangers, after Keith Foulke's blown save, could have triggered a losing streak of monumental proportions. But the Red Sox showed the same gamesmanship they exhibited last October and won the game handily with help from Ortiz and Manny's bats and one hell of an effort from Tim Wakefield.

In his 300th major league start, Wakefield threw 115 pitches in 8 innings for the win. He looked tired in the 5th and 6th innings, giving up two runs in each, but well aware of the current bullpen struggles, stuck it out through eight before Timlin threw just 6 pitches in the 9th for the save.

This sort of gamesmanship is nothing new for Wakefield. Though he wasn't named the ALCS MVP last year, he very well could have been. Red Sox fans have heard this story a thousand times before, but others may not be familiar with just how big oif a role he played in that series, despite the fact that he never started a game.

It started on Saturday, October 16 with the Sox already trailing the Yankees 2-0 in the best of 7 series. Bronson Arroyo was on the mound for game 3 at Fenway, but after allowing six runs in just two innings, the Sox were forced to turn to their bullpen. The Sox knew that if they were going to come back to win the series, they would need to keep their bullpen arms strong, so after three pitchers combined to allow nine runs in 3.1 innings, Tim Wakefield approached Terry Francona in the dugout. Wakefield, who had already been announced as the Game 4 starter, told Francona that he was available for long relief in an effort to sustain the bullpen, thus forfeiting his start the following night.

It should be pointed out, in an effort to provide valuable historical information, that Wakefield, the longest-tenured player on the Sox, was on the mound when Aaron F'ing Boone went yard on that dark night in October of 2003. The guilt Wake felt that night was well-documented in Boston, as was his desire to bring a World Series to the city that had treated him so well over the years.

Much to the heartbreak of Sox fans, who hoped to see Wake on the mound the following night, he entered the game that already felt like a lost cause with a runner on second and two outs. After intentionally walking Jorge Posada, Wake gave up a two-run triple to Ruben Sierra. That night, he pitched a total of 3.1 innings, giving up another two runs in the fifth and two more in the seventh.

These days, it would be hard to find many pitchers who would, on such a big stage with so much on the line, volunteer to give up their starting spot in the rotation to pitch mop-up innings in a game that had already been blown wide open. But Wakefield did just that without an ounce of regret or the hint of a complaint. Following the game, Francona remarked, "When we win tomorrow, we'll have Wake to thank for that."

Fast forward to Game 5. Thanks to David Ortiz, the Sox had emerged from Game 4 victorious, though it had taken 12 innings and 6 pitchers to do so, leaving their bullpen weary. Most thought the Sox needed a strong performance from starting pitcher Pedro Martinez and an easy 9-inning win for their bullpen to have a chance of surviving the series, but when has anything against the Yankees ever been easy? After surrenduring 4 runs in 6 innings, Pedro was relieved by Timlin, followed by Foulke, Arroyo, Myers, and Embree. After 11 innings, the score remained 4-4 and many wondered how much longer the Red Sox bullpen could continue to pitch shutout baseball. Enter Tim Wakefield. Abandoning the prospect of starting a game that series, Wake came in and pitched three scoreless innings before David Ortiz became the hero on the second night in a row. In those three innings he allowed one hit and one walk while striking out four.

The Sox went on to win the series in seven games, completing the greatest comeback in sports history. Everyone knows that Derek Lowe came out of the bullpen for a fantastic start in Game 7. Everyone knows that Johnny Damon hit a much-needed grand slam. Everyone knows that Dave Roberts stole second.

But buried in the game recaps and box scores are 6.1 innings of relief, and without them, and without that one selfless pitcher, the greatest comeback in sports history may never have happened at all.