/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/21139987/184432606.0.jpg)
This one was ugly until it looked depressingly out of hand. Then, the Red Sox very much took control, in their home park, with an opportunity to walk off the field winners. You can thank David Ortiz and his power for that, as well as an odd sequence of events that saw four different relievers responsible for the runs that this shot would bring:
Ortiz's grand slam off of Tigers' closer Joaquin Benoit tied things up at five, and Fenway Park erupted. Detroit had run through a slew of relievers after starter Max Scherzer's fine outing, and all it did was lead to a tied game on the road -- it felt like Game 2 of the ALCS was won at this moment, even though it was only tied.
There's a lot to unpack here, too. Torii Hunter flips violently over the wall, but thankfully is okay. The police officer in the bullpen cheers Ortiz's homer instinctively with the rest of the crowd, who similarly throw their hands up over their heads in celebration. Then, there's the bullpen catcher, whom you cannot see from this angle, but in this one:
He was in a crouch, and couldn't see over the wall most likely, so it's hard to blame him for not catching Hunter. He does catch the homer with the ease that a nonchalant attitude brings, though. He also checks on Hunter once he does land, as does the rest of the Sox bullpen, which is about all you can do when something happens that fast.
The live feed angle of Ortiz's homer is lovely, but the winner has to be this one from the outfield cameras:
The only thing more perfect than a game-tying grand slam is the call that came along with it on WEEI's radio broadcast. Dave O'Brien connected just as well as Papi did. Jump to 1:37 in the video below, and you'll get to hear it over and over.
Chills, man. Morning-after chills.