ALDS Clinch (Game 3): Schilling Lives For This!

Curt Schilling worked seven masterful innings, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez homered, and the Red Sox routed the Los Angeles Angels 9-1 Sunday to complete a three-game sweep of their first-round AL playoff series.

Schilling raised his postseason record to 9-2 in 16 career starts while lowering his ERA to 1.93, having allowed only 25 earned runs in 116 1/3 innings.

The Red Sox open the AL Championship Series at Fenway Park on Friday night against either the Cleveland Indians or New York Yankees. New York won 8-4 Sunday night, and trails that series 2-1.

Ortiz and Ramirez put the Red Sox ahead to stay by hitting consecutive home runs against Jered Weaver to begin the fourth.

Ortiz hit Weaver's second pitch of the inning over the right-field fence for his franchise-record 10th postseason homer. Ramirez followed by driving a full-count pitch over the center field for his 22nd in the postseason, tying former Yankees star Bernie Williams for the all-time record.

The Sox later exploded for seven runs in the eighth inning, effectively putting the series away.

GO SOX!

TomC