Red Sox Clinch AL Wild-Card

Give first-year closer Tom Gordon a lead and he'll give the Boston Red Sox a win. And, almost certainly, their first playoff berth since 1995.

Gordon tied the major-league record of 41 straight save conversions as the Red Sox clinched a tie for the AL wild-card berth with a 5-4 win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Wednesday night.

"It wasn't one of my goals and I haven't thought about it much," Gordon said of the record. "The important thing is to make the playoffs."

Boston can do that Thursday night by beating Baltimore in the opener of a four-game series. That would eliminate Toronto, which stayed alive with a 6-3 victory over the Orioles on Wednesday night.

To tie the Red Sox for the wild card, the Blue Jays must win their last three games and Boston must lose its last four.

"Our team has had so many heroes this year," Gordon said after getting out of an eighth-inning jam and striking out two in a one-hit ninth. "That's what makes it fun."

Gordon has converted 44 of 45 save chances this season.

"He has been almost perfect," said Boston's Dennis Eckersley, who once had 40 straight save conversions. "I know it sounds corny saying, `Where would we be without him?' but, come on."

"Any time you get someone like that with confidence, he goes right at the hitter," said Tampa Bay's Miguel Cairo, one of Gordon's three strikeout victims in 1 1/3 innings.

The Boston Red Sox can celebrate after clinching a tie for the AL wild card. (AP)

Nomar Garciaparra hit a three-run homer as Boston got its fourth one-run win in its last five victories. Gordon has saved them all.

Garciaparra's throwing error led to three unearned runs in the top of the third off Steve Avery (10-7). Then his three-run homer in the bottom of the inning capped a four-run rally that made it 4-3 against Bryan Rekar (2-8).

"Avery gets a new life after that," Devil Rays manager Larry Rothschild said. "If you want to win in the major leagues, you have to put zeros up there."

Troy O'Leary's RBI single put Boston ahead 5-3 in the fifth before Bubba Trammell's RBI single in the eighth made it 5-4. Gordon then replaced Jim Corsi, struck out Paul Sorrento to end the inning, then got Wade Boggs on a grounder for the final out of the game.

The Red Sox last made the playoffs in 1995 but were swept in three games by Cleveland, stretching their postseason winless streak to 13 games. The Indians would be their probable playoff opponent, starting next Tuesday in Cleveland.

The Red Sox are in the midst of their worst month of the season with a 9-14 record. But they took three of four games from Tampa Bay after losing three straight to the White Sox in Chicago.

Avery became Boston's fourth 10-game winner, allowing no earned runs and five hits in five innings. The Red Sox are 15-1 when he works at least five innings.

He allowed three unearned runs after Garciaparra, who has had throwing problems most of the season, threw wildly to first baseman Mo Vaughn. The error allowed Mike Kelly to reach base leading off the third inning.

Kelly went to third on Cairo's single, and both scored on Boggs' two-out double. Fred McGriff singled home Boggs for a 3-0 lead.

Garciaparra made up for his error in a four-run third with his 33rd homer of the year.

Mike Benjamin began the inning with a single, took second on a walk to John Valentin and scored on Vaughn's single. Garciaparra followed with his homer over the left-field wall for a 4-3 lead.

The Red Sox made it 5-3 in the fifth after Rekar retired the first two batters. Garciaparra then doubled to left and scored on O'Leary's single.

Notes