Sox Stay Alive; Astros Pull Even

Down to their last three outs of the season, the Boston Red Sox rallied — against Mariano Rivera, the New York Yankees and decades of disappointment.

Meanwhile, in Houston Carlos Beltran struck again Sunday. He homered in a record fifth straight postseason game, sending the Houston Astros over the St. Louis Cardinals 6-5 and tying the NL championship series at 2.

Red Sox 6, Yankees 4

Bill Mueller singled home the tying run off Rivera in the ninth inning and David Ortiz homered against Paul Quantrill in the 12th, leading Boston to a 6-4 victory Sunday over the Yankees that avoided a four-game sweep in the AL championship series.

Pedro Martinez will start for Boston in Game 5 Monday against Mike Mussina, trying to force the series back to New York the following night. If the Sox win, injured Curt Schilling is expected to be ready to start Game 6.

Red Sox fans who had been praying, holding hands and hoping against hope a few innings earlier, burst into cheers when Ortiz connected. Long after Sunday turned into Monday, there was still plenty of energy in old Fenway Park.

Even Ortiz danced home to his waiting teammates at home plate.

This game lasted 5 hours, 2 minutes and ended at 1:22 a.m. EDT, marking the second back-to-back marathon these teams have played. Saturday's 19-8 win by the Yankees took 4 hours, 20 minutes. The teams have little time to get ready for Game 5, which starts at 5:10 p.m.

"Everybody's going to have trouble sleeping, except maybe from exhaustion," Yankees manager Joe Torre said.

Of the 25 previous teams to fall behind 3-0 in a best-of-seven series, 20 were swept, three lost in five games and two lost in six.

Quantrill, New York's fifth pitcher, relieved Tom Gordon to start the 12th and allowed a leadoff single to Manny Ramirez. Ortiz's shot on a 2-1 pitch landed in the right-field bullpen.

"Had I not given up the hit to Manny, I would have gone further inside," Quantrill said. "Ortiz is just a great hitter and he beat me."

Boston was facing a disappointing end to a season when Rivera walked Kevin Millar to lead off the ninth.

"You put the walk away, and it would have been totally different," Rivera said. "It wasn't the way I planned it today."

Pinch-runner Dave Roberts stole second on the first pitch to Mueller, who lined one up the middle as Roberts easily scored and Rivera swung his right arm in disgust. He has blown just four saves in 36 postseason chances, but two have come this year. He has lost to Boston twice during the regular season.

"It certainly is disappointing," Torre said. "We're so used to Mo going out there and getting people out, which he did tonight. The walk and stolen base was the difference in that ninth inning."

Doug Mientkiewicz followed with a sacrifice, and Johnny Damon hit a hopper to first that Tony Clark, playing in place of injured John Olerud, fumbled for an error. That left runners at first and third.

Orlando Cabrera struck out, the Yankees let Damon take second and Ramirez walked, loading the bases for Ortiz, who flied to right.

With closer Keith Foulke already having pitched 2 2-3 innings, Alan Embree came in and got through the 10th. Curtis Leskanic escaped an 11th-inning jam by getting Bernie Williams on a bases-loaded flyout, then stranded a runner at second in the 12th by striking out Miguel Cairo.

Astros 6, Cardinals 5

Beltran homered into the Houston bullpen in right field, hitting a tiebreaking drive in the seventh inning. Making it more special, he connected off Julian Tavarez.

Before Game 1, Tavarez made this assessment: "We don't look at the Houston Astros like this is a great team. They are good, but we are better than them. We are the best because we've got 108 wins. We've proved it."

Beltran reached down to golf a 2-2 slider, and matched Barry Bonds' 2002 mark with his eighth home run in a single postseason.

"There's no better feeling," he said.

Jeff Bagwell was the next batter, and the excitable Tavarez threw a fastball over his head. The two players shouted at each other, plate umpire Mike Winters warned against further trouble and play resumed without any problems.

When the inning ended, Tavarez shouted at himself while walking to the dugout. Once on the bench, he tried to rip off the bullpen phone and slammed down a water cooler.

"I just lost my cool," Tavarez said.

The tantrum was replayed on the stadium scoreboard, and that bothered Cardinals manager Tony La Russa.

"I think ever since I've been around, since 1996, the Astros are as classy an organization as anything I've met in the National League," he said. "But even Sinatra clears his throat, and I think that was below their standards and that was disappointing."

Beltran ensured the teams will go back to Busch Stadium to settle who goes to the World Series. Meantime, there's Game 5 Monday night, with Brandon Backe starting for Houston against Woody Williams.

Beltran broke the record set by Jeffrey Leonard and tied by Juan Gonzalez in 1996 for consecutive postseason games with a home run.

"Barry Bonds is the best hitter in baseball. I don't think he could have hit that pitch," Tavarez said. "I can't believe he hit it."

Said Astros manager Phil Garner: "This is as good as I've ever seen anybody swing the bat, not just Carlos Beltran.

"He's some kind of locked in."