Where does one begin?
Before Wednesday night, Jonathan Papelbon had given up only one earned run in Baltimore in his entire career.
Wednesday night, the Red Sox owned a 3-2 lead after six-and-a-half innings, when the rains came. Play resumed after a long delay, and Boston's relievers held the Orioles scoreless through the seventh and eighth.
The Red Sox mounted a threat in the seventh, but were stymied when Marco Scutaro was thrown out trying to score on Carl Crawford's double. They mounted a bigger threat in the eighth, but were stymied when rookie Ryan Lavarnway grounded into a bases-loaded, inning-ending double play.
But they still had that one-run lead, and one of the game's best closers coming out of the bullpen.
Jonathan Papelbon had thrown 29 pitches Tuesday night, but he struck out Adam Jones and he struck out Mark Reynolds, leaving only prime strikeout candidate Chris Davis between the Boston Red Sox and at least one more day of baseball (pending events in St. Petersburg).
Chris Davis doubled into the right-field corner. Nolan Reimold took a couple of balls, then took a couple of swings that missed. Papelbon's fifth pitch, though? Reimold hammered that one into the gap in right-center, where it one-hopped over the fence for an automatic double, pinch-runner Kyle Hudson trotting home.
That tied the game.
Three pitches later, Red Sox-killer Robert Andino shot a sinking liner into left field. Carl Crawford looked like he had a shot at making a sliding catch ...
but the ball glanced off his glove and Reimold touched the plate in plenty of time to dash the Hopes of New England.
Those Hopes were snuffed out just seconds later when Evan Longoria's home run in St. Pete eliminated the Red Sox and propelled the Rays into the postseason for the third time in four seasons.