Saturday night’s matchup between the Red Sox and Rangers looked intriguing on paper. Two big-name pitchers, Cliff Lee and John Lackey, were set to square off. Often times such a billing clouds one’s view going into a game and the ever so misleading “pitchers duel” tag becomes applied. The only problem with a “pitchers duel,” in theory, is that pitchers (at least in this league) don’t face one another. They face hitters, and the Red Sox had more than their hands full with Lee.

Of the three games the Sox have played with the Rangers in their four-game series this week, it appeared Lee would be their most difficult adversary. Entering the game with a 2.64 earned run average, the Red Sox would have to come up with something special to top the newly acquired Rangers ace and avoid losing three straight to begin the other side of the Midsummer Classic.

What they came up with – and one the eve of their 600th consecutive sellout at Fenway Park – was a 3-2 walkoff win that was perhaps their best game of the season and one in which they displayed every characteristic of a well-rounded team.  

The victory featured everything and then some, as many extra-inning affairs do. It had the pitching, and from every guy to toe the rubber. John Lackey (7 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO), despite what a bad sixth inning may lead you to believe, was the best he’s been as a member of the Red Sox. Three relievers – Daniel Bard, Jonathan Papelbon (2 IP), and winning pitcher Manny Delcarmen – combined for the final four innings of the game and collectively allowed just south of one hit. The lone runner to reach base on the bullpen’s watch was Michael Young, whom Bard walked to begin the eighth.  

Defense? Bill Hall, Adrian Beltre, and Kevin Youkilis all chipped in for an errorless night, including a diving play by Hall to stop a hard-hit Vladimir Guerrero grounder off Delcarmen in the 11th. Hall quickly recovered on the play with a subsequent throw to get the Rangers’ DH at first.

Small-ball? Darnell McDonald’s sacrifice bunts in the ninth and 11th innings both moved Marco Scutaro into scoring position, where he would eventually score from in each case. In the ninth, he scored the tying run on a Kevin Youkilis double, and in the eleventh he crossed the plate for the game-winner on a Youkilis sacrifice fly.

Power may be the only area in which the Red Sox lacked, but against Lee they might get a pass. Plus, the Sox would have had the game’s only homer if it weren’t for Nelson Cruz snagging a Mike Cameron shot headed for the Sox’ bullpen in the bottom of the 10th.

Lest anyone forget this season has been all about injuries and the rarity that has come with fielding a lineup that resembles anything close to what the team was envisioning back in spring. As the Sox look to slowly but surely get their guys back (Clay Buchholz should start on Wednesday in Oakland), thrusting a key reliever in Delcarmen right back into the thick of things served as a reminder of the returns Sox fans can expect as the disabled list becomes less populated.

“I definitely had a lot of adrenaline and [was] just excited to get out there and throwing strikes,” Delcarmen said. “ … I was just glad I got out there, just to get the first one out of the way.”

Delcarmen was one of four pitchers with exceptional performances for the Red Sox on Saturday, but had Lee not been on the bump for the Rangers, the talk following the game likely would have been about Lackey picking up a “W” in his seven strong innings. His one bad inning, in which he gave up both earned runs, was bounced back from nicely with a 1-2-3 seventh to end his night.

“Lackey was outstanding,” catcher Kevin Cash said after the win. “He talked to me before the game. Those guys are pretty familiar with him, just being in the [same] division for so long.

“I thought we had a approach to try to hide some breaking balls, that they have seen quite a few from him. And then he just pounded the zone with his fastball, worked some changeups. Even the two runs they scored off him – one I think was a broken bat, and the other was a jam-job also. They’re good hitters. You’ve got to keep mixing – you tip your hat to them – but for him to out [and throw that well], we needed that kind of performance to kind of give the bullpen a little relief.“

Perhaps just as significant in proving the strength of Saturday night’s win, in addition to the aforementioned endeavors, is just how difficult they were to attain. Not only was Lee (9 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, BB, 6 SO) so sensational that Red Sox manager Terry Francona called his outing “about as well-pitched a game you’re going to see,” but he was efficient. That meant that as Sox hitters headed back to the dugout after being retired by the lefty throughout the night, they did so having to assume they would be facing him again.

"You're definitely aware of the other guy on the other team," Lackey said of having to face Lee. "Obviously, Lee being a great pitcher, you know you’d better not give up too many."

Though the Red Sox were able to jump on Lee for a run in the first, they didn’t even get another hit until the ninth, which came in the form of a single up the middle from Scutaro.

By the end of the inning, which had seen the advancement of Scutaro via McDonald’s first bunt and the tying of the game on Youkilis’ double, Lee had finished just his second semi-challenging inning of the night, which consisted of a pair of hits and an intentional walk. He was only 105 pitches after nine innings and likely could have still troubled Red Sox hitters, as his fastball, which he used seemingly exclusively at times, hadn’t lost any velocity and still sat at around 92 miles per hour.

The Red Sox were not rewarded for weathering Lee’s storm with a slouch reliever they could promptly tag.  When they got to the bullpen, they got to a guy who had been nearly unhittable. Alexi Ogando entered the game with a 0.54 ERA, having allowed just one earned run in 17 2/3 innings. It took manufacturing, which is what the Red Sox were quite accustomed to doing after taking anything they could get for nine innings of Lee dominance. It took a walk (he’d had six in 17 2/3 innings entering the game) to Scutaro to get the ball rolling, and an Ogando error in both judgment and in throwing to put both Scutaro and McDonald in scoring position.

Youkilis’ sacrifice fly off Darren O’Day, who has held right-handers to a .148 average this season, has also been outstanding. The Sox’ only shred of luck on the night may have been the Ogando throw, but they worked with what they were given to secure a huge win off some big-time pitchers.

While it may not have been as flashy as the July 24, 2004 triumph over the Yankees, this victory could be one that is looked back on should the Red Sox make a strong run if they qualify for postseason play. One of the heroes of the night won’t look at it that way yet, however.

“We battled back, and this team’s done a great job of that all year,” said Youkilis. “…. To say this is bigger than most, no, but for us to battle all game and come back is always huge.”

Time will tell whether this victory proves to be a jumping off point or a win so inspiring, it sets them off with a full head of steam over their schedule’s rather difficult upcoming stretch. If any single game could do such a thing, however, Saturday night was a hell of a candidate.