DETROIT_David Ortiz's last game at Comerica Park is likely Sunday unless the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox somehow meet in the playoffs.
Thank goodness.
The future Hall of Famer hit a two-run homer between the 2 hours and 31 minutes of rain delays as the Red Sox put more distance between themselves and the Tigers in a 3-2 victory.
Miguel Cabrera had a chance for heroics in the bottom of the eighth with two on and two out, but Boston went to its closer, Craig Kimbrel, who got Cabrera to line to leftfield for the third out.
In the ninth, Justin Upton hit a long fly ball to straight away centerfield that landed a few inches below the top of the wall and just out of the reach of Jackie Bradley Jr. Upton thought he homered to tie the game, but had to settle for a double. Kimbrel got Casey McGehee to strike out and end the game.
Since the team cancelled the postgame fireworks, Ortiz's bomb proved to be the biggest explosion of the night besides J.D. Martinez's bomb in the seventh. He had three hits, increasing his average to .321.
"He's a clutch hitter," said Tigers manager Brad Ausmus before the game. "He's a much better hitter now than he was in Minnesota. In Boston, he has been the man."
After a 1 hour, 20 minute rain delay before first pitch, Daniel Norris quickly got the first two outs before Ortiz, who was honored before the game by the Tigers, beat the shift for an infield single and Mookie Betts followed with a single to pose a threat.
However, Norris got a fielder's choice play at third to end the inning.
J.D. Martinez extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a single to lead off the third, but Upton struck out on three pitches.
Norris ran into trouble again in the third when Dustin Pedroia and Zander Bogaerts singled, bringing up Ortiz with no outs. He lined a single to center to load the bases for Betts.
Betts bounced into a 6-4-3 double play, scoring a run to give the Red Sox an early lead.
Norris got out of further damage when Ian Kinsler made a great play on a grounder by Bradley to get the speedy runner at first.
In the bottom of the third, James McCann became eighth Tiger to reach double-digits in home runs when he sent one into the leftfield seats for his 10th homer of the season to tie the game, 1-1.
Being the thankful guest, Ortiz sent a moon shot into the right field seats on an 0-1 pitch with Bagaerts on second to give the Red Sox a 3-1 lead.
It was Ortiz' 1,500th RBI as a member of the Red Sox. Ortiz has hit 36 homers off Tigers' pitching. It was his 29th of the season.
Upton ended his 0-for-14 slump with a single in the bottom of the fifth.
Before the start of the sixth, teams had to wait through a second long rain delay, 1 hour, 11 minutes, Alex Wilson came on in relief of Norris, who surrendered three runs, eight hits and two walks over five innings.
Boston starter Drew Pomeranz threw just 51 pitches in five innings, 39 for strikes, and picked up his 10th win of the season.
Martinez made it 3-2 with a long home run to deep, deep leftfield, 431-feet, on the first pitch Heath Hembree. It was Martinez' 18th of the season, and is now hitting .317.
