ST. LOUIS, United States (AFP) - After 86 years of frustration and failure, the long-suffering Boston Red Sox are on the brink of ending their epic World Series title drought.
Pedro Martinez pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out six and retiring the final 14 batters he faced as Boston beat St. Louis 4-1 here Tuesday to seize a 3-0 lead in Major League Baseball's best-of-seven final.
"Pedro is the man out there," said Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez, who hit a solo homer in the first inning. "We have a lot of confidence in him. We know he is the best pitcher in the league. We know he can do everything out there."
For nearly an hour after the game, hundreds of devoted Red Sox fans chanted "One more win" in nearly empty Busch Stadium, many raising brooms to symbolize the sweep they hope their heroes complete in game four here Wednesday.
"The guys are going to be excited but not get up too much," said Derek Lowe, Boston's game four starting pitcher. "We don't want people to think this series is over. They are a great team and we don't expect them to lay down for us."
No team had ever rallied to win a playoff series after losing the first three games until last week. But Boston -- playing as if charmed rather than jinxed -- ousted the New York Yankees in the American League final with the greatest comeback in baseball history.
"It's big, but we learned our lesson against the Yankees," Ramirez said. "They have a good team out there. You have to keep grinding it out because anything can happen."
Of 20 clubs to lose the first three games of a World Series, 17 were swept and none ever forced a seventh game.
But the Red Sox know better than to be overconfident. One out from a title in 1986, Boston allowed the New York Mets to make a three-run rally and went on to lose the Series, one of four lost since a 1918 title. Two were to St. Louis.
"We won't get ahead of ourselves," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "We know we are going to have our hands full. We expect that."
Dominican right-hander Martinez, who turned 33 on Monday, made a triumphant Series debut that might also be his Red Sox farewell. But the free agent made a case why he should be rewarded with a big-money contract.
"My heart is with Boston," Martinez said. "I hope it's not the last one but if it is, I just want the fans to understand that I did whatever possible to represent the city and the team and that my heart will always be with them."
Untimely errors and unlikely homers have doomed the Red Sox before. But breaks have gone Boston's way this time, escaping dangerous situations without allowing a run and scoring 10 runs in the series with two outs in an inning.
As in the first two games, the Cardinals squandered golden opportunities, this time leaving the bases loaded in the first inning and failing to score with runners at second and third and none out in the third.
"You can't miss opportunities. You have to get to some of them first," said Cardinals manager Tony La Russa. "We're not stinking up the joint but we're not playing our best either. We're better than some of those pitches and plays."
Ramirez hit a first-inning solo homer, his 18th career playoff homer to equal Mickey Mantle and Reggie Jackson for second on the all-time list, four shy of leader Bernie Williams.
Ramirez, Bill Mueller and Trot Nixon also hit run-scoring singles. Ramirez stretched his playoff hit streak to 16 games, one shy of the record owned by New York Yankees' Derek Jeter from 1999 and Hank Bauer from 1958.
After two errors in Boston's game one triumph, Ramirez helped the Sox cause as a fielder, throwing out Larry Walker at home plate to end the first inning.
Red Sox closer Keith Foulkes surrendered a homer to Walker in the ninth inning but completed the victory to all but doom the hosts' title dream.

10/27/2004 - 05:38 GMT - AFP