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At the end of August, the Toronto Blue Jays determined Matt Stairs could not help their playoff aspirations this year or in the future.

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In the middle of October, the St. John, N.B., native put the Philadelphia Phillies on the brink of clinching their first World Series berth since 1993.

The 40-year-old's pinch hit, two-run home run in the top of the eighth inning off Los Angeles Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton gave the Phillies a come-from-behind 7-5 win in Game 4 and a 3-1 stranglehold in the best-of-seven series.

Stairs' home run provided a fitting end for a game that saw the two best regular season bullpens in the National League take turns trying to give the game away.

"It's probably a big reason why clubs get to this point in the season," said Dodgers manager Joe Torre of the two clubs respective bullpens before the game.

Perhaps, but not until Phillies closer Brad Lidge entered the game with two outs in the bottom of the eighth did either relief corps manage to hold a lead.

The right-hander, who went 41 for 41 in save opportunities, once again found trouble while converting his fifth consecutive save opportunity off the playoffs.

Manny Ramirez lined an opposite field double off Lidge and Montrealer Russell Martin reached first after striking out to give the Dodgers runners on the corners.

But Lidge retired James Loney on a fly ball to left to end the inning.

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That was enough for some in the famously early leaving Dodgers crowd start heading for the exits before Lidge made the result official in the bottom of the ninth.

Before Stairs took Broxton's 3-1 pitch over the wall in left, Philadelphia's Shane Victorino tied the game 5-5 with his own two-run home run off Dodgers reliever Cory Wade.

Philadelphia's four-run eighth erased the 5-3 lead L.A. built in the bottom of the sixth on Casey Blake's solo home run off Chad Durbin and Ryan Howard's throwing error.

Howard scored on a Chan Ho Park wild pitch to tie the game 3-3 in the top of the inning.

The Phillies had two runners on with two out when Andre Ethier's sliding catch of pinch hitter So Taguchi's dying quail held the Phillies to a lone run.

Ethier's catch loomed even larger when Blake's home run put L.A. up 4-3. Howard then threw away a sacrifice bunt attempt by Rafael Furcal to let another run score and give the home side a 5-3 lead.

Furcal running right through third base coach Larry Bowa's stop sign helped power the Dodgers to a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth.

The Dodgers hitter led off the inning with a walk and took second on Ethier's single before Ramirez rewarded a raucous Dodger Stadium crowd with a single to left.

Furcal ignoring Bowa tied the game 2-2 and let Ramirez extend to eight his record for consecutive LCS games with at least one RBI.

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Watch Boston Red Sox Game Online - ALS Series

Entering the post-season, the Boston Red Sox figured they were holding a pair of aces. But the upstart Tampa Bay Rays have turned up two trump cards of their own.

After battering Josh Beckett with home runs in Game 2, the Rays followed suit against Jon Lester. And once again, B.J. Upton and Evan Longoria forced the Red Sox to fold.

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Upton and Longoria each homered off Lester in the third inning, launching the Rays to a 9-1 victory and a 2-1 lead in the American League Championship Series.

Tampa Bay capped the rout with two late homers - a three-run blast by Rocco Baldelli in the eighth and a solo shot by Carlos Pena in the ninth.

Technically, the Rays gained back home-field advantage. Even if Boston wins the next two here, the best-of-seven series would return to Florida. But without saying it out loud, the relaxed, confident Rays - needing two more wins for a World Series berth - are hoping they can pull off a miracle in Fenway Park.

"Nobody thought we'd win like this," Carl Crawford said.

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Added Longoria: "I think in our minds we wanted to steal one out of here. I don't like to give anybody too much credit, but we didn't really think it was going to be this one, at least I didn't. Just from the way [Lester has] pitched in previous starts, he feeds off energy in this ball park, and we were able to kind of suck the energy right out from the get-go."

For all their offensive heroics, the Rays also got splendid pitching from starter Matt Garza and two relievers. Garza worked six-plus innings and allowed one run on six hits.

"Garza is the main reason why we won that game," manager Joe Maddon said. "I really believe in that. The starting pitching sets the tone. Him doing what he did tonight permitted us to get into the flow of the game, get some runs and then maintain. He did not permit them to come back."

After Upton and Longoria keyed a four-run third inning, Crawford said he feared the vaunted Boston lineup might retaliate. Garza shut down the Sox in the third and through the sixth.

"When he put up a zero [in the third], I started feeling good about it," Crawford said.

Garza compiled an 11-7 record and 3.70 ERA after coming to Tampa Bay in a critical trade with Minnesota. The 24-year-old right-hander joined James Shields, Scott Kazmir, Sonnanstine and Edwin Jackson in the Rays precocious rotation.

Meanwhile, Baldelli, who hails from nearby Rhode Island, was once a long shot even to play in the post-season. He missed much of the season with a rare disease that causes general fatigue and inhibits muscle recovery.

The Rays' four homers tied an ALCS record, logged most recently by the Red Sox in Tampa Bay's 9-8 win Saturday night.

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