NEW YORK - Curt Schilling was able to pitch the way he did Tuesday because of an unorthodox medical procedure to stabilize his right ankle.
One of the tendons in Schilling's right ankle is dislocated because the surrounding sheath is torn. The resulting problem is caused by the tendon moving in and out, preventing him from using the ankle to push off properly.
He had experimented with a custom-designed high-top shoe designed to keep the tendon in place.
Instead, the Red Sox medical staff essentially sewed the tendon into place.
"My tendon is out," Schilling said. "To avoid having it popping in and out, they sutured the skin down to something in between the two tendons to keep the tendon out. And it worked."
The procedure was done Monday. Schilling wore his usual low-top cleats to keep pressure off the area, but there was blood evident on his sock as he pitched.
THAT'S THE RULE: Once the umpires realized what Alex Rodriguez did on the controversial eighth-inning play, it didn't take them long to realize he should he called out.
Rodriguez swung his left arm and knocked the ball out of the glove of pitcher Bronson Arroyo, who was trying to tag him. When the ball came free, Derek Jeter raced home from first, thinking he had cut the Boston lead to 4-3, and Rodriguez moved to second.
But after a protest from Boston manager Terry Francona and a brief huddle, the umpires got it right, sending Jeter back to first and calling Rodriguez out.
"You could see Alex take a swipe at the ball," Francona said. "I just couldn't get on the field to say anything until the play was over."
Umpire Randy Marsh explained later that a runner "can not intentionally slap at a man trying to knock the ball out of his glove."
The Yankee Stadium fans responded by littering the field with garbage.
HOW'S THAT: This is the 10th time a pennant will be decided in a seventh game. The home team has won six of nine. ... Since April 2003, the Yankees and Red Sox have played 51 regular- and postseason games. The Red Sox lead 26-25. ... This is the third time a postseason series has featured three-game winning streaks by two teams. It also happened in the 1996 NLCS between Atlanta and St. Louis and the 2003 NLCS between Florida and Chicago.
STRONG WORDS: Gary Sheffield raised more than a few eyebrows with an assessment of the Red Sox that first appeared in Baseball Weekly then was reprinted, without attribution, by the Boston Herald on Monday.
Sheffield said the Red Sox were "a walking disaster. They act like they're tough, how they care so much about winning, but it's all a front. They're just a bunch of characters."
The Sox posted the item in their clubhouse; Sheffield told the Herald he never said it.
SHORT STOP: Nelson de la Rosa, the 29-inch Dominican actor who has become a friend of Pedro Martinez, was hanging around the Red Sox clubhouse again. Monday, he was posing for pictures with fans and charging $10 each until security personnel chased him off.
MISCELLANY: The last time there were back-to-back games of at least 12 innings in an LCS was 1986, when the Mets and Astros went overtime in Games 5 and 6. ... David Ortiz's mad dash to second in the 12th inning Monday was the result of a missed hit-and-run. ... While the rest of the Red Sox traveled to New York after Monday's game, Manny Ramirez and Orlando Cabrera received permission to travel on their own Tuesday morning. ... Bernie Williams' Game 5 home run was his 21st in the postseason, extending his record.
