Boston, MA (SportsNetwork.com) - Shane Victorino is no stranger to dramatic postseason home runs. On Saturday night, the outfielder with the "Flyin' Hawaiian" moniker sent the Boston Red Sox on their way to the World Series. Victorino crushed a grand slam over the Green Monster in the bottom of the seventh inning, lifting the Red Sox to a 5-2 win over the Detroit Tigers in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series. Boston was down a run heading into the seventh with Cy Young front-runner Max Scherzer (0-1) still on the mound for the Tigers. However, Scherzer gave way to Detroit's perceived season-long vice, the bullpen, with two men aboard and one out in the inning. Jonny Gomes opened the frame with a double that scraped the top of the towering left-field wall and youngster Xander Bogaerts drew a one- out walk. Drew Smyly relieved Scherzer and induced Jacoby Ellsbury to hit a possible double-play grounder. However, ex-Red Sox shortstop Jose Iglesias couldn't cleanly field the roller up the middle and his error loaded the bases. Detroit manager Jim Leyland then summoned Jose Veras from the bullpen and the right-hander threw three consecutive curveballs, the last of which Victorino blasted to left field for his second career postseason grand slam. Victorino hit the other five years ago off CC Sabathia in Game 2 of the NLDS while playing for the Philadelphia Phillies. He joined Jim Thome as the only two players in major league history with multiple grand slams in the playoffs. The defending AL champion Tigers went down quietly over the final two innings. Boston reliever Craig Breslow tossed a 1-2-3 eighth, and Koji Uehara, the ALCS MVP, finished things off in the ninth by fanning Iglesias for his third save of the series and fifth of the postseason. Boston is headed to the Fall Classic for the third time since 2004 and will face the St. Louis Cardinals beginning Wednesday at Fenway Park.
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