Look back at some of the moments that have led to the Red Sox’ historic September swoon.
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John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
The Red Sox' slide began on Sept. 1 in a 4-2 loss to the Yankees. An incredulous Adrian Gonzalez watched a called third strike as the Yankees and their fans celebrated a series win at Fenway.
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Barry Chin/Globe Staff
Andrew Miller was roughed up by the Rangers for six runs in 1 1/3 innings on Sept. 2 as Texas opened a three-game series with a 10-0 win. The Red Sox surrendered first place in the AL East to the Yankees with the loss
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Barry Chin/Globe Staff
Carl Crawford provided the weekend's biggest hit with a fourth-inning grand slam on Sept. 3 that helped power a 12-7 win against the Rangers.
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Winslow Townson/AP
In the series finale on Sept. 4, the Rangers battered starter John Lackey and reliever Felix Doubront (shown) for nine runs in the first 5 1/3 innings.
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Matthew J. Lee/Globe staff
When the Rangers left town, Dustin Pedroia and the Red Sox had fallen 1 1/2 games behind the Yankees in the AL East and were eight games ahead of the Rays.
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Fred Thornhill/REUTERS
A day game on Sept. 5 in Toronto proved unlucky for the Red Sox and David Ortiz. The team lost starter Josh Beckett to a sprained ankle in the fourth inning.
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Darren Calabrese/AP/CP
The day ended with Dan Wheeler surrendering a walkoff home run to Brett Lawrie in the 11th inning of a 1-0 loss.
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The Red Sox got one back on Sept. 6 when they beat up on the Blue Jays 14-0.
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Darren Calabrese/AP/CP
Daniel Bard blew an 8-6 lead on Sept. 7 when he allowed five runs in the eighth inning of an 11-10 loss. It would be the first of his three losses over eight days.
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Fred Thornhill/REUTERS
The Blue Jays stymied Ortiz and the Red Sox 7-4 in the series finale on Sept. 8. The lead over the Rays shrank to 6 1/2 games with the Red Sox headed to Tampa. The seeds of a potentially historic comeback by the Rays began to take root.
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Ortiz went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and the Red Sox managed just six hits as the Rays buoyed their playoff chances with a 7-2 win on Sept. 9.
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More disappointment was in store for the Red Sox on Sept. 10 when a ninth-inning comeback that forced extra innings was wasted when the Rays turned a leadoff triple in the 11th into a 6-5 win.
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Terry Renna/AP
B.J. Upton's grand slam fueled a 9-1 win in the series finale on Sept. 11, and the Rays closed the gap in the playoff race to 3 1/2 games.
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Terry Renna/AP
Panic began to set in around Red Sox Nation as a playoff spot that once looked certain began to seem in doubt. Rays manager Joe Maddon said there was a "message" sent to Terry Francona's team.
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Yoon S. Byun/Globe Staff
The panic came to a halt when the Red Sox returned to Fenway on Sept. 13 and beat up on the Blue Jays 18-6. Pedroia's three-run home run in the sixth inning was one of the key hits.
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Yoon S. Byun/Globe Staff
The win against the Blue Jays also marked the long-awaited 200th victory for Tim Wakefield, who had waited 51 days since his 199th.
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Barry Chin/Globe Staff
The Red Sox could not follow up with a win on Sept. 14, however. Bard again imploded when he blew a 4-2 lead by allowing three runs in the eighth inning.
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Barry Chin/Globe Staff
Josh Reddick struck out in the ninth inning of the 5-4 loss to the Blue Jays. The lead over the Rays shrank to four games, with Tampa coming to town for a four-game series.
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John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
The slump continued for Pedroia and the Red Sox when the Rays arrived. Rookie starter Kyle Weiland was rocked for four runs in three innings en route to a 9-2 Tampa win.
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Tampa's Evan Longoria, left, hit a three-run home run to key the victory for the surging Rays. Afterward, he celebrated with Upton.
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Charles Krupa/AP
Carl Crawford went 0-for-3 in the loss to his former team.
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Barry Chin/Globe Staff
The Red Sox finally beat the Rays on Sept. 16 as Beckett returned to the rotation. Jonathan Papelbon closed out the 4-3 win.
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Barry Chin/Globe Staff
The bad breaks returned on Sept. 17, however, when the Rays beat Pedroia and the Red Sox 4-3.
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Barry Chin/Globe Staff
Maddon, left, congratulated his team and said that while he was disappointed they wouldn't sweep, he would be content taking three of the four games in the series.
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Yoon S. Byun/Globe Staff
Maddon's wish came true when the Rays defeated Mike Aviles and the Red Sox 8-5 on Sept. 18 to cut the playoff lead to just two games.
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Jim Davis/Globe Staff
The Red Sox got no relief in the opener of a doubleheader with the Orioles on Sept. 19. Ortiz slammed his helmet in frustration after a controversial call denied the Red Sox a run in a game they'd lose 6-5.
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The Red Sox finally stopped their skid in the nightcap, however, when a seven-run seventh powered an 18-9 win. A grand slam by Conor Jackson, center, was the big hit in the inning.
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Papelbon reflected in the dugout after he blew a 5-4 lead to the Orioles in a 7-5 loss on Sept. 20.
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Barry Chin/Globe Staff
A dejected Alfredo Aceves lingered in the Red Sox dugout after surrendering a hit that delivered the go-ahead runs in a 6-4 loss to the Orioles on Sept. 21.
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Ray Stubblebine/REUTERS
Ortiz slumped back to the dugout after grounding out in the seventh inning of a 9-1 loss to the Yankees on Sept. 24.
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Bill Kostroun/AP
Jacoby Ellsbury, left, Jason Varitek, center, and Pedroia watched as the Yankees ran away with the opener of a doubleheader on Sept. 25. The Red Sox lost 6-2.
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Ray Stubblebine/REUTERS
Ellsbury stopped the Red Sox' losing streak with a three-run home run in the 14th inning of the nightcap on Sept. 25. The win left the Red Sox just one game up on the Rays in the wild-card race.
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The Red Sox' lead in the playoff race evaporated when they headed back to the visitors' dugout at Camden Yards after a 6-3 loss to the Orioles on Sept. 26. The Rays' corresponding win against the Yankees brought them into a tie for the wild card.
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Jim Davis/Globe Staff
Rookie catcher Ryan Lavarnway finally injected life into the Red Sox with two home runs and a crucial ninth-inning defensive play as the Red Sox hung on for an 8-7 win on Sept. 27.
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Patrick Semansky/AP
Mike Aviles watched as the Orioles celebrated dooming the Red Sox' postseason hopes with a walkoff 4-3 win in the regular-season finale on Sept. 28.
