By JIMMY GOLEN
-- BOSTON (AP) — Framber Valdez lost his perfect game in the fifth inning and then bounced the next pitch off the batter’s leg.
Astros manager Dusty Baker headed for the mound.
“It was surprising more than anything,” Valdez said, noting that a visit from the manager usually means his night is over. “The first thing I did was look back to the bullpen to see if anyone was out there. I saw nobody was there.
“He just came out and told me ... ‘You know what you’re doing out here, so just breathe,’” Valdez said. “He gave me the confidence to get out of the inning.”
And much more than that.
Perfect through four, the Houston left-hander took a two-hit shutout into the seventh and became the first pitcher this postseason to complete eight innings, leadin
