By Peter Abraham, Globe Staff

PHILADELPHIA — The Red Sox had their first baseman in right field on Saturday night and their designated hitter took a rare turn at first base despite a case of stomach flu.

The catcher played a day after he got knocked in the side of the head with a ball and needed 12 stitches to piece together his left ear.

There was a rookie at third base, an independent league discovery in left field and the bench was short a player because of an injury.

The starting pitcher had a sore back.

Oh, and they were playing on the road against a team with the longest active win streak in the game.

“It was very entertaining,” said David Ortiz after the Red Sox found a way to beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 7-5.

Ortiz, the reluctant first baseman with a queasy stomach, hit a two-run homer. The rookie, Will Middlebrooks, had a solo shot. So did the catcher with the mangled ear, Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

Mike Aviles led off the game with a home run and started three double plays from shortstop. Adrian Gonzalez, playing right field for the fourth time in his career, made two nice catches.

The Sox also benefited from one of the best defensive plays of the season, a spectacular diving catch by center fielder Ryan Sweeney in the seventh inning that saved two runs.

“That was a complete ball game,” said manager Bobby Valentine, whose team has won seven of its last nine games and is starting to develop a likable personality.

“It was a good win for us tonight to be able to grind that one out and be on top,” said Jon Lester, who went six innings for the win despite a sore back. Vicente Padilla, Rich Hill and Alfredo Aceves closed it out.

How about that trio? Padilla came to spring training on a minor league deal. Hill was on the disabled list recovering from surgery and Aceves was trying to make the rotation. But they’re the core of a bullpen that has become pretty reliable.

The Phillies had 15 hits but stranded 11 runners on base. They were 2 for 12 with runners in scoring position.

Ortiz was the last player out of the clubhouse after the game, moving slowly after having tumbled over Philadelphia first baseman Hector Luna trying to leg out a single in the third inning. That left him with a sore hip.

But Big Papi hung in until Gonzalez returned to first base for the ninth inning. It was that kind of night for the Sox.

“This our team. At times we’re flashy but we’re not a flashy team,” Lester said. “We have grind everything out and that’s what we’re figuring out about ourselves. We have to bust our ass to the end.

“We’re playing good baseball now and starting to develop an identity There were a lot of moving parts but we’re figuring out ways to get it done.”

The moment had finally arrived. It had not looked like coming but it was here at last. As so often in Bayern’s glory era of the 1970s, it was a Muller who supplied the golden moment. This time it was Thomas and not Gerd. Bavaria’s hero was given a standing ovation as he left the field. Home field advantage had finally told.

Yet an hour later, it was Chelsea who were European champions and not Bayern Munich. Like Lothar Matthaeus in 1999, Muller had left the field to celebrate his moment of glory with the fans. It was presumptuous, and it was a decision that did not take Didier Drogba into account.

Bayern had again suffered the type of smash and grab they endures in the Camp Nou and when being beaten by FC Porto in the 1987 final. Bitter memories of Ole Gunnar Solksjaer and Rabah Madjer can be joined by the Ivorian when Bayern fans awake in the night to consider the hot flush of repeated failure. Bayern have now lost five times in the European Cup/Champions League final, and while the manner of this defeat was not quite the jolt to the heart of those previous horror nights, it will register as a slow lingering death of a dream. Their own home will now be where the heartache is.

Drogba’s crashing headed equaliser on 88 minutes had ruined a night’s celebrations already. And it was his penalty that sealed Chelsea’s destiny, and realised the dreams of himself, his team-mates, their fans, the owner who has plunged the GDP of a small country into the club and also the city of London, which has its first continental champion after 57 years of the European Cup.

Pure willpower and doggedness have been this team’s key to a success few could have predicted when Andre Villas-Boas was sacked midway through a last-16 tie with Napoli. Roman Abramovich will have to wait for his team to delight the world with flowing football. Instead, he can rejoice in a project completed. Money can buy you what you want after all, and patience was not a virtue. Should he choose this juncture to make his first public appearance since arriving in football in the summer of 2003, the Russian may offer that firing ‘AVB’ led directly to European success.

It was not quite Istanbul in 2005, since Chelsea did not have to haul back a three-goal deficit but the new champions’ run has been similar to that of Liverpool seven years ago. Written off, unloved, unfancied against supposedly superior opponents in each round, they have battled their way to primacy, embracing drama along the way.

This may not register as a classic final where two worlds collide to produce for the purist but it made up for that in its storyline. From the moments when Bayern began to snatch at chances rather too early, it was clear which side possessed the greater vulnerability of psyche. If Chelsea could hang on for long enough then this could be their night.

Bayern may often have cut Chelsea into ribbons but the heroism of their defence, with Ashley Cole putting in the greatest performance of a career of consistent excellence, kept them in the game. It also helped that Bayern’s frontline was faltering. Mario Gomez once again failed to prove that he is a striker of top grade, blowing both of Bayern’s best first-half chances.

Time and again, Chelsea’s flanks were exposed, only for Bayern to run out of ideas when the chance came to get the ball in the middle. Perhaps they were put off by a home crowd whose own anxiety was apparent. Whenever a chance looked on, it was greeted with a near wail of want and desire for the fairy story to get back on track. It began to look like home disadvantage as hysteria crept ever higher.

And then there was Arjen Robben, When missing an extra-time penalty, given for a foul on Franck Ribery by who else but Drogba, his nerve failed him once more on the grandest of occasions – just as it did when he blew a golden chance to win the 2010 World Cup for his country. Given the footballing cliché that Germans are unimpeachable on penalties, why didn’t one of them take it? His effort was poor and all too saveable for Petr Cech: another name set to be writ in Stamford Bridge legend.

The answer arrived during the shoot-out. It was apparent that Bastian Schweinsteiger would miss during his run-up. Whichever thought he had in his mind about taking Bayern’s fifth penalty slipped from his head and he shuffled up to the ball and hit it against the post with Cech diving the right way and perhaps getting his fingertips to the ball.

Drogba had his chance for redemption. His sending off had lost Chelsea the chance to see off Manchester United in Moscow in 2008, and he also missed a normal time penalty in this year’s African Nations Cup final. This time, he converted with a flourish off a short run, with what may be his last kick in a Chelsea shirt. Though he will be missed, few could hold it against him if he chose to bow out in such a fashion.

He will rightly assume centre stage, though the heroes are legion. Frank Lampard’s calm in midfield bought flagging team-mates respite time and again, while the manager must take huge credit too.

Roberto Di Matteo’s tactics had frustration in mind for Bayern. The selection of Ryan Bertrand will go down as a masterstroke, the young man as a hero, for a selfless 73 minutes of running the channel that would prevent Philipp Lahm getting forward down Bayern’s right flank.

Di Matteo was never an Avram Grant, his Chelsea playing career had seen to that. He now has something to prove he is not a Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti or Guus Hiddink. He has something over them now; he has achieved his boss’ heart’s desire. Fifteen months ago, he was sacked by West Bromwich Albion. Now, whatever happens with Chelsea, he is able to be considered a candidate for the elite.

The rhythms of Abramovich, where almost every season sees a new man brought in to bring him his prize, have been disrupted by the achievement of his ultimate goal. Chelsea are champions of Europe.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Ashley Cole. Drogba will take the headlines but Cole provided him the foundation with his leadership of an inexperienced defensive unit. He was to be found throwing himself in front of Bayern shots all night, and his shoot-out penalty was slotted with poise. He may shun the limelight these days but he deserves it.

CHELSEA VERDICT: They were not pretty, they may have rode their luck, but their name is on the trophy due to a performance that offered grit and belief throughout all of its departments. Cech excelled, as did a rag-tag defence, a polished but hard-working midfield and then there was Drogba.

BAYERN VERDICT: They may now wish to return to play at the Olympiastadion and abandon the Allianz Arena for this was an evening which will ever be remembered as traumatic. Snatched chances, the wastefulness of both Robben and Ribery and the defending of Drogba’s goal will all compete for the most painful moment. They dominated possession but could not control their own minds.

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Lundqvist Blanks Devils

NEWARK, N.J. — His shot isn’t the hardest.

His legs aren’t the fastest.

And his hands might not be the softest.

So what is it that allows New York Rangers center Brad Richards to routinely pull off the heroic?

Let’s call it something like heart, because when the Rangers have absolutely, positively needed an important offensive play this spring, Richards has invariably been at the heart of that play.

It is not just uncanny, it is downright spooky.

It was so again on Saturday afternoon in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.

After splitting the first two games of the series, the Devils and Rangers were tied going into the third period for the third straight game, this time it was a scoreless game. A couple strong early shifts by Richards’ line generated quality scoring chances, including one Richards shot that bounced off the crossbar behind New Jersey Devils netminder Martin Brodeur, which Richards initially believed had gone in the net.

Shortly after, the Rangers drew a penalty. On the ensuing power play, Richards cleanly won the draw from Patrik Elias and sent it back to Dan Girardi, who hammered home what would prove to be the winning goal in a 3-0 Rangers victory.

The Rangers now lead the Devils 2-1 in the conference finals with Game 4 set for Newark on Monday night.

“Last game we came into the period tied and they kind of stormed us in the third period and got a goal right away,” Richards said Saturday. “We talked about that that wasn’t going to happen tonight. We didn’t know if it was going to happen our way but we didn’t want them to come out and jump on us again.”

Like Game 1 — also won by the Rangers 3-0 thanks to three third-period goals — Game 3 was up for anyone’s taking.

New Jersey coach Peter DeBoer wasn’t prepared to concede that those early shifts were difference-makers.

“When you lose a game like this, where we out-chance and outplay the other team for long stretches, easy to look at it under a microscope and say, ‘Oh, boy, they played two great shifts here and that was the difference in the game,’” he said.

“We strung together six or seven great shifts. We didn’t capitalize on it. That’s the story of the game. So, you know, we had opportunities. If we find a way to score one in the first two periods, it’s a different game. We didn’t. Can’t feel sorry for yourself, you’ve got to move on.”

He’s right, but on this day the clutch players for the Devils — Ilya Kovalchuk, who missed a number of glorious chances, and captain Zach Parise — did not deliver.

Richards did.

There’s always danger when you sign a big-time free agent with the anticipation he can replicate his glorious history. History tells you he is capable of greatness, but there are never any guarantees such greatness will be replicated.

The Rangers, who fended off competition from teams such as Toronto, Calgary and Los Angeles to sign Richards to a nine-year, $60 million contract last July, are getting exactly what they’d hoped from the 32-year-old native of Prince Edward Island.

The man who won a Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 1994 is tied for fourth among all NHLers with 13 points. He leads the league in power-play points in the playoffs with eight and is tied for fourth with six playoff goals.

“His vision is extraordinary,” national analyst and longtime NHL netminder Glenn Healy told ESPN.com. “He makes plays that you don’t expect, that you don’t anticipate. He’s a game-breaker for sure.”

Healy won a Stanley Cup with the Rangers in 1994 playing with one of the best game-breakers in the history of the game, Mark Messier.

On a team that has now gone 16 straight games without scoring more than three times in any contest, Richards acts as a human counterbalance, constantly tipping the scales in the Rangers’ favor.

He scored a crucial power-play goal against Ottawa when the Rangers needed to win two games in a row to stay alive in the first round. In the second round against Washington, he set up the triple-overtime winner in Game 3, scored to tie Game 5 with 6.6 seconds left in regulation and then scored one of the Rangers’ two goals in Game 7.

Now he adds his key assist in Saturday’s Game 3 to that list of clutch performances.

Not that this has all been a bowl of cherries for Richards, who began his NHL career in Tampa playing for his current coach, John Tortorella.

“I’ve known him since he was a kid,” Tortorella said Saturday. “You could see that he had that intangible as a young player. He makes big plays at big times.

“Obviously, we went after him pretty hard during the summer. And again, it hasn’t [been] smooth for him. He has had some struggles along the way here in the regular season and in the playoffs. … I don’t think he played that well in the first two games of this series but found a way to get involved in some big stuff tonight. And not only offensively, he made some big defensive plays at key times.”

Richards obviously relishes these moments, this stage, and that isn’t lost for a moment on his teammates.

“He’s a leader, that’s just the way it is. He’s probably been the go-to guy his entire life,” said linemate Carl Hagelin, who has played with Richards and Marian Gaborik for most of this postseason.

“He’s always that guy you look up to when it’s a close situation, when it’s a tie, when it’s overtime. He seems to play his best hockey when the game is on the line.”

Captain Ryan Callahan said Richards’ play reinforces why the Rangers felt it was so important to bring him into the fold last summer.

“It’s huge for our team,” Callahan said. “I think that’s one of the main reasons why we bring him in here. He’s won a Cup before. He knows what it takes. He plays big in these situations. To have a guy in here that you know is going to step up in a big moment or score that big goal, it gives the whole room confidence. You know he’s there to make that big play.”

Callahan collected an assist on the Rangers’ second goal and scored into an empty net in Game 3.

For Richards, the challenge of being able to elevate, to deliver in the moments that help decide a team’s playoff fate, is a powerful motivator.

“They get bigger and better and they’re more fun,” Richards said. “It’s just the way it is because you see the window closing and you need wins or it’s over. I don’t think it’s just me. I think there’s a lot of players that know these games are a great opportunity. I look at them as just fun opportunities, nothing more than that.

“When it’s over I’ll never have anything like it again to be able to feel that feeling. We talk about that in here with our young guys. It’s the best thing you can have as a hockey player is playing in these games. Win or lose they’re always fun, better when you win, obviously.”

Just don’t try to get him to discuss what it is that allows him his current standing as Mr. Clutch of the Rangers.

“Yeah, I don’t know,” Richards responded. “That’s for you to write about. I’m not going to talk about that. I don’t want to jinx it.”

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Scott Burnside

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• Hockey writer for ESPN.com
• 10 years at Toronto Sun, Windsor Star and National Post
• Wrote best-selling true crime book “Deadly Innocence”