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For The Fifth Time In Six Years, The Red Sox Return To The Post-Season
By Administrator | September 24, 2008
The success of recent Red Sox teams is unprecedented in franchise history.
It began when John Henry, Tom Werner and Larry Luchhino purchased the team… it continued when they hired Theo Epstein to be their General Manager… and it remains constant in spite of turnover in the lineup and the rotation.
Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield have been consistent contributors throughout ALL of the winning seasons (dating back to 2003).
David Ortiz and Curt Schilling came in 2004 and have been a part of both World Series championships.
Over the next few years, Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Coco Crisp and J D Drew were acquired through trade or free agency and have won a ring… while, young players like Kevin Youkilis, Jonathan Papelbon, Jon Lester, Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury were promoted through the minor league system and earned a little bling of their own.
During the next month, newly acquired outfielders Jason Bay and Mark Kotsay, and rookies Justin Masterson and Jed Lowrie, will have the opportunity to create their own post-season legacies… that’s because the Red Sox are now OFFICIALLY returning to the post-season, courtesy of their 5-4 victory over the Cleveland Indians this evening at Fenway Park.
Maybe the new guys will help the old guys produce the franchise’s first back-to-back championships since 1915-16.
Tonight, Wakefield scuffled through a rough (four-run) fifth inning… but he persevered and managed to hang around long enough to earn his tenth win of the season. The Red Sox bats came to life and took him off the hook, battering soon-to-be-named Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee for five runs in seven innings of work… dropping the southpaw’s record to an amazing 22-3 with one start remaining (on Sunday).
The Sox jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning on Kevin Youkilis’ 27th home run of the season, but the Indians came right back with four runs in the next half-inning courtesy of a hit-by-pitch, two singled and a pair of rbi-doubles. The resilient Red Sox responded with three runs of their own in the bottom of the frame… MVP-candidate Pedroia drove a two-run double into left field to tie the game, and Bay ripped the game-winning single into center field.
But Cleveland did not go quietly. They threatened to spoil the Red Sox impending celebration when they loaded the bases in both the seventh and eighth innings. Southpaw Hideki Okajima induced an inning-ending foul pop to end the seventh inning. Closer Jonathan Papelbon ended the eighth inning with one pitch (a ground out by infielder Jamey Carroll), and then mowed the Indians down in the ninth (two strikeouts and a pop out) to earn his 41st save.
And then came the celebration — which was highlighted by Papelbon lifting the bases off their anchors and handing them to fans in the stands.
After the game, an enthusiastic Bay said: “I feel like a kid, jumping around spraying champagne with all these guys. It’s been a different journey for me. I’m a first timer, but I can definitely get used to it… When I got called into the (manager’s) office the day I was traded, I remember them saying to me, ‘Thanks for all you did for us. Now go win a ring’. It finally paid off”.
Post-season hero David Ortiz sounded the team’s warning to the other playoff teams in both leagues: “We’re dangerous in the playoffs, everybody knows that”.
As he was serenaded with chants of “MVP! MVP!”, Dustin Pedroia said: “A lot of guys went down and we found a way to get into the playoffs to defend our title. We have a chance to do what we did last year, and that’s all we were looking for — an opportunity”.
It likely will all start next week in The City of Angels.
Topics: Sox Games, Sox Players |
