One Game Away by Jared Carrabis
Red Sox Force Game 7

Game 7, we meet again. It’s a strange relationship you and I have. Although you give us the most uncomfortable and unsettling of feelings that the human body can experience, you have the power to deliver the most amazing feeling of exhilaration that most anyone could ever feel. The Red Sox may have changed their appearance a little since the last time we’ve met, but don’t led our identity misguide you, our intentions are still the same. We may have a bittersweet past (’46, ’67, ’75, ’86, ’03) but we’ve recently been starting to turn a new page in this relationship (2004, 2007). On Sunday night, October 19, 2008 the Red Sox will renew their acquaintances with you and the team and its fans are playing the role of John McCain by looking for more of the same.

Down three games to one in the series, down seven to nothing in the seventh inning of Game 5, the Red Sox are dead even with the Tampa Bay Rays with a decisive Game 7 on the horizon. Let me repeat myself, I said these two teams are dead even in this series. It may not feel that way after the Rays outscored the Red Sox by such a large margin in their series victories, but let me be the one to remind you that it only takes one more run than your opposition to win a ballgame and four wins in the series to move on to the World Series. If this were a competition to see who could win three games the quickest by hitting the most home runs, then congratulations and we tip our caps.

Unfortunately for Tampa Bay, that is not the case. With all eyes on Josh Beckett in Game 6 of the 2008 American League Championship Series, the thoughts and concerns floating around Red Sox Nation since the conclusion of the miracle comeback in Game 5 were concerning the health of Josh Beckett. Questions asked, Beckett answered. Although the right-hander could not avoid running into more problems with the long ball against Tampa Bay, he kept the two home runs allowed to solo shots.

In the top of the first (with Red Sox Nation in the dark thanks to a blackout at TBS), BJ Upton blasted a 92 MPH fastball off the C-ring catwalk in left field for a solo shot. Just like that, the Rays were out in front early again. The Boston offense was not going to give Tampa Bay the chance to build any confidence. They did not give Scott Shields the chance to settle in and they did not give the Rays offense any indication that they were going to run away with a win in Game 6. Kevin Youkilis got that run right back in the top half of the second inning with a solo shot into the seats in left-center to tie the game right back up.

Josh Beckett settled in nicely and his Game 6 start did not mirror the start that he had in Game 2 that saw him give up lead after lead. Beckett was determined to force a Game 7 and made his presence felt by commanding the strike zone. Keep in mind that Josh Beckett is pitching in pain, he is not going to be overpowering guys like you are used to seeing him do every fifth day. Imagine him to be almost like our Curt Schilling of 2004. One of the greatest postseason pitchers of all time, clearly in pain but toughing it out and being effective when his team needs him the most.

Instead of overpowering the Rays offense, Beckett worked all of his pitches on all corners of the plate and pitched his way through the Tampa lineup. The only two mistakes Beckett made on the night were hit out of the ballpark but again, they were solo home runs. Jason Bartlett tagged a hanging breaking ball in the bottom of the fifth for a home run after only hitting one home run all season long.

Manager Terry Francona made the correct decision by lifting Beckett after five innings of work. The right-hander threw 78 pitches in his outing before giving way to Hideki Okajima. The native of Japan was flawless out of the Boston bullpen hurling two innings of no-hit shutout baseball. Meanwhile “Big Game” James Shields came out for the sixth inning unlike his counterpart, Josh Beckett. In that sixth inning, Shields faced the 0-for-14, Jason Varitek. On a 2-0 count, the captain unloaded on an 89 MPH fastball and launched it on a line into the stands in right-center field. Which brings me to my next point: how does a guy that has only been on a team that had a winning season once in the history of it’s existence and now has an 0-2 record in the biggest series in the history of the team get a nickname like “Big Game James”?

Anyway, the Red Sox were not done in the top of the sixth inning. Shields followed up the home run to Varitek by giving up a single to Coco Crisp and that was the night for “Big Game James”. The losing pitcher of Game 5, JP Howell, came out of the Rays bullpen to face Dustin Pedroia with two outs. With a 2-1 count, Pedroia rolled a grounder out to Jason Bartlett who airmailed the throw almost out of play allowing Coco Crisp to advance to third on the throw. The legendary October designated hitter, David Ortiz, came to the plate and roped a breaking ball into center field to bring Crisp in from third, 4-2 Red Sox.

The lights out Red Sox bullpen smothered the Rays offense not giving up a single hit since the departure of Josh Beckett. Two scoreless from Hideki Okajima built the bridge to Justin Masterson who also did not give up a head in his scoreless eighth inning. With a two-run lead, Terry Francona opened up the bullpen gate for who else but Jonathan Papelbon. The Boston closer has yet to surrender a run in his illustrious postseason career and it would be no different in Game 6. Three up, three down and we have a Game 7 to be played on Sunday night. This is it, this is where you lay it all on the line and leave it all on the field. Both of these two amazingly talented teams will be playing like there is no tomorrow.

The Red Sox have now one nine straight elimination games in ALCS play, a Major League record. To win their tenth straight, they will send the ace of their staff to the mound in Jon Lester. Rays fans will see his last outing as a good sign that he is beatable and will get optimism out of his Game 3 start. Red Sox fans, you should see his Game 3 start as the fluke outing that he just needed to get out of his system. He is far too great of a pitcher to fail in this Game 7. Jon Lester will also be pitching on an extra day’s rest, which is a huge advantage this late in the season. The media can talk all about how Lester has thrown too many innings this season, but last time I checked, no Rays pitcher has ever pitched this many innings either. No excuses, just execution. The defending World Series champions are just a win away from where they were destined to be.

ALCS Game 6: Red Sox 4, Rays 2

Published on October 18, 2008

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