Posted on 09/30/2005 7:32:46 AM PDT by 1Old Pro
Compared to last October, this weekend's scenario probably doesn't seem all that bad to the defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox.
Down one game with three to play, the Red Sox will try to stage another dramatic comeback against the archrival New York Yankees when the teams open their big series at Fenway Park.
``It's going to be three Super Bowl games,'' Boston's Kevin Millar said. ``Whoever set the schedule this year is a genius.''
Last season, Boston became the first team in major league history to overcome an 0-3 deficit in the playoffs, rallying to take four straight from New York in the ALCS to capture the pennant.
The Red Sox would go on to win their first World Series title since 1918 by sweeping St. Louis, putting the Yankees in the unfamiliar position of waiting until the next year for revenge.
The Red Sox held the Yankees off for most of this summer, hoping to win their first AL East title since 1995. However, Boston, which has finished second to New York in each of the previous seven years, squandered its advantage, and enters the weekend one game out.
Things could have been considerably worse.
The Red Sox trailed Toronto 4-1 in the sixth inning Thursday night while the Yankees were cruising to an 8-4 victory in Baltimore.
However, Manny Ramirez belted a two-run homer before David Ortiz fortified his MVP candidacy by belting the tying homer in the eighth and driving home the winning run with a single in the ninth, giving Boston a 5-4 win and plenty of momentum heading into the weekend.
``The best thing that ever happened to this team was winning this game tonight,'' Ortiz said. ``Everybody was on their toes.''
While the Red Sox split four games with the Blue Jays, the Yankees took three of four from the Orioles, giving themselves a small cushion heading into this do-or-die series.
``It'll be unbelievable. It's always a playoff atmosphere when you play the Red Sox,'' said Yankees slugger Jason Giambi, who belted a first-inning, three-run homer Thursday.
``It will be a lot of fun.''
A less consequential race will also be taking place during the series as Ortiz and Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez will go head-to-head for the MVP award. Both players boast eye-popping numbers, but the winner may ultimately be decided by who takes the division this weekend.
``That's how you win an MVP -- getting into the playoffs and winning the World Series,'' Ortiz said this week. ``All I want to do is get into the playoffs one way or another.''
Rodriguez agreed.
``I think the focus is on the team. I think a nice side note behind that is, obviously, the MVP race,'' he said. ``No question, front and center right now is the Yankees vs. Boston.''
If the teams finish in a dead heat after Sunday, a one-game playoff to determine the division champion will be played at Yankee Stadium on Monday.
Both teams are also still very much alive for the wild card. The Yankees also lead Cleveland by one game. The Indians will conclude the regular season with three against the AL Central champion Chicago White Sox.
If the Red Sox, Yankees and Indians finish tied, New York will play Boston on Monday, with the loser heading to Cleveland for a one-game playoff to determine the wild card.
After Yankees rookie Chien-Ming Wang squares off against veteran left-hander David Wells in the series opener, Randy Johnson and Tim Wakefield will meet Saturday followed by Mike Mussina and Curt Schilling in Sunday's regular season finale.
This is the first time the Red Sox and Yankees have battled for the division down to the wire since 1978, when light-hitting shortstop Bucky Dent homered to win a one-game playoff and send New York to the postseason.
The pennant came down to the final two games of the season in 1949, when Boston brought a one-game lead into Yankee Stadium. The Yankees won both to reach the playoffs and begin a dynasty that claimed 14 AL pennants and eight World Series titles in 16 years.
Before that, you have to go back to the 1904 season, when Boston met the New York Highlanders in a doubleheader on the final day of the season. Boston won the opener to take the pennant.
``You sit there and you say at the start of the season that the best team wins after 162 games. And now you're down to the final three,'' Yankees manager Joe Torre said. ``We all know what the situation is. ... To think that it's come down to a handful of games to decide what 157 couldn't decide, that's great for baseball -- but not too good for my stomach.''
Updated on Friday
Yeah - Indians accomplished a lot with the small payroll, but eventually, Shapiro will have to pay these guys big bucks. Of course, he won't and most of them will leave, thus leaving the Indians in another rebuilding plan.
Sooner or later, you have to pay for talent in order to SUSTAIN winning. And the days of selling out 500 games in a row at Jacobs Field are over, so that revenue is gone.
BTW, thank your son for his service to our country.
I think Joe Torre is gonna have a lot of 'splainin' to do on Monday about how he could have set up his rotation such that neither Chacon nor Small would pitch in Boston. Randy Johnson has not been too successful in low-scoring games, and nobody is scoring much on Tim Wakefield these days. Mussina was completely horrible in his last start against Baltimore, and has never pitched well under pressure. You know Schilling will bring it on Sunday, the guy still knows how to suck it up when he absolutely has to and he knows a win Sunday will redeem his whole season. I think Wells will bring it tonight too, and nobody knows how to pitch the Yankees better than him. I haven't seen too much of Wang, but I don't think the Sox hitters are too scared of him. IMO, this is going to look a lot like the last three games of the ALCS last year.
He beat the Red Sox 1-0.
Mussina came in to game 7 of the 2003 AL Champ Series and shut down the Red Sox.
I like boring. Okay, I've got to admit the Yanks/Red Sox series last year was much better than the World Series was.
That hit by Ortiz in the 9th last night was massive but not to be forgotten is Johnny Damon with a gutsy move to steal 2nd to put himself in scoring position (and he just barely squeezed in there under the tag). His steal was just as important as Ortiz's hit (it's not a given the next guy walks if he doesn't steal the base- maybe he hits into a DP instead).
Boston are playing like champions.
I have to say though, the Yankees are thundering down the straight under a full head of steam. They look pretty impressive.
It's going to be a great season ending series. You couldn't really script it any better than that.
That was in New York, this time it's Fenway.
Alternatively, if the Yankees win one of the three games and they have to face Boston in a tiebreaker on Monday, then Chacon would start that game.
Like I said before -- the Yankee staff is in better shape for this series than Boston's, though the staff may end up all fouled up for the post-season even if they do win the AL East.
Yep. My weekend plans are pretty much set...
No kidding
They've won 16 of the last 20 games.
What's with the WE thing? 'Getta life skippy.
July 16th he won at Fenway 7-4.
...but mention his name to a baseball fan and I'll bet ya they can tell you what he did, and when he did it.
It's almost like mentioning Bill Buckner's name....
OBTW, for you baseball fans that might not have heard about it, Mr. Buckner was almost killed recently. He was a pedestrian at a crosswalk and was crossing the intersection when an 18 wheel semi-tractor trailer's brakes failed, and it went thru the red light while Buckner was crossing.
Luckily Mr. Buckner was not injured, as the 18 wheel semi-tractor trailer passed harmlessly between his legs......
Thanks for thinking about my son. He got home Wednesday from Iraq. A lot of men and women from our small town are in Iraq or Afghanistan. Small towns doing more than their share in the war on terror.
Ancient history just like Bucky Dent and last years series.
Amen! Just in time to catch the play-offs.
A friend of my family (might as well be my son) is flying from Camp Victory to Qatar right now . . . end of his forth tour. He's expected back in the states next Wednesday.
We keep all these heroes in our prayers.
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