Reflecting on a crazy 2007 ALCS
I am ecstatic that the Red Sox are going to the World Series again! Another dramatic ALCS comeback just three years after their 2004 run. I could get spoiled by this, except that I remember clearly enough 1986 and the misery of the “curse” years. I almost feel bad that young Bostonian children are being spared the character-building trauma of winning the division only to be trounced by Oakland and Eckersley (1988, 1990), or of going 93-69 in 2002 with two 20-game winners and missing the playoffs entirely.
It’s different to be a Red Sox fan now. When we lost three straight to Cleveland to trail the ALCS 1-3, it was pretty hard and I started thinking (like Manny) okay there’s always next season. But it wasn’t “oh…here we go again…”, the who Lucy always takes the football away cruddy feeling that used to come with the territory. Now we have 2004 to look back on, and that 0-3 comeback and the World Series sweep, rather than 1986 or 1978 or 1975 or 1967… And the players have 2004 to look back on, too. That only added to the players’ confidence when Beckett took the mound in Game 5.
Most predicted this series to last seven games. This was supposed to be an even matchup. Boston had home field advantage, slightly better batting, slightly better pitching overall. However, Cleveland had in C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona two ace pitchers of the caliber of Boston’s Josh Beckett. In the post-season, pitching reigns supreme and Cleveland’s two Cy Young candidates gave them a strong edge.
However, true to the beauty of baseball, the series that transpired was not the series that was billed. In four starts, Sabathia and Carmona were completely ineffective, while their other two starters Paul Byrd and Jake Westbrook pitched admirably. If we had known in advance that neither of Cleveland’s aces would have a successful outing, then I’m sure the predictions would have been for Boston in 5 or 6. But no, Boston still ended up facing elimination in Game 5 down 1-3.
Here is a look at why Josh Beckett was the ALCS MVP. Two dominant starts for a win in Game 1 and a crucial win in Game 5 forcing a return to Fenway and home field advantage for the remainder of the series yielded these statistics:
ALCS SERIES STATS Player G ERA W-L SV CG IP H ER BB SO +-------------------+-+------+---+--+--+----+--+--+--+---+ Josh Beckett 2 1.93 2-0 0 0 14.0 9 3 1 18 +-------------------+-+------+---+--+--+----+--+--+--+---+ Total 1.93 2-0 0 0 14.0 9 3 1 18
Meanwhile, Cleveland’s “Josh Becketts” countered with four abysmal performances:
ALCS SERIES STATS Player G ERA W-L SV CG IP H ER BB SO +-------------------+-+------+---+--+--+----+--+--+--+---+ C.C. Sabathia 2 10.45 0-2 0 0 10.1 17 12 7 9 Fausto Carmona 2 16.50 0-1 0 0 6.0 10 11 9 7 +-------------------+-+------+---+--+--+----+--+--+--+---+ Total 12.67 0-3 1 0 16.1 27 23 16 16
I’m really shocked that they pitched so poorly. This gives credence to the notion of a “big game pitcher”. The Sox acquired Beckett for his postseason success, and he lived up to his reputation. Curt Schilling also has that reputation, though he’s showing signs of age. Daisuke Matsuzaka showed signs of what he can do under pressure in Game 7, though he’s still adjusting to the league.
In Cleveland’s three ALCS wins, they showed that they were a balanced team, offensively and defensively with contributions from throughout their roster. When the rest of the Sox lineup began producing runs, they shined not only as a balanced team, but as one with confidence to play under big game pressure. Hopefully, this is a momentum they can carry through the World Series starting Wednesday. The predictions are that the Sox will plow through a Colorado team that despite it’s amazing playoff run has been inactive for a week. I sure hope they’re right, but we’ve already dismantled the accuracy of predictions here! Go Sox!!!
If you’re looking for 2007 ALCS Statistics, www.baseball-reference.com is your friend. Scroll down to the bottom of that page!