3 down 8 to go.
Jon Lester showed all of baseball and Red Sox Nation why he has been the ace of the Boston Red Sox staff all season. Last night, he continued his magical postseason run as he gave them 7 scoreless innings and looked better this time around against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim than he did in Game 1.
Some people were questioning why Lester came out of the game after the 7th inning but if you were watching the game, you’ll have noticed him pumping his fists meaning that mentally he was done pitching. Terry Francona explained it afterward.
He was around 110 pitches…and at that point it looked like we were going to need him in the ALCS, so we shut him down for the night. I thought to maybe bring him out in the 8th as well, but it was probably best for him and the team for the later rounds to get him out at that point. I’m sure he coulda thrown a complete game if we left it up to him, but then what would he give us in the ALCS and the Series. JD is banged up, Lowell is out for the playoffs and Beckett isnt 100%, so to overwork our ace at this point would be foolish. Sometimes you have to think big picture which has got to be one of the toughest things in playoff picture considering how important each moment can seem. Any more questions?
I totally agreed with the decision because things were looking good. Unfortunately, a 2-out walk to Mark Teixeira by Hideki Okajima and walk to Vlad Guerrero by Justin Masterson and 2-strike piece of clutch hitting by Torii Hunter changed the whole complexion of the game.
Fortunately for the Red Sox in the top of the 9th, a failed suicide squeeze bunt by Erick Aybar cost the Angels and the Red Sox were able to respond in the bottom half with the winning run.
Now comes the battle. These aren’t your kids’ Tampa Bay Devil Rays anymore. This isn’t the same Rays team that finished in last place last year. This is a team with a mission. They gave the Red Sox fits all season long and remember this, the Red Sox won only 1 game at Tropicana Field all season. And oh by the way, the Rays have the home field advantage by virtue of winning the American League East.
Starting Friday night, the war gets underway but I like our chances with a probable top 3 of Josh Beckett, Lester and Daisuke Matsuzaka.
Links and other goodies after the jump.
If you missed all the video goodness from after the game, I’ve got you covered.
The 2008 ALCS game times were announced last night.
Jed Lowrie wasn’t thinking about being a hero when he came to the plate in the bottom of the 9th.
It was another cruel postseason for the Angels.
Winning in October is nothing new for the Red Sox.
Despite losing, the Angels say they are a better team than the Red Sox.
Mike Lowell won’t be on the Red Sox ALCS roster since he was removed from the ALDS roster.
Howie Kendrick missed a chance at redemption.
Jon Lester once again rose to the challenge last night.
Before the game yesterday, Terry Francona said Josh Beckett is physically sound.
The emergence of unlikely heroes bodes well for the Red Sox.
The scribes at the Boston Globe have their video roundup of Game 4.
WEEI.com has audio clips of both members of the Red Sox and Angels.
For more slices of Boston Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Hartford Courant and Providence Journal websites.
And if you must see what the enemy papers are saying you can check out the LA Times, Orange County Register and LA Daily News websites.
