Last night, Beckett’s pitching and the offense was the story of the game. Tonight, it was all about the pitching. Curt Schilling gave the Red Sox 5â…“ strong innings and the combination of Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon finished it off giving the Red Sox a 2-1 victory in Game 2 of the World Series. The Sox now head to Denver with a 2-0 lead, with the next three games in Denver. The third game is an if necessary game right now with the Sox having the 2-0 lead.
Wily Taveras led off the 1st for the Rox tonight and was grazed with a Schilling fastball for a hit-by-pitch. Schilling then got the struggling Kaz Matsui to fly out to Jacoby Ellsbury in center for the first out. With Taveras running on the pitch, Matt Holliday hit a shot down the third base line that Mike Lowell got a glove on. Schilling was late covering the bag and Lowell’s throw went by Schilling allowing Holliday to get to second on the error by Lowell. Todd Helton gave the Rox a 1-0 lead as he grounded out to Kevin Youkilis at first. Schilling got out of the first with a ground out by Garrett Atkins.
The Sox got their first look at Ubaldo Jiménez and went down very quietly in the bottom of the 1st. Jiménez got fly ball outs off the bats of Dustin Pedroia and Youkilis. He finished the inning by getting David Ortiz to ground out.
Brad Hawpe, who struck out four times last night, started things off in the 2nd with a lead-off single. Schilling got his first strikeout of the night by way of National League Rookie of the Year candidate, Troy Tulowitzki. The inning ended as Yorvit Torrealba grounded into a 6-3 double play.
Jiménez silenced the bats in the 2nd as well. Manny Ramirez and Lowell grounded out to Atkins at third for the first two outs. Jiménez then hit J.D. Drew square in the ankle with a pitch to give the Sox their first baserunner. Jiménez worked around it though as he struck out Jason Varitek looking.
Schilling was starting to get stronger as the game was moving on. He made quick work of the Rox in the 3rd. He sandwiched strikeouts of Ryan Spilborghs and Matsui around a ground out by Taveras.
Jiménez started the bottom of the 3rd by getting ground ball outs by rookie sensation Jacoby Ellsbury and Julio Lugo. He then got a little wild with his stuff as he issued walks to Pedroia and Youk. Big Papi almost gave the Sox a 3-1 lead as his shot down the line was just foul. Jiménez rebounded from the near home run to get Big Papi to strike out.
Holliday led off the 4th with his second single of the night off Schilling. He would be left there as Schilling would get fly outs of Helton, Atkins and Hawpe.
Manny started the bottom half of the 4th with a pop out. Jiménez followed that with a walk to Lowell. Drew finally broke through against the Rox rookie star pitcher on a single with Lowell getting all the way to third. Drew went to second as Hawpe’s throw from right went to third. Varitek tied the game up at 1with a sacrifice fly as Lowell easily scored from third. The wildness for Jiménez continued as he issued a walk to Ellsbury. With Lugo at the plate, Ellsbury stole second giving everyone in America a free taco from Taco Bell (more on this in the notes). Ellsbury was stranded at second as Lugo grounded out to Helton at first.
Schilling issued a rare walk to Tulowitzki leading off the 5th inning. In typical National League fashion, Torrealba sacrificed him over to second. Schilling then got called strike three on Spilborghs and he got Taveras to ground out, leaving Tulowitzki standing on second.
Jiménez looked to have settled down a little bit as he got Pedroia to ground out starting off the bottom of the 5th. He then got Youk to fly out to center. Things would now go south for Jiménez as he walked Big Papi. Manny moved Big Papi 90 feet as he laced a single to left. Lowell would give the Sox a 2-1 lead as he smoked a double to deep left field scoring Big Papi. The double by Lowell chased Jiménez, who had a so-so outing, from the game. Rox manager Clint Hurdle went to his bullpen bringing in the lefty Jeremy Affeldt to face Drew. Affeldt would walk Drew and that was the end of his night after one batter. Matt Herges came on for the Rocky Mountain boys and got Varitek to fly out to left for the final out of the inning.
Schilling started off the 6th with a pop out by Matsui. He then got into some trouble as he issued a walk to another rare walk, this one to Helton. Holliday chased Schilling from the game with his third single of the night. Terry Francona came out to the mound and got the ball from Schilling, who may or may not have been making his last Fenway start in his career. As Schilling walked back to the dugout, he appeared to be welling up a little as he the Fenway faithful gave him a standing ovation. Schilling responded with a tip of the cap to the crowd before heading into the dugout. Okajima came in and got a ground ball to Youk at first, moving Holliday and Helton up 90 feet. Okajima got out of the inning as he got to strikeout swinging. As Okajima got back to the dugout, Schilling was the first one to greet him for a job well-done.
Schilling threw just 82 pitches in his 5â…“ innings. He allowed 4 hits, 1 run, 2 walks and he struck out 4.
Herges was back on the mound in the bottom of the 6th for the Rox and Ellsbury greeted him with a single. Ellsbury went to second on a sacrifice bunt from Lugo. The only reason Ellsbury made it to second was his speed as it was a poorly executed bunt by Lugo. Pedroia moved Ellsbury 90 feet closer to the plate as he grounded out to short. Herges’ night ended when he issued a free pass to Youk. Hurdle went to the bullpen again and brought in the lefty Brian Fuentes to face Big Papi. He did his job as he needed just two pitches to get Big Papi to fly out for the third out.
Okajima made quick work of the Rockies in the top half of the 7th. Tulowitzki flew out, Torrealba grounded out and Spilborghs struck out for the second time in as many at-bats.
Fuentes had no problems in the bottom of the 7th as he worked around a 2-out single by Drew. He got out of the inning as he got Varitek to strikeout looking.
Francona decided to stick with Okajima in the top of the 8th and it paid off. He got Taveras and Matsui to strikeout. Francona then went to his ace of the bullpen, Papelbon, to face the potential NL MVP in Holliday. Holliday sent a line drive up the middle that almost hit Papelbon and was knocked down by Pedroia at second. The inning ended with Helton at the plate as Papelbon picked Holliday off first base for the third out.
Fuentes got the first two outs of the bottom of the 8th. The second one came as Lugo tried to bunt the ball but it hit him in fair territory. Francona came out to argue but once home plate umpire Lance Diaz explained to him what happened, Francona and Lugo both went back to the dugout. Replays showed that Diaz made the right call. Hurdle went to his bullpen for his closer, Manny Corpas. He came in and allowed a single to Pedroia. Corpas got out of the inning as Youk grounded into a fielder’s choice.
Papelbon made quick work of the Rockies in the 9th. He struck out Helton to start the inning. Atkins flew out to Ellsbury in center for the second out. Papelbon got his second save in as many outings as he blew a 98 mph fastball past Hawpe to send the Fenway crowd into a tizzy.
Pitching wins ball games in the postseason and it showed tonight. When you can get 3â…“ scoreless innings from your bullpen, odds are you’re going to win especially when your starter throws well and your offense gives you the lead. Offensively, the Sox did just enough tonight. They took advantage of the wildness of Jiménez and got the timely hits.
The Red Sox will travel to Denver tonight and get a workout in at Coors Field tomorrow. Daisuke Matsuzaka will look to build upon his ALCS Game 7 success as he will toe the rubber for the Bosox on Saturday night. Josh Fogg gets the ball for the Rockies who really face a must-win situation in Game 3. If not, they will face an almost insurmountable 3-0 deficit. But as we all know, let’s go one game at a time and win that one first.
Notes and musings:
The Red Sox tied a World Series record with 8 doubles in last night’s game, matching a feat done twice previously (Chicago (AL), Oct. 13, 1906 & Pit (NL), Oct. 15, 1925). The teams combined for 12 doubles, a World Series record, one more than Chicago (AL)/Chicago (NL), Oct. 13, 1906. The Red Sox also matched a World Series record with 9 extra base hits.
The Red Sox have won 5 straight World Series games coming into tonight.
The Sox have average 7.55 runs per game in the postseason, which is the highest since 1969.
Schilling Is 5-1 with a 3.48 ERA (16 ER/41.1 IP) in 7 post-season starts as a member of the Red Sox. He ranks 4th among active pitchers with 3116 strikeouts and 83 complete games, 6th with 20 shutouts, 8th with 216 wins, 9th with
3261.0 innings and 10th with 436 starts.
The Red Sox have scored 10 or more runs in each of their last 3 post-season games, the 1st time that has ever been accomplished in ML history.
The Red Sox have posted a 6-3-1 record in Game 2 of the World Series, winning in each of the their last 2 trips to the fall classic (1986 and 2004).
Jason Varitek’s 12 doubles match David Ortiz for the most ever by as Red Sox in post-season play.
Boston native James Taylor sang tonight’s National Anthem.
Last night, we could hear the bullpen band all the way over on the 1st base side.
If you didn’t know this, Jonathan Papelbon always heads to join his bullpen mates after the 4th inning.
Jacoby Ellsbury’s stolen base in the 4th won everybody in America a free taco at Taco Bell on October 30th from 2 pm to 5 pm.
Former Cowboys QB and FOX NFL broadcaster Troy Aikman was spotted in the crowd sporting a Red Sox hat and warmup jacket.
Boys II Men sang tonight’s God Bless America at the end of the top of the 7th. Last night, it was Ashanti.
