I have a column in Thursday’s Eagle-Tribune Publishing Co. newspapers on the Sox hitters and how they are pestering the competition.
The word I use is torture, but you get the picture.
Here are the pitchers, pitch counts and innings pitched for the playoffs so far:
John Lackey, 99 in 6 inning
Kelvim Escobar, 101 in 5 innings
Jered Weaver, 95 in 5 innings
C.C. Sabathia, 85 in 4.1 innings
Fausto Carmona, 100 in 4 innings
Jake Westbrook, 104 in 6.2 innings
Paul Byrd, 73 in 5 innings
Sabathia, 112 in 6 innings
Carmona, 62 in 2 innings
Westbrook, 94 in 6 innings
Jeff Francis, 103 in 4 innings
Basically, Sox hitters are outlasting the competition. The Sox hitters just work the count (Josh Beckett told the world the Sox hitting philosophy) and the goal is to get in the bullpen by the sixth inning.
Well, it’s working most of the time.
Anyway, the Sox looked like a World Series champion tonight. Before we jump off the deep end, like some of us did after Game 1 of the ALCS, we should understand there were extenuating circumstances, like the Rockies were off for eight days and they were nervous.
Those won’t be excuses tomorrow, though the Rockies are pitching Ubaldo Jimenez, who was 4-4, but worse, he walks a lot of batters, 12 in his last three starts.
***
World Series takes grips Hub
BOSTON | Carl Yastzemski. Horses. Fighter jets. The Boston Pops. And a blimp.
Must be something special going on in the Fenway section of downtown Boston last night, you think?.
This is the World Series and, finally, fall is in the air. Not that there is any complaining about the wonderful weather lately, but this is baseball weather in October. Grab a jacket, a hat and root on the home team.
“You’re supposed to see your breath,” said Red Sox rookie Jacoby Ellsbury. “That means it’s playoff baseball.”
Their Colorado Rockies’ bus arrived at the park nearly four hours before the first pitch and already 20,000 fans were milling around the park.
The Rockies, a franchise only 13 years old, must think we’re crazy.
They said all the right things on Tuesday and yesterday before the game, referencing the history of this park and its surroundings. But they were just being respectful, like midwesterners always are compared to us.
We are crazy. The Red Sox are not just a team. They are family.
This World Series thing, though, is not. Despite this being the second time in four seasons, we really are rookies.
Basically, what happened to the Cleveland Indians last week is what used to happen for decades | crushing defeats.
Yastzemski threw out the first pitch last night, and frankly, there was not a better candidate. What he did in 1967, particularly in August and September, leading the Red Sox to a pennant, has as much to do with the passion and excitement for baseball as Curt Schilling’s bloody sock.
“Not only did (1967) bring the franchise back to life, but I think it changed the whole attitude in the Red Sox organization,” said Yaz. “I think after 196, you expected to go and win, and I thought we were going to have a dynasty (after) ’67.”
The series couldn’t have started any worse for the Rockies, who came in here winners of 21 of 22 straight, or any better for the Red Sox, who had their ace, Josh Beckett, guiding the ship in the opener.
Beckett, struck out all three batters he faced in the first inning. And lead-off hitter Dustin Pedroia belted the second pitch over The Green Monster, with four hits and two more runs to follow.
Then it got worse.
The Red Sox put two runs up in the fourth and seven more in the fifth turning this into a laugher. It got so bad, with the Sox ahead, 13-1, that the dreaded “Wave” got more interest than the game.
Hey, this World Series experience.
