October surprise: Red Sox batter Cleveland, 11-2
By JIMMY GOLEN.AP Sports
BOSTON - Daisuke Matsuzaka, Dustin Pedroia and these Boston Red Sox are taking a sweet streak into the World Series, too.
Boston charged to its third straight win, completing yet another October comeback by overpowering the Cleveland Indians 11-2 Sunday night in Game 7 of the AL championship series behind a new pair of rookie Sox.
Matsuzaka pitched five solid innings, Pedroia drove in five runs and the Red Sox - helped by a key blunder by an Indians base coach - finished off their rally from a 3-1 deficit.
Having ended their 86-year title drought in 2004 after digging out of a 3-0 hole against the Yankees in the ALCS, the Red Sox now have a date with Colorado in the World Series. The Rockies, who have won 10 in a row and 21 of 22, will come back from a record eight days off for Game 1 at Fenway Park on Wednesday night.
‘‘We started to click at the right time. When your team's back is against the wall, it shows the type of ballclub we have. We're down 3-1 and we believed,'' Pedroia said.
Colorado outscored Boston 20-5 in winning two of three during an interleague series at Fenway in June. The Red Sox did even better in winning the last three games against Indians, outscoring them 30-5 in that span.
While Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz and ALCS MVP Josh Beckett helped the Red Sox win their 12th pennant, the Indians only added more misery to a city that hasn't celebrated a World Series championship since 1948.
The Indians were a double-play grounder from winning the crown at Florida in 1997. They appeared to take control of this series with three consecutive victories, but aces C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona failed to close it out.
Jake Westbrook pitched valiantly in Game 7, and still the Indians came up short. They had a chance to tie it at 3 in the seventh inning, but third-base coach Joel Skinner mistakenly held up speedy Kenny Lofton as he rounded the bag.
With runners at the corners, Casey Blake grounded into an inning-ending double play.
Then, the Red Sox blew it open. Pedroia, who homered earlier, hit a three-run double and Kevin Youkilis launched a bottle rocket, a two-run drive off the giant co*ke bottle above the Green Monster.
Jonathan Papelbon pitched two innings for a save and Boston finished it off in style. Center fielder Coco Crisp racing back into the center-field triangle to catch Blake's drive for the final out before crashing into the wall.
Boston kept the bases busy early against Westbrook, but three double plays in the first four innings kept the Indians in the game while their starter settled down. The Red Sox scored once in each of the first three innings, and Matsuzaka retired the first eight batters he faced.
Cleveland cut the deficit to 3-2 through five, then had a chance to tie it in the seventh when Red Sox shortstop Julio Lugo dropped Lofton's seemingly harmless popup in shallow left. Lugo drifted back, tracking the ball with his glove in the air and holding off incoming left fielder Ramirez with his right hand.
But the shortstop let the ball bounce off his glove, and Lofton was safe on second.
Franklin Gutierrez hit a sharp grounder over third base that bounced off the photographer's box in front of the grandstand and into shallow left. But Skinner held up both hands for the speedy Lofton, and the 40-year-old outfielder skidded to a stop. Lofton looked back for the ball and, seeing it in no man's land in shallow left, snapped his head back to stare at Skinner.
On deck: Rocky Mountains, Fenway Franks
By MIKE FITZPATRICK/AP Baseball
Don't expect Matt Holliday and the Colorado Rockies to be intimidated by the Green Monster.
Back in June, long before their historic surge to an unlikely NL pennant, the baby-faced Rockies roared into Fenway Park and took two of three from the Red Sox. They handed Josh Beckett his first loss, got a grand slam from Garrett Atkins and a nice outing from Jeff Francis.
So they already know they can play with the big boys from the American League.
The Rockies get another chance to show their stuff - on baseball's biggest stage - when the World Series opens Wednesday night in Boston.
Fenway franks and Rocky Mountains. Ski slopes and baked beans. Not a bad act in October.
There might even be some snowballs mixed in with the fastballs and curves that Curt Schilling, Manny Corpas & Co. are throwing.
The Rockies wanted to work out Sunday at Coors Field, but a snowstorm forced their hitters inside.
The forecast was for mild weather the rest of the week in Denver, with the Series shifting to Colorado for Game 3 on Saturday. Boston can be awfully chilly this time of year, too.
Todd Helton, Troy Tulowitzki and the Rockies drew paltry television ratings in the NL playoffs. A few more fans will surely tune in to see if Colorado can extend its hard-to-fathom string of 21 wins in 22 games.
For the wild-card Rockies, it's their first World Series. For Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz and the hardened Red Sox, they're looking for their second championship in four seasons after ending an 86-year title drought in 2004.
Coors Field and its now-famous humidor get a first look at the Series next weekend. Pushed back by a made-for-TV schedule, Game 7 is set for Nov. 1 in Boston.
A month ago, the possibility of a Rockies-Red Sox matchup was downright remote.
Now, the Red Sox face a Rockies team riding its own incredible run.
‘‘We're past the point of being hot,'' Clint Hurdle said. ‘‘It has been a remarkable streak. … But we've moved past that. We're just again looking forward to the opportunity to win the next game.''
