Final Score: Boston 4, LA Angels of Anaheim 0
Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Josh Beckett threw a four-hit shutout, retiring 19 batters in a row at one point, as the Boston Red Sox beat the Angels, 4-0, in the opener of their American League Division Series.
David Ortiz belted a two-run homer and Kevin Youkilis added a solo shot for the reigning AL East champions, who also got an RBI single from Mike Lowell.
Beckett (1-0), baseball's only 20-game winner since 2005, was masterful in his first postseason appearance since a magical 2003 run as World Series MVP of Florida's victory over the Yankees. He finished that series with a shutout in Game 6, and on Wednesday he struck out eight without allowing a walk for his third career shutout in the postseason.
Beckett was dealing tonight. If he pitches like that through the post-season, he might get us five of the eleven wins needed for a Championship. His fastball had so much movement it looked like a breaking ball—a 98 mph curve! There are only four guys in history with three postseason shutouts—Beckett, Whitey Ford, Cristy Mathewson, and Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown. After this start, and the seasons he and Lowell put up, I don't want to hear any more Sox fans grousing about Hanley Ramirez.
What is there to say about David Ortiz? In nineteen playoff games since the start of the 2004 postseason he's hit .400 with 7HRs and 22 RBI. When you can do that, you can wear whatever the fuck leprechaun costume you want to the post-game presser...
3 comments:
the reigning AL East champions
I don't think the "reigning" modifier really serves any purpose until the following season. They're the "AL East champions".
And yes, Beckett's performance was quite impressive. Albeit against a small-ball lineup...
It's gratuitous, but accurate. They're "reigning" now, next season, they'll be "defending."
Beckett was dominant like few other times I've seen lately. While that wasn't the Yanks lineup, the Angels are a contact team, and they weren't making any.
The Sox played a perfect game last night...
Gammons: "Beckett gave up a leadoff single to Chone Figgins. After that, he faced 30 batters, threw 27 first-pitch strikes, and to those 30 hitters did not throw a ball to 16 of them...
...On Monday, hitting coach Dave Magadan went through advance guru Dana Levangie's report and begged hitters to try to lay off Lackey's slider and curveball out of the strike zone.
Not one Boston hitter swung at a pitch out of the strike zone from Lackey."
Yep. I flipped it on last night hoping for some good natured Sox schadenfreude and there it was, the 8th inning and Beckett still had a 2 hit shutout going. That sucked.
Go Angels!
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