Advancing to Familiar Territory
Sox Defeat Anaheim, Advance to the ALCS
I would consider this an unexpected result. Yes, I was one of the detractors, one of the folks who expected the Angels to win this series. After Torii Hunter’s 2-out game-tying single in the 8th inning, that expectation continued to grow inside my brain like a tumor. With 2 outs in the 9th inning, and Jed Lowrie at the plate, the expectation was alive and well, nourishing itself on my negative thoughts.
What can I say? I’m happy to be wrong.
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NOTES:
- You’ll hear the praises for Lowrie, Lester, Papelbon, and Bay, and they are well deserved. But, let’s give some props to a native son. Manny Delcarmen pitched 2.1 critical innings of relief, giving up only a hit and an HBP. His accomplishments have been somewhat unappreciated this season. The guy is now a legitimate upper-tier MLB setup man.
- Mike Lowell was removed from the ALCS roster (actually, he was removed from the ALDS roster yesterday, but this move makes him ineligible for the ALCS). No word yet on who would replace him, I’m hoping the choice is Jeff Bailey. Bailey at 1B and Youkilis at 3B would help the lineup retain some offensive clout. Make no mistake, Bailey (the 2008 International League MVP) can hit.
- Anaheim pitcher John Lackey was interviewed after the loss, and he apparently was doing his best impression of “Charley” from Flowers for Algernon (the pre-op version). Read some of his intelligent comments here. A tidbit: “It’s way different than last year. We are way better than they are. We lost to a team not as good as us.” Suffice it to say, he’s not a fan of Bill James’ Pythagorean Record Formula.
- The Rays scare me. More on that later.
