Clutch double by Jason Bay puts Red Sox in ALCS.

wilheim · Oct 6, 2008

Jason Bay hit a ground rule double and scored on a single by Jed Lowrie to give the Red Sox a 3-2 win. The run came in the bottom of the ninth off Scott Shields.

Boston now faces division rival Tampa Bay for a trip to the World Series. Bay hit .412 for the series..

Bottom 9th: Boston
- R. Willits in right field
- J.D. Drew struck out looking
- J. Bay ground rule double to right
- M. Kotsay lined out to first
- J. Lowrie singled to right, J. Bay scored

wil.

honzie · Oct 6, 2008

TBay vs Bosox could be an all time great alcs.

Someone give me a line on whether there will be a bench clearing brawl or not. I'll say -160 there will be.

wilheim · Oct 6, 2008

Boston Red Sox's Jason Varitek, left, jumps with Jason Bay, who scored the winning run against the Los Angeles Angels, as Mark Kotsay (11) joins them after Game 4 of baseball's American League division series in Boston on Monday, Oct. 6, 2008. The Red Sox won 3-2 to advance to the AL championship series. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Boston Red Sox's Jason Bay scores the game-winning run past Los Angeles Angels catcher Mike Napoli as the Red Sox win Game 4 of baseball's American League division series in Boston, Monday, Oct. 6, 2008. The Red Sox won 3-2 to advance to the next round of playoffs. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

wil...:toast:

texansfan · Oct 7, 2008

Rays in 6.

Smartass · Oct 7, 2008

Bay was big time in the series, but that was a pop-up that turned out well.

Hard to differentiate between the teams much. I think the Kazmir/Beckett matchup (expecting this in Games 2 & 6, hope it pans out that way) will be the difference. Both guys can be awesome, but neither has been particularly good lately.

quinnsft34 · Oct 7, 2008

Think Mike Scioscia had a hand in that game. What the fuck is he thinking with that squeeze? The GM should have walked downstairs and fired him on the spot. Don't give me the they have won a ton of games with him shit either. He cost them the game. No I didn't have the Angels either.

Mr.Smith · Oct 7, 2008

the squeeze isnt that bad at all, it just didn't work. Bunting a man from 2nd to 3rd with no outs is retarded. Thanks for the free out Mike.

rjt721 · Oct 7, 2008

quinnsft34 said:
Think Mike Scioscia had a hand in that game. What the fuck is he thinking with that squeeze? The GM should have walked downstairs and fired him on the spot. Don't give me the they have won a ton of games with him shit either. He cost them the game. No I didn't have the Angels either.

Not that I disagree, but I think Francona had a bigger hand in letting LAA back in the game to begin with. Not allowing Lester to start the 8th is inexcusable. He's proven time and again throughout the season that he gets stronger as the game goes on. He had retired 8 straight batters, breezing through the 7th, where he hit 97 mph on the gun for the first time all night (first time all season that I recall). Maybe you give him a short leash in the 8th, taking him out after the first hitter reaches, but Lester absolutely should have started the inning.

Another Francona blunder came when he didn't bring in Papelbon to face Vlad or Hunter in the 8th (didn't even have Pap warming up in the pen). His excuse is that Papelbon was only available for 1 inning tonight and he didn't want to bring him in for more than 3 outs. It's ridiculous that some managers can't understand that save situations don't always occur in the 9th inning. That was the biggest spot in the game and you want your best pitcher on the hill in that situation, regardless of whether he comes back out for the 9th or not. Could have (probably should have) cost Boston the series (they're not winning Game 5 out in Anaheim with Daisuke).

Mr.Smith · Oct 7, 2008

Papelbon was overworked, 1 inning tonight was already pushing it. 4 innings for him in the last 2 games.

If its the regular season, no chance at all he pitches tonight. Only cause he has to to try and hold a 1 run lead in the 9th would they have gone with him.

rjt721 · Oct 7, 2008

Mr. Smith said:
Papelbon was overworked, 1 inning tonight was already pushing it. 4 innings for him in the last 2 games.

If its the regular season, no chance at all he pitches tonight. Only cause he has to to try and hold a 1 run lead in the 9th would they have gone with him.

He was available. Francona said after the game that Papelbon would have pitched the 9th if they held on to the lead.

Mr.Smith · Oct 7, 2008

If they were needing to hold a 3-2 lead in the 9th, yes, Papelbon would have to come in.

No, he could not come in tonight and pitch 4 or 5 outs. This is not game 6 or 7 of the world series and Papelbon was already at his limit. You have to go with guys like Declamaren there instead or Masterson ( Who are not pieces of crap by any means) to get it to Papelbon. Papelbon could not have pitched more than 1 inning tonight under any circumstances.

rjt721 · Oct 7, 2008

Mr. Smith said:
If they were needing to hold a 3-2 lead in the 9th, yes, Papelbon would have to come in.

No, he could not come in tonight and pitch 4 or 5 outs. This is not game 6 or 7 of the world series and Papelbon was already at his limit. You have to go with guys like Declamaren there instead or Masterson ( Who are not pieces of crap by any means) to get it to Papelbon. Papelbon could not have pitched more than 1 inning tonight under any circumstances.

He would have been out there for the 9th if they held on to the 2-0 lead. Francona said as much after the game.

I'm not saying he should have been asked to get 4 outs tonight. I'm saying he should have been brought in to get the last out in the 8th. If he throws x number of pitches, you don't bring him back for the 9th. But managers having this predetermined belief that you only use your closer in the 9th is ridiculous. You bring your best reliever in for the biggest spot, whether it's the 7th, 8th or 9th inning. Tonight, that was with 2 outs in the 8th. The 9th inning doesn't matter if you can't get out of the 8th.

rjt721 · Oct 7, 2008

"We lost to a team that's not better than us," growled pitcher John Lackey, who gave up two runs and seven hits in seven innings. "We are a better team than they are. The last two days, we shouldn't have given up anything."

Maybe it would have been different if Jon Lester didn't out-pitch you in 2 games.

Mr.Smith · Oct 7, 2008

Francona is an excellent manager. Calm, smart.

There is absolutely no freaking way you use Papelbon in the 8th here. Are you nuts?

Papelbon is their best releiver. He is also on fumes. He would have pitched the 9th in a save situation anyway. Have to in this case.

But to get it to him, Red Sox had 2 very good pitchers in Masterson and Declarmen. Angels got a clutch hit off Masterson. That is not a managerial mistake by Boston, it is a good play by the other team to get a big hit. If the passed ball hadn't haapened before it, Boston still would have held a 2-1 lead.

Who pitches the 9th then if you use Papelbon for 1 out? Do you really think you can warm up Papelbon in the 8th just in case after he pitched 4 innings in the last two games? Give me Francona over you any day. No offense.

silver7 · Oct 7, 2008

Watch Lester After The 7th

He pumped after the last out, he thought "I'm outa here, Ive got us this far". It would have been a mental jolt to bring him back, he'd already "checked out". All the guys in the booth picked up on this. Who gives a ** my 2nd fav. tm is thru step 1. RIP Teddy Ballgame.:thumbsup:

earl · Oct 7, 2008

gotta get a stick on the ball on that squeeze play. more blame to player than coach calling it.

wilheim · Oct 7, 2008

Both teams get a rest now to reset their rotations as game one is scheduled for Friday night in Tampa.

wil.

teazeman · Oct 7, 2008

congrats on your
bosox advancing Wil, looking forward to a good series with the rays.

wilheim · Oct 7, 2008

Is there a pitcher left on any of the four teams still playing with a pitcher throwing the ball better than Jasen Lester has been over the last 60 days?

festeringZit · Oct 7, 2008

CapOrDie said:
yeah congrats on them advancing on a solo offensive effort from bay, and pitching effort from pap/lester and no one else.

amazing the angels shot themselves in the feet enough to let the sox beat them. angels beat themselves, sox won nothing.

the rays will expose them with their speed and clutch hitting in key situations which is what the angels should have done.
they have a lot of consistency throughout the lineup which is what killed LA in games 1 and 2

this is a different bosox team this year w/ lowell and drew ailing and a one man band for the most part. manny is gone and papi has struggled all year, that wrist is obviously bothering him.
pedroia had one hit all series...

rays have a deeper pen and sox achilles heel all season has been the middle relief. rays in 6

Sox won nothing?

Shut up. The Sox pitching with the exception of their injured ace was
excellent.

Tell me that Lester "won nothing" for the Sox. Clown.