October 3, 2007
...
Josh Beckett gave up a leadoff single to Chone Figgins, a ball that
struck Dustin Pedroia's leather before arriving in the outfield, then
set down the next 19 in a row before Vladimir Guerrero lined a single
to left with one out in the seventh. Beckett went the distance in a
4-0 victory over the Los Angeles Angels, giving the Red Sox their
most dominating pitching performance in a postseason opener since El
Tiante shut out the Cincinnati Reds, 6-0, in Game 1 of the 1975 World
Series.
Angels
pitcher John Lackey, who couldn't contain his contempt for the Fens the last
time he was here, his profane outburst caught on NESN when he gave up six
first-inning runs, wasn't given a chance to get any more comfortable this
go-round. Kevin Youkilis, whose sore right wrist was the source of some
pre-series concern, made his first postseason hit one to remember, driving a
home run into the left-field seats with one out in the first. Youkilis then
doubled in the third ahead of Ortiz's home run, Big Papi's ninth in postseason
play. The Sox added a third run in the inning when Manny Ramirez drew a
full-count walk, hustled to second on a wild pitch, and scored ahead of Lowell's
single.
The Sox were
held to just one hit the rest of the way, J.D. Drew's bouncer off the glove of
Lackey, but the Angels did not come close to solving Beckett, a 20-game winner
who put his Cy Young Award credentials on display tonight.
Figgins was
the only Angel to advance beyond first base. He was on the run when Orlando
Cabrera grounded to short, and was on the move again when Guerrero grounded to
third. But he got no further, Beckett striking out Garret Anderson on a checked
swing. That was the first of eight strikeouts for the 6-foot-5-inch
right-hander, who did not walk a batter and made 83 of his 108 pitches strikes,
a stunning percentage.
Beckett
benefited from three outstanding defensive plays. Lowell made a diving stop of
Mike Napoli's grounder to open the third, Coco Crisp made a sliding catch of
Figgins' liner to end the sixth, and rookie Jacoby Ellsbury, just inserted as a
defensive replacement for Ramirez in left, made a sprawling catch. The Sox have
now won seven straight postseason games against the Angels (the last three of
1986, three in an '04 Division Series sweep). The Angels had not been shut out
in the postseason since Game 4 of the 1979 ALCS vs. Baltimore.
Tim
Wakefield hopes to pitch in the AL Championship Series if the Sox advance.
Inflammation in the posterior of the shoulder is not uncommon for pitchers, and
is often treated with cortisone shots if the inflammation cannot be controlled
by less potent medication. Wakefield was scratched from one start at the end of
August, opening a spot for rookie Clay Buchholz.
