So here I sit
on Wednesday night at 9:07.
One game.
Oh how well do we know that one game.
1915-1918. Red Sox win three of the four World series.
1946-Against, oddly enough St Louis. See-sawed back and forth. We win, they win, we win, lather rinse and repeat.
Tie game, bottom of the 8th. Enos Slaughter scores on a hit by Harry Walker. Johnny Pesky had trouble with the relay throw and Slaughter was safe at home with the lead. Top of the 9th and three outs to tie or go ahead. Things looked good with two singles by Rudy York and Bobby Doerr to open the inning. Then a force out, foul out and a ground out to close the door.
1967-Again the Cardinals. We go down 3 games to 1 only to come back and win the next two to force a game 7. Sadly, this one was a lot less in doubt. We were outscored 7-2. I was three at the time and don't remember the game but my Dad tells me he listened to it on the radio and I listened along with him.
1975-Against the Cincinati Reds. same division as the Cards btw Yet another 7 game series with games going back and forth. I sat and watched the games with my Dad. I remember being elated when Boston went up 3-0 at the bottom of the third. Cincinati got back into it with runs in the 6th and 7th to tie it. Ken Griffey Sr was at third after a walk, sacrifice and ground out. Pete Rose was up next and no question, he was intentionally walked. Pete Rose with two outs, a go-ahead run at 3rd and a base to put him? No question about the walk. Except it sometimes comes back to bite you in the ass. Joe Morgan knocks Griffey in with a single and the Sox end up going down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 9th.
1986-Here come the Mets. Yet another seven game series. I was living away from home and was watching at my apartment with friends. Except this one was vastly different. In game 6, we had a 3 games to 2 lead. Bottom of the 8th, the Mets manage to tie it. At the top of the 10th, Dave Henderson homered, Wade Boggs doubled and was singled home to take a two run lead. Bottom of the 10th, the first two Mets are retired. The Sox are 1 out....three measley strikes away from their first World Series win since 1918. First Gary Carter gets a single. Followed next by Kevin Mitchell. The pitcher who's name escapes me for the moment, but I blame it all on him anyway. gets an 0-2 count on Ray Knight. One more strike to the celebration. Only one. It was not to be. He makes contact and Gary Carter comes home to score. Mitchell is at third with Mookie Wilson coming up to bat. Bob Stanley comes in to pitch and after a 2-2 count, Stanley throws a wild pitch and Mitchell comes home to tie it. Knight is at second and the count goes full. Wilson hits a grounder down the first base line right towards Bill Buckner. Oh yes, easy out....we tie the game and have another chance to win it all. Except it went under his glove and Knight races home to score the winning run and tie the series. The Sox were not able to recover and lost game 7 by a score of 8-5.
Our post season has always been a taste of oh-so close yet oh-so far. There is always someone who manages to muff a ball, strike out when they should have hit the ball or left one hanging over the plate.
But not this year. Even when they were down 0-3 to New York, I felt deep in my heart that we could come back. That the ghosts of playoff and big game series gaffs, goofs and stinky play were vanquished. I thinking that vanquishing started when we beat NY for the first time in a long time in a season series. I think with the trading of Nomar and the addition of Schilling, Caberera and Roberts the team was exactly that. A team. 25 guys who played hard, played smart for the most part and most importantly had fun. THey also stepped in when the guy in the line up next to them was having a bad day or a bad week. We weren't dependent on one guy. Even Pedro, our money pitcher, didn't have to be the big game stud. We now had Schilling for that. And Schilling was tested, as Pedro had been, for the big game. HE was the Yankee killer we needed. But Petey still had his place. Who could ever forget him coming out of the pen against Cleveland in the 99 ALDS? In the pen because of a sore back in game 5, he came out of the pen and pitched 6 no-hit innings to win the game and send us to the ALCS.
The four straight game they won against the Yankees were amazing. They found ways to win instead of ways to lose. Same thing with the first two games against St Louis. 4 errors in each game yet they managed to win. Tonight, Pedro pitched a gem. Seven innings of three hit no run ball. Sure he got in several jams, but the defense was back to it's old ways. Or should I say it's new ways. Once we traded Nomar and got the players we did, it was an instant upgrade on the defense. I think the 8 errors in the first two game were due to a combination of nerves and a few bad bounces.
So onward to tomorrow and game 4. Can St Louis come back and win the next four to hand the Sox yet another heart wrenching loss? Of course they can. After all, we did it. They can. They have the power in the lineup, even if they have been very quiet the past two games. They have the pitching if it gets hot. But the one thing I don't think they have is the guts and heart to come back. Maybe it is wishful thinking or pride in my team talking but I don't see the same attitude from them that I saw in the Sox after game 3 against the Yankees. If they think of it the way we did....we only have to win this one game right now. Take it a game at a time and maybe they can.
It's a full moon and a lunar eclipse tomorrow. Does this spell disaster for the Sox? I know deep in my heart that it doesn't. I am going to go out on a huge limb here and say that the Sox will win it tomorrow night. But you know what, even if they don't, they will win the Series. It may not be tomorrow, it may not be Thursday. Hell, it may not even be Saturday. But if it gets to Sunday-which is Halloween-they will win it. Because I believe.
Prediction for Wednesdays game. Sox win. You heard it here first.
carpedi7 I locked this post til after the game but I texted you first with the prediction. Boy am I going to look stupid if they lost tonight.
One game.
Oh how well do we know that one game.
1915-1918. Red Sox win three of the four World series.
1946-Against, oddly enough St Louis. See-sawed back and forth. We win, they win, we win, lather rinse and repeat.
Tie game, bottom of the 8th. Enos Slaughter scores on a hit by Harry Walker. Johnny Pesky had trouble with the relay throw and Slaughter was safe at home with the lead. Top of the 9th and three outs to tie or go ahead. Things looked good with two singles by Rudy York and Bobby Doerr to open the inning. Then a force out, foul out and a ground out to close the door.
1967-Again the Cardinals. We go down 3 games to 1 only to come back and win the next two to force a game 7. Sadly, this one was a lot less in doubt. We were outscored 7-2. I was three at the time and don't remember the game but my Dad tells me he listened to it on the radio and I listened along with him.
1975-Against the Cincinati Reds. same division as the Cards btw Yet another 7 game series with games going back and forth. I sat and watched the games with my Dad. I remember being elated when Boston went up 3-0 at the bottom of the third. Cincinati got back into it with runs in the 6th and 7th to tie it. Ken Griffey Sr was at third after a walk, sacrifice and ground out. Pete Rose was up next and no question, he was intentionally walked. Pete Rose with two outs, a go-ahead run at 3rd and a base to put him? No question about the walk. Except it sometimes comes back to bite you in the ass. Joe Morgan knocks Griffey in with a single and the Sox end up going down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 9th.
1986-Here come the Mets. Yet another seven game series. I was living away from home and was watching at my apartment with friends. Except this one was vastly different. In game 6, we had a 3 games to 2 lead. Bottom of the 8th, the Mets manage to tie it. At the top of the 10th, Dave Henderson homered, Wade Boggs doubled and was singled home to take a two run lead. Bottom of the 10th, the first two Mets are retired. The Sox are 1 out....three measley strikes away from their first World Series win since 1918. First Gary Carter gets a single. Followed next by Kevin Mitchell. The pitcher who's name escapes me for the moment, but I blame it all on him anyway. gets an 0-2 count on Ray Knight. One more strike to the celebration. Only one. It was not to be. He makes contact and Gary Carter comes home to score. Mitchell is at third with Mookie Wilson coming up to bat. Bob Stanley comes in to pitch and after a 2-2 count, Stanley throws a wild pitch and Mitchell comes home to tie it. Knight is at second and the count goes full. Wilson hits a grounder down the first base line right towards Bill Buckner. Oh yes, easy out....we tie the game and have another chance to win it all. Except it went under his glove and Knight races home to score the winning run and tie the series. The Sox were not able to recover and lost game 7 by a score of 8-5.
Our post season has always been a taste of oh-so close yet oh-so far. There is always someone who manages to muff a ball, strike out when they should have hit the ball or left one hanging over the plate.
But not this year. Even when they were down 0-3 to New York, I felt deep in my heart that we could come back. That the ghosts of playoff and big game series gaffs, goofs and stinky play were vanquished. I thinking that vanquishing started when we beat NY for the first time in a long time in a season series. I think with the trading of Nomar and the addition of Schilling, Caberera and Roberts the team was exactly that. A team. 25 guys who played hard, played smart for the most part and most importantly had fun. THey also stepped in when the guy in the line up next to them was having a bad day or a bad week. We weren't dependent on one guy. Even Pedro, our money pitcher, didn't have to be the big game stud. We now had Schilling for that. And Schilling was tested, as Pedro had been, for the big game. HE was the Yankee killer we needed. But Petey still had his place. Who could ever forget him coming out of the pen against Cleveland in the 99 ALDS? In the pen because of a sore back in game 5, he came out of the pen and pitched 6 no-hit innings to win the game and send us to the ALCS.
The four straight game they won against the Yankees were amazing. They found ways to win instead of ways to lose. Same thing with the first two games against St Louis. 4 errors in each game yet they managed to win. Tonight, Pedro pitched a gem. Seven innings of three hit no run ball. Sure he got in several jams, but the defense was back to it's old ways. Or should I say it's new ways. Once we traded Nomar and got the players we did, it was an instant upgrade on the defense. I think the 8 errors in the first two game were due to a combination of nerves and a few bad bounces.
So onward to tomorrow and game 4. Can St Louis come back and win the next four to hand the Sox yet another heart wrenching loss? Of course they can. After all, we did it. They can. They have the power in the lineup, even if they have been very quiet the past two games. They have the pitching if it gets hot. But the one thing I don't think they have is the guts and heart to come back. Maybe it is wishful thinking or pride in my team talking but I don't see the same attitude from them that I saw in the Sox after game 3 against the Yankees. If they think of it the way we did....we only have to win this one game right now. Take it a game at a time and maybe they can.
It's a full moon and a lunar eclipse tomorrow. Does this spell disaster for the Sox? I know deep in my heart that it doesn't. I am going to go out on a huge limb here and say that the Sox will win it tomorrow night. But you know what, even if they don't, they will win the Series. It may not be tomorrow, it may not be Thursday. Hell, it may not even be Saturday. But if it gets to Sunday-which is Halloween-they will win it. Because I believe.
Prediction for Wednesdays game. Sox win. You heard it here first.
carpedi7 I locked this post til after the game but I texted you first with the prediction. Boy am I going to look stupid if they lost tonight.