And Josh Beckett Shall Lead Them
The Red Sox crushed the Rockies 13-1 to take game one of the 2007 World Series. Thoughts:
- Game 1 was more important to Boston than Colorado. Beating Beckett would have given the already confident Rockies a feeling of invincibility while putting immense pressure on Schilling in game 2.
- It’s easy to see why game 1 wasn’t competitive. The layoff, their youth, and Beckett all spelled trouble for the Rockies. The Red Sox, coming off a hard fought series against the Indians, still had game 7 type intensity that the Rockies failed to match.
- Becket was in control the entire night and other than the second inning close to unhittable. From ESPN:
With stubble on his upper lip and a hint of a soul patch on his chin, the 27-year-old Beckett pitched in the manner of a young Roger Clemens.
An absurd statement considering that Roger Clemens has a history of coming up short in post season play while Beckett is in elite company of which the Rocket can only dream.
- By leaving Beckett in the game instead of taking him out after the 5th the Red Sox backed up what Francona had been saying all along. There will be no Beckett in games 4 and 7. It’s game 5 and relief in game 7 if needed.
- The entire offense was clicking (and my worries regarding Ortiz unfounded). Hopefully the Red Sox can again put up runs early and give Schilling some room to breathe. The Red Sox bats have been streaky all season which seems to have been forgotten by many pundits blinded by the barrage of 17 hits and 13 runs.
- Colorado puts a talented but very young pitcher on the hill tonight. It’ll be interesting to see if the pressure gets to Ubaldo Jimenez as it did to Carmona in the Cleveland series.
- While the first game was more crucial to the Red Sox, both teams need game 2. If Colorado wins they get the split they wanted and take over home field advantage. If Boston takes it the pressure switches to Colorado and a return to Fenway is guaranteed.
Taking game 1 was crucial to the Red Sox and they played almost flawlessly. Game 2 will go a long ways to answering the question everyone’s asking. Were the Rockies merely rusty and facing one of the most dominant pitchers in post season history, or are they simply overmatched?
