One big win away
The Rays have put on an unbelievable display of offense over the last three games of the American League Championship Series, but the Red Sox aren’t finished yet. Just ask anyone on the 2004 Yankees or the 2007 Indians. On to Tuesday night’s remarkable Game 4:
RAYS 13, RED SOX 4
It’s hard to pick highlight clips of the Rays’ explosion of runs, but Carlos Pena’s first-inning homer set the tone. The quiet first baseman might not be getting the headlines this October like teammates B.J. Upton and Evan Longoria, but he’s been a constant in the heart of the order when he’s been healthy, and he showed why he’s so valuable last night.
Still, you can’t underestimate the importance of pitching, even in a blowout win. Andy Sonnanstine has been another unsung hero for this team, and he shut down Boston hitters all night, making him 2-0 this postseason.
And then there’s the Rays’ defense, which has been fantastic all year and was as slick as ever in Game 4.
But one thing kept gnawing at me at the end of the game, while I was watching a silent Fenway Park empty out onto Yawkey Way.
These are still the Boston Red Sox and this is still the ALCS. The Sox have been here before and the Rays haven’t. The Sox came back from a 3-1 deficit to Cleveland last year and the memorable 3-0 deficit to the Yankees in 2004. The Rays have to keep the pressure on and put them away, because they won’t go down easily.
Do you think the Rays will wrap it up in Boston on Thursday night or send it back to St. Pete?
Let me hear your thoughts.
O.G.
October Gonzo 
You’d like my thoughts? I think this blog is a joke, or not a blog at all. Why? Blogs offer opinions, or information.
The Rays will wrap this thing up. Maybe not tonight, but they’ll win this thing in the long run. I truely believe that. Because at this point it seems difficult enough for the Red Sox to win a single game, let alone 3 in a row (not to mention 2 of the 3 are at Tropicana where the Rays have had steller success all season long).
I keep hearing people make references to the awesome 2004 and 2007 comebacks, but there’s several key components missing in those years.
First off, the Red Sox never lost TWO games in Fenway. In 2004 they won 2 (of 4) in Yankee Stadium and then 2 (of 3) at Fenway. In 2007 they won 3 (of 4) in Fenway and 1 (of 3) in Cleveland. In neither year did they lose 2 in Fenway and they’ve already lost 2 this year and are on the verge of being swept completely.
Also, who do they not have this year that they had in either one or both years? Manny and Mike Lowell. Love Manny or hate him but he helped that team make it to the world series both years and Lowell was just as huge in the 2007 year.
But the biggest thing to me? Is the Red Sox themselves. People can make all the 2004 and 2007 comparisons they want. But to me, this just isn’t the same team as then. Don’t get me wrong, they’re still a great ball club. But age and injuries are starting to get to them. They’ve seemed flat in nearly every facet of the game lately. And in my opinion, that’s going to wind up costing them the ALCS.
Either way, both teams gave a hell of a show and both are talented enough to take this thing all the way when completely on their game.
It would be so exciting to see the Sox come back. I think they will be able to salvage the series for tomorrow at least. With Dice-K going, I’d say that they’ve got a great chance.
Kaybee-http://kaybee.mlblogs.com
I don’t know about this one. In one sense, I’d kinda like them to win tomorrow (meaning thursday), but in another sense, I’d kinda like to see them win it in St. Pete just because I’d like to see a happy Tampa Bay crowd at home. I love seeing fan reactions on tv. But of course, in no way do I want what happened both last year and in 2004 to happen again (especially because of my love of the yanks). I am crossing my fingers!
I think that the Rays offense will once again put a high number on the board and Kazmir will have a stellar outing. The Rays will wrap the series up and sweep Boston at Fenway. GO RAYS!
the rays will probably win the series. i don’t think we sould count out the red sox yet because of history of coming back like they did last year against cleaveland (to my chagrin) but the red sox aren’t healthy like they were last year. with Lowell out and Becket struggling, i don’t see them coming back this year.
I think the offense for the Rays has been preying on the poor pitching of Boston but we’ve come back from this and from worse. I think if Matsuzaka pitches well and we hit Kazmir The’ll be ok and it’ll be 3-2 this isn’t gonna be the series everybody thinks itll be everyone is counting the Sox out and i think that is a huge mistake GO SOX!!!!
3 for 3 now (check the previous posts). I’m doing good. I have either Rays in 6 or Red Sox in 7, if it goes to a 7th game.
http://homerfoodandhistory.mlblogs.com/
THAT WAS TERRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I HAD A BALL GAME LAST NIGHT AND THE OTHER TEAM NO-HIT US!!!!!! WE’RE 17-0!(well, 17-1 after that)AND THEN I COME HOME, AND IT’S BOTTOM OF SIX AND SCORE’S 11-1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
IM THE BIGGEST SOX FAN EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THAT WAS TERRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GO SOX!!!!!!!
LOSE RAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hope the Sox can pull it out, but its going to be tough. Right now – the best thing I have seen of the Red Sox – has been the Batting Stance Guy on you tube’s playoff version.
The New Kids on the Block, nothing to it, but to do it (RAYS) !!My World Serious pick of a (BOSOX-LA) is tanking BIG TIME!I guess that’s why I do not make bets for CASH! It’s just about time to order online a couple of piazza pies from PAPA J”s, and put the BUDLIGHTS in the old freezer! GET READY FOR A (PHILLY-RAYS)World Serious!!!!Catch you guys later! Keep on Rocking OCTOBER GONZO!
I want them to win at boston because its more fun to see the red sox fans disapointed on live tv and the how ironic would it be that the rays capture the pennant at their rivals home. Also, in a way i don’t want them to win at home because it becomes unfair to a point for the actual rays fans that have been fans forever but can’t get a game because all these new “fans” of the team are taking all the tickets while a lot probably didn’t even know the rays existed in the first place. I expect them to go to the world series and if they win it then I hope their at home because capturing something like that in a historic season needs to be celebrated with fans. I’m a white sox fan and I know when the sox won it I wished they were at home clinching so we could be at the game. Either way though I want the rays to pull through. No team deserves it more then they do. I know everyone enjoys a good cinderella story.
i wish this amazing team the very best! I knew that they had something brewing this season because of all that young talent and a fine manager as well 🙂 (oh yeah not to mention some awesome vets in that roster ^^)
Its great that they have come this far and they are thiiiis close to going to the BIG show! I am not a Rays fan but i have nothing but love and respect for em!
GO RAYS!!
This series goes back to St. Pete for sure. Besides the fact the Matsuzaka is a heart attack pitcher, Kazmir hasn’t been pitching well, and I think the matchup between Matsuzaka and Kazmir really favors the Red Sox. Matsuzaka will shut down the Rays, and the Sox will light up Kazmir and get into the Rays pen early.
Game 6 is a rough on for the Sox, as Beckett hasn’t pitched well this postseason. If the Sox and Beckett can find a way to win game 6, I have a feeling the Lester we saw in games 1 and 4 of the ALDS will be back for Game 7 of the ALCS.
This doens’t look good for the Sox, but then the Sox have been here before.
As for the comment that the Sox had to didn’t lose 2 games in Fenway in 2004 or 2007 – What matters is the games to come, not the games that were played. The Sox have to win one at home and then 2 on the road, which they did in 2004. It doesn’t matter where you win the games, it just matters that you win 4 games before the other team does.
I think the Tampa Bay Rays really need to get their props. For a team that no one thought was going to take it all, they have shown what they are made of. Little pay, but they have lots of heart. Can we say Evan Longoria setting a post-season rookie HR record, how about Kazmir, Upton, Crawford, Pena, I mean the list is almost endless and that doesn’t even include most of the pitching that has been just shutting down the opponents. Even their own coach is impressed with them, as well as they should be of themselves. I am a life long Yankee fan (And even Joe Torre is impressed http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081016&content_id=3625207&vkey=ps2008news&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb), I then root for the Angels (Which K-Rod was amazing this year with his record saves), but I can’t but help to get excited over these Rays. They are going to GO-ALL-THE-WAY.
If they don’t take it all, there is no denying that they were the best Cinderella team this season, and brought us some of the most on the edge of our seat games. For the first time in the post-season, they should be very proud of themselves, I know I am. They have given me a reason to watch in October this year.
The Dodgers have cleaned out their lockers and been fined along with several Phillies. This is not how men that get paid millions of dollars a year should be acting. Please take a queue from the Rays and figure out how to play a gentleman?s game or a fans game. Hopefully soon the Bo Sox will be cleaning out as well, but with no fighting on the field. The Rays have earned their berth, and if it is not the Yankees or the Angels than I am glad that there is a team worth watching and not players that think they are something special and throw temper tantrums in their blue uniforms.
This is a time for excitement, a time to get the kids around the T.V. or to the ballpark and show them what the game is, how it is played by gentlemen and with good sportsmanship. The Tampa Bay Rays are doing that for us.
I may be the only one that notices this but have you seen how shiny their batting helmets are, as a mom that actually speaks volumes about the team. They have pride in their appearance and how others are seeing them. They are a championship team, inside and out. They show it in offense and defense; they show it in their appearance. This is a very young team and they have blown by most of the “seasoned veterans” out there. They believe in themselves, and that makes me believe.
thedarkhalf
South Carolina