Mr. Detail md@md.com |
10-23-2013 12:14 PM |
2013 World Series
Red Sox vs. Cardinals
Boston RED SOX St. Louis CARDINALS
Series tied 0-0
Game 1 at BOS: Wed., Oct. 23, 8 p.m. ET | FOX
Game 2 at BOS: Thur., Oct. 24, 8 p.m. ET | FOX
Game 3 at STL: Sat., Oct. 26, 8 p.m. ET | FOX
Game 4 at STL: Sun., Oct. 27, 8:15 p.m. ET | FOX
Game 5* at STL: Mon. Oct. 28, 8 p.m. ET | FOX
Game 6* at BOS: Wed., Oct. 30, 8 p.m. ET | FOX
Game 7* at BOS: Thur. Oct. 31, 8 p.m. ET | FOX
**********************************************
“Baseball been berry, berry good to me!” – the famous SNL catchphrase of Garrett Morris as Chico Escuela…
If you’re old enough to have been watching Saturday Night Live in the late Seventies you might have been watching Episode 5 of Season 4 when it first aired on November 11, 1978. (I am and I was.)
Buck Henry was the host. The Grateful Dead were the musical guests. And, there were several classic skits — including one at the end that introduced what would become a famous TV catchphrase.
The sketch takes place at a meeting of the St. Mickey’s Knights of Columbus.
After dealing with a few business items, the organization’s leader, played by SNL cast member John Belushi, announces that the club would have a special guest speaker that night.
Dan Aykroyd, playing the Knights’ treasurer, notes that the group had to go into debt to pay the speaker’s steep $900 fee.
Belushi then introduces this special guest: “the immortal” Chico Escuela, a former all-star baseball player for the Chicago Cubs who came to the US from the Dominican Republic.
After being introduced, Chico — portrayed by SNL cast member Garrett Morris — gets up, stands at the podium and says in a thick Hispanic accent:
“Thank you berry much. Baseball been berry, berry good to me. Thank you. God bless you. Gracias!”
Then he sits down.
Astonished by the brevity of this $900 “speech,” Belushi’s character asks: “Is that it Chico?”
Chico thinks about it a second, gets up again and adds: “Keep you eye...keep you eyes...on de ball.”
After which, he sits down again.
Belushi says sardonically: “Thank you, Chico. You’ve been an inspiration to all of us.”
Three weeks later, during the December 9, 1978 episode of SNL, Morris’s Chico made a second appearance and repeated his line “Baseball been berry, berry good to me!” several times — making this the night on which it gained official catchphrase status.
In that episode (Season 4, Episode 8), the host was Monty Python star Eric idle. Kate Bush was the musical guest. Dan Aykroyd performed the insanely funny skit in which he plays a frantic Julia Child, who bleeds to death after cutting her finger. And, Don Novello showed up as Father Guido Sarducci.
Chico was in the Weekend Update segment with Jane Curtin, who announced that he had been hired as the Weekend Update sports commentator.
After being introduced by Jane (this time as a former New York Mets ballplayer), Chico says:
“Thank you. Thank you, berry, berry much. Baseball been berry, berry good to me. Thank you, Hane.
[A photo of major league player Pete Rose, who had recently signed a four year, 3.2 million dollar deal with the Philadelphia Phillies, appears behind Chico.]
Pete-ee Rose...Baseball been berry, berry good to Pete Rose. Three-point-two-million-dollar para Pete Rose. Charlie Hustle, you bet. Thank you berry, berry much.
In foot-ball... I don’t know football. In Dominican Republic, football is — how you say, Hane? Um, Oh! Soccer! Your football... I don’t know.
In National Hockey League... I don’t know hockey.
In baseball… Baseball been berry, berry good to me! Thank you berry much. Thank you. Thank you berry much. Hane? Thank you, Hane.”
Hearing Chico’s fact-challenged report, Jane responds sarcastically: “Great job, Chico. I’m glad that we haven’t hired just another stupid ex-jock sportscaster.”
Morris went on to appear as Chico Escuela eight more times before leaving the Saturday Night Live cast in the summer of 1980.
Each time, he repeated “Baseball been berry, berry good to me!”(sometimes written as “Beisbol been bery, bery good to me!” and in various other ways). It remains one of the most famous of the many memorable catchphrases created by SNL.
* * * * * * * * * *
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ManOverboard BOS leads WS 1-0 |
10-24-2013 07:03 AM |
BOS leads WS 1-0
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2013_10_23_slnmlb_bosmlb_1&mode=recap_home&c_id=bos
World Series
BOS leads WS, 1-0
Gm 1
STL 1
BOS 8
F
W :
J. Lester
L :
A. Wainwright
----------------------------
Gm 2
STL Oct 24
BOS 7:30PM
Gm 3
BOS Oct 26
STL 7:30PM
Gm 4
BOS Oct 27
STL 8:00PM
Gm 5*
BOS Oct 28
STL 7:30PM
Gm 6*
STL Oct 30
BOS 7:30PM
Gm 7*
STL Oct 31
BOS 7:30PM
---------------------------------
BOSTON -- With the bright lights of the World Series shining down on them for the first time in six years, the Red Sox played with the type of clinical precision that has marked their season.
If this was a bigger stage, it was one the Red Sox clearly relished being on in an 8-1 victory over the Cardinals in Wednesday night's Game 1 at an electric Fenway Park.
Behind a dominant performance by ace Jon Lester and an offense that kicked the door in when the Cards gave them extra opportunities, Boston took control of the game early and never let go.
If there's a balance in getting caught up in the moment but not getting too amped up by the adrenaline, Boston seems to have it mastered.
"Yeah, watching that flyover today, their team, our team on the line, we know what's at stake, we know what's at hand," said left fielder Jonny Gomes. "We know it's the big stage. That's why the Major League Baseball season is so long. You need all those games to build an identity, and we just kept it rolling today."
Dating back to 2004, the Red Sox have won their past nine World Series games.
In the past two, Lester has been the winning pitcher. Picking up right where he left off in the Game 4 clincher at Colorado in 2007, the power lefty held the Cardinals to five hits over his 7 2/3 shutout innings, walking one and striking out eight.
Lester is a far more polished pitcher than he was when he made his first World Series appearance, and he felt completely in control of his surroundings.
"I think just the preparation involved," Lester said. "Obviously there's going to be a lot of festivities, the introductions, the flyovers, the national anthems, everything is quadrupled because it's the World Series. So you know how to handle all those situations, your warmup time and so forth."
Lester was the first starter to hold the opponent scoreless in the opening game of the World Series since the Reds' Jose Rijo did so against the A's in 1990.
"He was great," said second baseman Dustin Pedroia. "He's like that all the time. We're used to seeing it. It's a big stage. He was locating to both sides and his cutter is always great. That opens up everything for him."
When David Ortiz launched a two-run homer to right in the bottom of the seventh, the rout was on at 7-0. The big slugger, the only Boston player to be on the club's past three World Series teams, had two hits, scored twice and drove in three.
Big Papi took in a curtain call after his 16th career postseason homer. Ortiz nearly had a grand slam earlier in the game, only to be robbed by Carlos Beltran.
The impressive part of Ortiz's homer was that it came on a 96-mph heater from Cards lefty Kevin Siegrist, who hadn't given up a long ball to a left-handed hitter all year.
"I know that he's got a good fastball and a guy with that kind of fastball, you're not going to go out there and try to look for a changeup or a slider," Ortiz said. "He's got a good fastball, and I still can hit fastballs."
Pedroia also had a two-hit night while scoring twice. Mike Napoli came up with a three-run double in the first, putting Boston ahead for good.
It was an action-packed bottom of the first against Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright. Jacoby Ellsbury started it with a walk. With one out, Pedroia lined a single to center.
Then came the controversy, as Ortiz hit a grounder to second that Matt Carpenter flipped to Pete Kozma for the force. Only Kozma dropped the ball. Second-base umpire Dana DeMuth initially called Pedroia out at second. Manager John Farrell went out to plead his case, and after the umpires huddled, they reversed the call, much to the delight of the Fenway faithful.
"I just slid in there and I thought it wasn't on the transfer," said Pedroia. "I saw it. I saw what everyone else did. I'm glad they got together and got it right. I was just waiting. They have umpires -- they're everywhere. I was glad they all got together, and I'm sure someone had a better view. That's why they made that decision."
Napoli capitalized on a big RBI opportunity by crushing a three-run double to the gap in left-center.
Though it is his first Fall Classic go-around with the Red Sox, Napoli was a stud for the Rangers against St. Louis in 2011.
"I love this stage," Napoli said. "It's in the spotlight. I really enjoy this time of year, I guess. But it's just going out there and getting the job done."
The Cardinals continued to unravel in the second. Stephen Drew hit a popup that Wainwright seemed to motion for initially. The ball fell right between Wainwright and catcher Yadier Molina for a single. David Ross followed with a single up the middle. With one out, there was more bad news for St. Louis, as Kozma muffed a grounder from Shane Victorino for his second error. Pedroia came up next and belted one through the hole between third and short for an RBI single.
"That's the game in the playoffs," said Kozma. "If you give them extra outs in the playoffs, they're going to score."
The Red Sox continue to stand out with their opportunistic nature.
"Well, I think this team does, but to tell you the truth, I think all good teams do," said Gomes. "That's how you become good, is you have to capitalize on mistakes. Coming into this series, it's a race to adjustments to decide the winner. And it's whoever doesn't make mistakes and capitalizes on the other mistakes. That sums it up."
Even when the Cardinals made a great play on defense, they had misfortune. Ortiz hammered one to right in the first, and Beltran drifted back and literally snatched the ball out of the Cards' bullpen. Instead of a grand slam, it was a sacrifice fly to make it 5-0 in favor of Boston. The bad news for St. Louis was that Beltran exited the game with a bruised rib in the bottom of the third.
"Wow, nice play," said Ortiz. "Hopefully he's doing well."
Top prospect Xander Bogaerts tallied an RBI in his World Series debut, as the 21-year-old lifted a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning to close Boston's scoring.
Matt Holliday's homer off Ryan Dempster in the ninth foiled the Red Sox's attempt to become the first team to record a shutout in Game 1 of the World Series since Rijo's Reds in 1990.
For openers, the Red Sox couldn't have drawn it up any better. But they know there is a lot more to do.
"It's the beginning," Ortiz said. "Got to come back hungry tomorrow and play the game the way we did tonight."
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laura luchi WS tied, 1-1 |
10-25-2013 07:04 AM |
WS tied, 1-1
World Series
WS tied, 1-1
Gm 2
STL 4
BOS 2
F
W :
M. Wacha
L :
J. Lackey
SV :
T. Rosenthal
*********************
After Michael Wacha allowed David Ortiz's homer in the sixth -- snapping the rookie's 19-frame shutout streak -- Jon Jay's baserunning forced an error on a sac fly, and he scored the go-ahead run. The 'pen preserved the four-hitter, sending the Fall Classic to St. Louis tied at 1.
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KELLY STAR STL leads WS, 2-1 |
10-27-2013 08:07 AM |
World Series
STL leads WS, 2-1
Gm 4
BOS
STL
Tonight8:00 PM
Full Series »
Gm 1
STL 1
BOS 8
F
Gm 2
STL 4
BOS 2
F
Gm 3
BOS 4
STL 5
F
Gm 4
BOS Oct 27
STL 8:00PM
Gm 5
BOS Oct 28
STL 7:30PM
Gm 6*
STL Oct 30
BOS 7:30PM
Gm 7*
STL Oct 31
BOS 7:30PM
**************************
Dustin Pedroia cut off the potential winning run at home, only for Jarrod Saltalamacchia to throw wide of third. Tripping over Will Middlebrooks trying to score, Allen Craig was given home on obstruction, and the Cards took a wild walk-off win, spoiling a Sox rally in the eighth
*************************************************************
an even better news.........................
10 – 26 – 13 Saturday Night Live – Peter Austin Noto As The Murderers
with John Milhiser - Noel Wells - Nasim Pedrad an other marvelous
murderers who shall be name less
Saturday Night Live with Host Ed Norton – 10 – 26 – 13
http://www.peteraustinnoto.com/2013-news.html
http://www.facebook.com/peter.a.noto/media_set?set=a.10201353097003983.1073741949.1070315502&type=3
Is this cool or what . .has mask on. . .stunning .. .a sexual photo.. looks great in suit
hair slightly darker. . . .long an beautiful . . .. how do you do this. . . . maybe there will
be more . . . . . . rumor of video. . .. ... . . . . . . .. . . . . .. .. . .show me more
PS: guess he has not retired from SNL ...............yet. . ?. . .LOL....?
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xerox WS tied, 2-2 |
10-28-2013 11:03 AM |
World Series
WS tied, 2-2
Gm 5
BOS
STL
Tonight7:30 PM
BOS : Lester (1 - 0, 0.00)
STL : Wainwright (0 - 1, 5.40)
World Series Game 3 ended with a stunning walk-off obstruction call to win the matchup for the Cardinals.
With the Redbirds looking to keep the pressure on and the Red Sox hoping to dust themselves off, there was no way Game 4 would end quite as shockingly as Game 3.
Right?
Let's go to the GIFs.
David Ortiz got the Red Sox going in the top of the second inning, leading off with a broken-bat infield single. No, really, you read that right -- David Ortiz reached safely on an infield single:
Ortiz.gif
While Ortiz has been red hot this series, the rest of the Boston bats have been struggling, and St. Louis starter Lance Lynn was able to escape the inning without allowing another hit.
The Cardinals' offense, however, has been rolling and Matt Carpenter was the next man up in Game 4, reaching second base after Jacoby Ellsbury failed to cleanly field his single up the middle:
Ellsbury.gif
"The Cardinal Way" consists of many things, and principal among them is Carlos Beltran's habitual clearing of the table; seen here as he brings Carpenter home on a line drive to center, giving the Cards an early 1-0 lead:
Beltran
How good are the Red Sox middle infielders? Well, in the fourth inning, they executed a perfect alley-oop to get Jon Jay out at second:
Drew.gif
With the Red Sox trailing the Cardinals 1-0 heading into the fifth inning, David Ortiz once again came up big for Boston, leading off with a double:
Ortiz.gif
Jonny Gomes and Xander Bogaerts walked behind him, loading the bases for a Stephen Drew sacrifice fly to tie the game at 1-1:
Drew.gif
Ortiz was so pumped, he performed the St. Crispin's Day speech from Henry V (or something):
OrtizSpeech.gif
Then in the sixth, the Red Sox finally got the big hit. With runners at first and second and two outs, up stepped Jonny Gomes -- who had not yet gotten a hit in the World Series. Spoiler alert: he got a hit:
Gomes.gif
Boston took a 4-1 lead on the Gomes dinger, but fell back into trouble in the seventh when Cardinals pinch-hitter Shane Robinson came to the plate with two outs. Robinson knocked a double to left field, setting up Matt Carpenter for the RBI single, shrinking the deficit to 4-2:
Carpenter.gif
Carlos Beltran followed Carpenter with a walk, bringing Matt Holliday to the plate as the go-ahead run. Boston sent in relief pitcher Junichi Tazawa, who promptly got Holliday to ground out to second, ending the rally and the inning:
Holliday.gif
Red Sox relief ace Koji Uehara came in to protect the lead in the ninth inning, and started out strong -- forcing Daniel Descalso to ground out to second.
The not-100% Allen Craig faced Uehara next and clobbered a fastball to right field, but had to hold up at first base due to his foot injury. Kolten Wong entered as a pinch-runner, but Carpenter was unable to move him into scoring position with a popout to second base
Then, with Carlos Beltran at the plate, Game 4 had its bizarro ending.
Wong strayed a bit too far from first base and Uehara threw over in a flash -- catching Wong off the bag and ending the game on a walk-off pickoff:
Uehara.gif
So, let's recap: the Cardinals won Game 3 on a walk-off obstruction call, and the Red Sox won a Game 4 by a score of 4-2 on a walk-off pickoff play. What crazy new way will Game 5 end?
Lucky for us, we only have to wait until Monday night to find out -- Game 5 in St. Louis starts at 7:30 ET.
more from cut4
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A DiComo BOS leads WS, 3-2 |
10-29-2013 09:35 AM |
World Series
BOS leads WS, 3-2
Gm 5
BOS 3
STL 1
F
W :
J. Lester
L :
A. Wainwright
SV :
K. UeharaJon Lester's latest gem has the Red Sox on the cusp of winning the Series, which is headed to Boston. Lester allowed just a Matt Holliday shot in 7 2/3 frames, David Ross broke a tie in the seventh, David Ortiz added three more hits and Koji Uehara had a perfect four-out save
ST. LOUIS -- Inside, one of the most successful pitchers in World Series history was broiling.
"I'm sure he can attest to it," Jon Lester said late Monday night, nodding in teammate David Ortiz's direction. "It doesn't matter how many games at this stage you play, your nerves are going. Your heart rate is going."
World Series
• Gm 1: BOS 8, STL 1
• Gm 2: STL 4, BOS 2
• Gm 3: STL 5, BOS 4
• Gm 4: BOS 4, STL 2
• Gm 5: BOS 3, STL 1
• Gm 6: Wed., 7:30 p.m. ET
• Gm 7*: Thu., 7:30 p.m. ET
*- If necessary
Watch every game on FOX
Ortiz nodded, a rare testament to his own mortality. Yet had Lester left that snapshot of his emotions undeveloped, no one might have known.
From an outsider's perspective, Lester was simply unflappable throughout 7 2/3 innings of World Series Game 5, holding the Cardinals to one run in a 3-1 victory at Busch Stadium. Every bit as sharp as advertised, Lester bulled his way through one of the most fearsome lineups in baseball.
It's how he has always been in postseason play.
"I don't know what else to say about Jon Lester that I haven't already said," catcher David Ross said. "The guy is our backbone. He's our horse when he's out there. We expect a lot out of him. He's pitching like the ace he is."
Mostly, Lester is pitching like someone who is afraid of no one. After Allen Craig bounced into a double play on a 78-mph curveball to end the second inning, Lester took inventory of his arsenal and ditched the soft stuff entirely. He threw 41 consecutive fastballs from that point forward -- cutting many of them, sinking one every now and then, challenging the Cards at each edge of the strike zone.
Ross said he never spoke much with Lester about pitch selection, focusing more on the vertical planes of his offerings. Pitching coach Juan Nieves talked of the Cardinals' aggressive reputation, lauding Lester's ability "to manipulate the baseball" against them. The results were apparent: Lester allowed just two hits during his four-inning fastball spree, one of them a solo homer to Matt Holliday in the fourth.
"He was unbelievable attacking the zone," second baseman Dustin Pedroia said. "That's why he's our ace, man. Big-game pitcher. Getting us back home."
Lesterrific
Pitchers with at least four wins and an ERA of 1.60 or lower in a single postseason Player Team Year W L IP H BB K ERA
Burt Hooton L.A. 1981 4 1 33 22 18 12 0.82
John Smoltz Atl. 1996 4 1 38 22 13 33 0.95
Michael Wacha Stl. 2013 4 0 27 11 8 28 1.00
Curt Schilling Ari. 2001 4 0 48 1/3 25 6 56 1.12
Josh Beckett Bos. 2007 4 0 30 19 2 35 1.20
Randy Johnson Ari. 2001 5 1 41 1/3 25 8 47 1.52
Orel Hershiser Cle. 1995 4 1 35 1/3 20 9 35 1.53
Jon Lester Bos. 2013 4 1 34 2/3 25 8 29 1.56
Cliff Lee Phi. 2009 4 0 40 1/3 27 6 33 1.56
Though Lester hit as high as 95 mph with his four-seam fastball, he is not a prototypical power pitcher, typically sitting in the 89-93-mph range. He excelled Monday by spotting his heaters on either edge of the strike zone, locating them up and down with uncommon precision. When he cut his fastball, Lester vexed the Cards even more.
"The cutter is a tough pitch," Cards second baseman Matt Carpenter said. "When he has that thing working, it's a tough at-bat. It's as tough of an at-bat as you'll take, and he had it working tonight."
Baseball players like to call such shows of pitching dominance "shoving," a phrase uttered more than once in the visitors' clubhouse late Monday night. The Red Sox's words included allusions to 2007, when Lester fired 5 2/3 shutout innings in Boston's clinching Game 4 win over the Rockies.
What's clear, the Red Sox stressed, was that Game 5 was no isolated incident. With another strong night on his ledger, Lester lowered his career postseason ERA to 2.11 in 76 2/3 innings. That's fifth-lowest among pitchers with at least 70 playoff innings, higher than only Mariano Rivera (0.70), Christy Mathewson (1.06), Waite Hoyt (1.83) and Bob Gibson (1.89).
Lester is one of nine pitchers with at least four wins and an ERA of 1.60 of lower in a single postseason, one of 10 with at least 75 postseason innings and an opponents' batting average of .210 or less. He is also a two-game World Series winner this year, and 3-0 all-time in Fall Classic play.
"I just really try not to screw it up," Lester said in delivering yet another superlative -- the understatement of the night. "I just try to keep my team in the ballgame. We know who we are going up against. They're going to pitch us tough and their bullpen is tough, as well. I just really try to keep them in the ballgame as best I can."
When it became apparent that Lester had already done so for six solid innings, the thought of pinch-hitting for him in the seventh seemed reasonable. But with the Red Sox taking a one-run lead and Lester having thrown just 69 pitches, manager John Farrell decided his ace was not going anywhere -- not even after he appeared to injure himself slightly on a swing. Lester simply continued grinding St. Louis' lineup into powder, leaving only after allowing consecutive hard-hit balls with two outs in the eighth.
If it was Lester's final World Series act, it came with a flourish.
"He impresses me a lot," Ross said. "His attitude and his passion and the fire he brings on a daily basis when he's out there are second to none. He's locked in. Yeah, I knew he had a good chance of doing something special today."
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I Browne BOS wins WS, 4-2 |
10-31-2013 05:37 AM |
BOS wins WS, 4-2
Gm 6
STL 1
BOS 6
F
W :
J. Lackey
L :
M. Wacha
Boston secured its third World Series crown since 2004, and its first home clincher since 1918. The Sox handed Michael Wacha his first October loss, tagging the rookie for six runs. Shane Victorino (four RBIs) led the way, as the Cards walked Series MVP David Ortiz four times
BOSTON -- For the entire month of October, the Red Sox kept grinding with the type of tunnel vision that allowed them to prevail in every big situation imaginable.
But during the final chapter -- the one that solidified that their season will be remembered forever -- they finally had a chance to soak it all in. And ditto for their rabid fan base, which was able to cheer on a World Series clincher at Fenway Park for the first time since 1918.
In winning the World Series with a 6-1 victory over the Cardinals in Game 6 on Wednesday night, the Red Sox claimed their place in history in emphatic fashion.
By the end of the fourth inning, they led, 6-0, turning the rest of the night into joyous anticipation for the celebratory pile-up of players that occurred once it truly was over.
"To be honest, the game, it was kind of hard for me to keep my emotions down," said second baseman Dustin Pedroia. "You always want to win in front of your home fans. It didn't happen for that long. It's just special. This whole year, the way it all ended, the way we came back in some of these playoff games, it's just unbelievable to think about."
After once going 86 years without a World Series title, the one the Red Sox clinched Wednesday was their third in the past 10 seasons, the most of any team in the Majors over that span.
The one common thread to all three titles won in the last decade? David Ortiz. Even though the Cards finally elected to pitch around Papi in the clincher, he did more than enough to bring home the World Series MVP.
"You know, winning this World Series is special," said Ortiz. "I think it might be the most special out of all the World Series that I have been part of, to be honest with you."
In an otherwise tense Fall Classic that they trailed, 2-1, after the first three games, manager John Farrell's team finished strong by winning the last three.
The team that started from the bottom -- as in a last-place, 69-win finish in 2012 -- is back on top of the baseball universe.
"This team has got its place in history, and I think as the year went along, the fans really recognized and appreciated the way we played the game," said Farrell. "They saw that there was a connection between each and every guy in our uniform, and I think they identified with that. I know our players thrive on the energy they create. To have it culminate in this, it's truly special."
Shane Victorino got the party started with his first hit of the World Series, a three-run double high off the Green Monster against Cardinals rookie starter Michael Wacha, who was 4-0 with a 1.00 ERA in the postseason before struggling in Game 6.
It was a grand return for Victorino, who missed the previous two games with tightness in his back. And it was the second straight series that Victorino broke out of his slump on clinch night. Against the Tigers in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series, the outfielder did it with a grand slam.
"To get these kind of moments, it's just what it's all about," Victorino said. "For me, luckily enough, it worked out. I don't ever go up there with the mindset that this is what's going to happen. It just seems to be happening that way. And I'm very fortunate, to be able to come here, come up in that spot again tonight, bases loaded, open the game up a little bit."
John Lackey kept the place buzzing by going 6 2/3 strong innings for the win, his second career World Series clincher. Though he allowed nine hits, Lackey minimized the damage, giving up one run while walking one and striking out five.
"It was awesome," said Lackey. "The guys in the dugout were fired up. The atmosphere and the environment here tonight was unbelievable from the start, from when I went out to the bullpen to when the game started. It was really special to be a part of."
When Lackey won it all with the Angels in 2002, he was just a rookie. This time, he was a veteran who didn't throw a pitch last season after coming off Tommy John surgery.
Much like Lackey's elbow, the Red Sox were reconstructed as a team, one that had unique unity displayed through bearded faces and clutch play that was evident all season on both sides of the ball.
"It's a blast," said Lackey. "It's such a great group of guys. You could tell on the field. We genuinely cared about each other and liked each other and liked to compete together. It ended up being a lot of wins."
While Boston's offense was relatively quiet beyond Ortiz through the first five games, Game 6 was a true team effort. Stephen Drew was 1-for-16 in the World Series before depositing a solo shot into the Red Sox's bullpen in right-center to jump-start a three-run rally in the fourth.
"I'm so happy for Stephen. He was struggling," said first baseman Mike Napoli. "I hit in his hitter's group and talked to him all the time about hitting. He actually told me he was going to hit a home run tonight, and the way he was hitting BP, it was like, he's got a chance."
Napoli and Victorino added RBI singles against Lance Lynn before the inning was through, and Boston was in control with the 6-0 lead.
"In the eighth, when we had three outs left, I looked up in the stands," said Drew. "I know this place is magical. It's been an amazing year. Knowing my brother was here [in 2007] and did the same thing, it was special."
The first fruitful rally of Game 6 came in the bottom of the third, and Jacoby Ellsbury started it with a single to right. When Ellsbury moved to second on a fielder's-choice grounder by Pedroia, the Cards had no interest in letting Ortiz beat them again, so they walked him intentionally. Napoli struck out for the second out, but Wacha made a big misfire when he hit Jonny Gomes on a 1-1 pitch to load the bases.
That set the table for Victorino, who got enough of Wacha's 2-1 fastball to produce the bases-clearing double. As Gomes narrowly beat the throw home, Victorino motored into third while thumping his chest. Meanwhile, Fenway Park roared with approval.
"You saw the emotions," Victorino said. "You saw what I did. And again, no disrespect to anybody, the beating of the chest -- it's just excitement. And I mean no disrespect to the Cardinals. It was just the magnitude of the moment."
There was finally some drama in the seventh, when St. Louis put together a two-out rally against Lackey. Daniel Descalso started it with a single and Matt Carpenter followed with a double. Carlos Beltran finally got his team on the board with an RBI single to make it 6-1.
Farrell came out to get Lackey, but the righty talked the manager into letting him face Matt Holliday. After Lackey walked Holliday to load the bases, he was removed and got a thunderous ovation as he walked off. Lackey doffed his cap to the adoring masses.
"It was nice," Lackey said. "It was my appreciation back to them, thanks for understanding what I've gone through, I guess."
Fenway got loud again when Junichi Tazawa came on and snuffed out the threat, getting Allen Craig on a grounder to first.
When dominant closer Koji Uehara came on for the ninth, all of Fenway Park anticipated the final out. The righty needed just 13 pitches to finish the job, finishing the World Series by striking out Carpenter.
From there, it was pure euphoria -- an emotion that will last right through the World Series parade in the coming days.
"I've never felt anything like that here," Pedroia said. "It's just a special place and we wanted to win so bad here, and it worked out. Obviously we want to win first off. To do it here is unbelievable."
Ian Browne is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Brownie Points, and follow him on Twitter @IanMBrowne. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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