The article incorrectly said the Detroit Tigers were swept by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2006 World Series. The Cardinals won in five games, not four.
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It's a Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em Matchup
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"It feels good saying it," Helton said Tuesday afternoon, before the Rockies worked out at Fenway Park. Then, realizing he might sound too wide-eyed, he added: "It's not a vacation we're going on. There's still a lot of work to do."
[an error occurred while processing this directive]The first real, live pitches the Rockies will see Wednesday night beginning at 8:35 p.m. will be thrown by Red Sox ace Josh Beckett -- which is the real reason (as opposed to the long layoff) the Rockies may struggle to extend their historic stretch of winning baseball.
Beckett is literally the most unhittable pitcher in postseason history -- among pitchers who have thrown at least 50 playoff innings, his opponents' batting average of .150 ranks first, just ahead of such luminaries as Mariano Rivera (.176), Sandy Koufax (.180), Nolan Ryan (.188) and Bob Gibson (.190). In three starts this postseason, he is 3-0 with a 1.17 ERA.
"It seems like every game," said Red Sox Manager Terry Francona of Beckett, "he wants to make more of a name for himself."
Of course, should the Rockies manage to beat Beckett and take Game 1, suddenly the Red Sox' perceived advantage gets a lot slimmer, or disappears entirely -- as they will have to rely on 40-year-old Curt Schilling, inconsistent Japanese rookie Daisuke Matsuzaka and most likely rookie left-hander Jon Lester in Games 2, 3 and 4. Lester is expected to replace veteran knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, whose persistent back and shoulder injuries forced the Red Sox to leave him off the roster.
It is worth noting that the Rockies beat Beckett soundly on June 14 at Fenway, handing him his first loss of the season and capping a two-out-of-three series win in which the Rockies outscored the Red Sox by an aggregate 20-5. It was an experience that has helped the Rockies demystify both Beckett and storied Fenway Park itself, where the Red Sox typically enjoy a decided home-field advantage (56-31, regular season and postseason combined).
"We got to see [Fenway] for the first time, and take it all in," said Rockies left-hander Jeff Francis, who, on 12 days' rest, opposes Beckett in Game 1. "Now I think we can come in here and concentrate on the game. We're not in awe of the stadium. We're not blown away."
Las Vegas, and undoubtedly many of those who patronize it, apparently believe the Rockies will, in fact, be blown away. Blown away by Beckett, blown away by the David Ortiz-Manny Ramirez left-right combo to the jaw, blown away by the pageantry and aura of Fenway Park.
But if you still think that's going to happen, go back and reread the first paragraph out loud -- this time with feeling.
