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Red Sox Have the World at Their Feet
Jonathan Papelbon earns his third save of the World Series on Sunday as the Red Sox close out the Rockies in four games, but teammate Mike Lowell is named most valuable player.
(Jed Jacobsohn - Getty Images)
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The enduring image of this World Series will not be a titanic home run (the Red Sox hit only three, including Mike Lowell's in the top of the seventh Sunday night and Kielty's an inning later), or a dominant pitching performance (though Josh Beckett's seven-inning effort in Game 1 certainly qualifies), or a monumental defensive play.
[an error occurred while processing this directive]Instead, it will be the cumulative image of countless Red Sox batters standing at the plate, fighting off tough strikes, spitting at borderline balls and, even when they were ultimately vanquished, taking some small piece of the opposing pitcher with them. In 14 postseason games, the Red Sox drew 66 walks (though only one Sunday night), compared with 33 by their opponents.
Starting pitchers hardly stood a chance against this collection of "professional hitters," as the scouts like to say. Despite a solid six-inning effort Sunday night by Rockies right-hander Aaron Cook, opposing starters went a combined 2-10 with a 7.49 ERA against the Red Sox this postseason.
Lowell, who hit .400 with four RBI and scored six runs in the four games, was named most valuable player of the series, though it could just as easily have been Papelbon, rookie outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury (.435 average, three RBI) or catcher Jason Varitek (.333, team-high five RBI).
For the Rockies, on the other hand, the enduring image will be of bats missing balls, batting helmets being slammed to the ground and the bases sadly devoid of visitors. The Rockies led the NL in batting this year, and scored seven or more runs 13 times in the final month of the season, but against the Red Sox they managed only 10 runs in four games.
It is also painfully clear now that the disparity between the leagues is acute, to the point of being almost unfair. Including these four Red Sox victories, AL teams are a combined 34-16 in World Series play over the past 10 years. The St. Louis Cardinals' five-game victory over the Detroit Tigers in last year's Fall Classic has never seemed more like an aberration.
On Sunday night, then, the better team won. The better league won. And now baseball fans in New England, who once passed their angst down from generation to generation like a family history, have a second championship to celebrate -- an embarrassment of riches that undoubtedly will take some getting used to.
