ALCS Game 1 recap Options

[redsoxedmunds24]

Dice-k looked like Dice-k in the first walking the bases loaded and battling out of it. It was looking like a typical battle through 5 outing from Dice but he settled in and pitched a whale of a game. Taking the no-no into the 7th before allowing 2 hits only to make like houdini and get out of a 1st and 3rd jam with nobody out unscathed. He really looked pretty damn sharp tonight. I was not a fan of bringing him back out for the 8th and he got into a little situation but Okie and Masterson bailed him out. (Tito's got balls going to Masterson there). I wanted to see MDC but Jedi came up big with the double play ball induced.

In the 9th it was Papelbon nailing it shut 1-2-3 to close out the win. Threw a couple splitters to Navarro and got the K to end it.

Offensively Kotsay's lucky check swing was a big break for the sox as it dropped fair and set up Jed Lowrie to produce the sac fly and get the run home. Later it was Youk with a little help from Crawford. Sox got the 2 runs in tonight but they could have done more damage, fortunately it did not come back to haunt them.

Looking ahead to tommorow we send Josh Beckett to the mound looking to Josh to be October Josh and come up with another great outing keeping the Tampa bats quiet and shifting this thing back home with a 2-0 series lead. Would be nice. Dice going deep allows Tito to use the bullpen to the max tommorow if need be.

[LogansDad]

Angles fans did the same thing in game 1 of the ALDS. I know that Sox fans can be dicks sometimes, but for all these people who talk shit about us, at least we stay and support our team until the very end. And I won't even go into the use of props at a baseball game.....

[RedSox04]

Angles fans did the same thing in game 1 of the ALDS. I know that Sox fans can be dicks sometimes, but for all these people who talk shit about us, at least we stay and support our team until the very end. And I won't even go into the use of props at a baseball game.....

Perhaps, but I don't think that there were tons of fans sticking around for the end of the 19-8 drubbing we took in Game 3 of the 2004 ALCS, but your point about Tampa fans leaving down just 2 runs is well taken.

I still come back to last night's bottom of the 8th inning. Alot of times, I'm very squeamish about our chances because I never assume wins. I think Game 6 of the 1986 World Series did that to me. I also think a lot of posters here have no memory of that Series, so they have trouble understanding where I'm coming from, but they do remember Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS, and man, did that 8th inning come rushing back to me when Tito left Daisuke in for the 8th. And I don't think I'm alone in that. Tito liked the Daisuke/Upton matchup alot, but I think he was ignoring the fact that Iwamura does know how to hit Daisuke, especially a tiring Daisuke. I was stunned that Okajima didn't get the call for at least Iwamura and Upton, and possibly Pena if the tying run wasn't on, and perhaps a 4 or 5 out save for a well-rested Paps. I felt shades of Grady Little. I'm a huge fan of Tito Francona, but I can't agree with his keeping Daisuke out there. I think he pulled an OJ Simpson, and got away with murder.

One other thing that I noticed. In all the game coverage angles, nobody (except Tomasse of all people) seemed to want to talk to the very affable Masterson about the crucial double play ball he induced off the bat of Longoria. That seems very underplayed and underappreciated in the story of this game. (With that, I guess I have to give kudos to Tito - apparently Tito loved the Masterson/Longoria matchup while Maddon dreaded it - I didn't know that Longoria had been 0-7 against Masterson.)

Oh yeah, did I mention - awesome, much need win!! I hope our offense wakes up and Beckett spins a beauty.

This post has been edited by RedSox04: Oct 11 2008, 10:27 AM

[shepard50]

One other thing that I noticed. In all the game coverage angles, nobody (except Tomasse of all people) seemed to want to talk to the very affable Masterson about the crucial double play ball he induced off the bat of Longoria. That seems very underplayed and underappreciated in the story of this game. (With that, I guess I have to give kudos to Tito - apparently Tito loved the Masterson/Longoria matchup while Maddon dreaded it - I didn't know that Longoria had been 0-7 against Masterson.)

I think was the game right here - this goes poorly and we lose. This was the Rays best chance to score, many people in the game thread were screaming for Paps and here comes young JM to induce the DP. Great move by Tito and ballsy pitching by the kid.