(Boston, March, 1998) And the Red Sox, re-entering the Big Market Arena, tie up NL Cy Young winner RHP Pedro Martinez to lead their staff for 6-7 years, and RHP Dennis Eckersley to shore up the bullpen for 1-2. LF Wil Cordero’s been banished. 2B Jeff Frye, the starting second baseman is out for the season with a knee injury. There are many questions, though. Will 1B Mo Vaughn sign? Will RHP Bret Saberhagen and/or RHP Steve Avery pitch? Will highly touted rookie RHP Brian Rose live up to his promise? The bullpen is much stronger, and they have an ace pitcher, so there is some hope in Beantown.
(Boston, July 21, 1998) Perhaps one of the biggest surprises of the 1998 season has been the play of the Boston Red Sox. They carry a nifty 57-40 record into the wildcard chase, and in another year, a year when the Yanks were mere mortals, they would contend for the division crown. Their play has been courageous and inspired, the late inning heroics contagious, and . . . here’s the kicker . . . PITCHING! As I’ve said many a time, the power of a bonafide ace pitcher raises the confidence of the whole staff. And this is exactly what transpired with Pedro Martinez (13-3/ 2.72/ 160k). He is a true leader, a gentleman, a scholar of the game. Something the Sox needed badly since the unfortunate departure of Rocket Roger Clemens. (Put those two on the same staff and you can start fantasizing about besting the Atlanta Braves!) The Red Sox have gotten results and/or stellar efforts from many on their pitching staff. The incredible transformation of Tom Gordon from (probably their #1) starter to closer has been key (thanks to the very underrated skipper Jimy Williams. Bret Saberhagen’s (10-5/ 4.83) miraculous comeback and work ethic, and Tim Wakefield (11-4/ 4.31) and his dazzling knuckler have solidified the rotation.
And, of course, this lineup scores runs. This has surprised me for the second year in a row, as the Sox (on paper, anyway) have only two true impact hitters in Mo Vaughn (26/ 64/ .330) and Nomar Garciaparra (17/ 70/ .320). At this point in time, the Red Sox are scoring at around the pace of the powerhouse Cleveland Indians, and not far off the league leading Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, and Seattle Mariners. Perhaps General Manager Dan Duquette is not as surprised as I . . .
(Boston, September 10, 1998) Pass the donuts! The Townies have entered a blue funk. Inconsistant play of late was exploited by Roger Clemens and the wildcard rival Blue Jays, who swept a four game series, and the Damn Yankees, who POPPED the CAAWWKS in OUR OWN YAAAHHHD!!! Yeah, they clinched here, took two of three in Fenway Park. Cone outpitched Pedro... it just generally sucked. But has Red Sox Nation panicked? Lost faith? Nawt yet, says I, for we have played the Yanks as well as any team this season, with the exception of the Anaheim Angels. And the Sox still hold a 4 1/2 game lead over the Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers. And I truly believe they have a better balanced club than these two. But I would be SHITTING you if I told you they are better than this year's edition of the New York Yankees. The City That Never Sleeps has embraced the Team That Has No Budget, and why not - we haven't seen a team of this caliber since... well, the Atlanta Braves..... (Florida Marlins???) Anyhoo, the playoffs are a whole 'nother can of worms. A short series led by Pedro Martinez and Bret Saberhagen is formidable, and the pressure on the Yanks significant. As Yankee owner George Steinbrenner once said, "Pass me the donuts!"
(Boston, September 24, 1998) Red Sox Nation can rest easy. The Townies have clinched a wildcard berth, their first playoff appearance since 1995, hammering the Baltimore Orioles 9-6 at Fenway Park. Dennis Eckersley set the all-time record for games pitched with his 1070th appearance (B.J. Surhoff touched him for a tater), Mo Vaughn slashed his 200th hit in his charge for the batting crown (he's now hitting .334), Nomar Garciaparra sent two more into the net towards Landsdowne Street (he now has 35 HR and 119 RBI), Pedro Martinez got his 19th win (not his prettiest performance), and Flash Gordon struck out the side in the 9th, setting a major league record with his 42nd consecutive save, #45 overall. In my view, Flash has been the MVP of this club.
A glorious victory, no question, but that being said... the Red Sox have not been playing the blue collar quality baseball they established early on. There have been mental lapses, sloppy defense and baserunning. If this team is to prevail over the surging Cleveland Indians in the playoffs, manager Jimy Williams and team leader Mo Vaughn have to make sure this team is focused. The fact is, if you can't focus now, you don't deserve to move to the next level.
Nevertheless, this is a dangerous playoff ballclub. A team that scores, has arms like Martinez, Saberhagen, and Flash Gordon, can win the short series. The Curse of the Bambino be damned! This year's Red Sox (90 years removed from their last World Championship) are alive and kickin'!!!
I may be redundicating myself here, But the Bosox are in the first stage of a unique historical scenario... They have a chance to exorcise the many demons that have plagued them through the eons... A possible first round meeting with the Cleveland Indians, who thumped them in their last playoff appearance in 1995... A potential ALCS matchup with the Bronxtown Bombers, who have tormented them since, well, 1921... and at last, those New York Mets, who in 1986... well... some things are better left unsaid... Anyhoo, barring this, there is also the possibility of a World Series confrontation with the Chicago Cubs. The outcome of this scenario, as we all know, will be the end of the world as we know it. A great meteor will strike Wrigley Field in the bottom of the ninth in Chicago, devastating the population of the US and beyond, with only three survivors... Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, and... George Steinbrenner!
The 1998 AL Division Series
(Boston, September 29, 1998) 1B Mo Vaughn and the Boston Red Sox exorsised two demons in their 11-3 drubbing of the Cleveland Indians in Game 1 of the 1998 AL Division Series. They ended a 13 game playoff losing streak (dating back to the 1986 World Series), and Big Mo, who took the collar in the 1995 Division Series against the Indians, exploded for 7 RBI with a pair of taters and a double ...tied a post-season record, did he... The Maestro, SS Nomar Garciaparra drove in the other four with a homer and a sac fly. 3B John Valentin scored a record 4 runs, and Pedro Martinez surrendered the three runs and struck out 8 on the road to victory. The Townies have had Cleveland's number this year, winning 8 of 11 in the regular season. But they must consider the Tribe a sleeping giant, an explosive offense and a deep rotation, but perhaps lacking an established stopper. Bartolo Colon and/or Jaret Wright may assume that role in the near future. And the Red Sox, at 92-70 (only the New York Yankees, who went 114-48, were better in the AL), are for real. Martinez and Bret Saberhagen sandwiched around knuckleballer Tim Wakefield presents an unenviable task for hitters, and Flash Gordon has closed 'em out with the best this year. Got some pop, too...
(Boston, September 30, 1998) Three pitches into Game 2, veteran umpire Joe Brinkman ejected Indian manager Mike Hargrove for arguing balls and strikes. Four batters later, starter Doc Gooden was tossed for arguing ("...he screamed an expletive right in my ear", said Brinkman) when SS Omar Vizquel clearly nailed John Valentin at the plate. But the defending champion Cleveland Indians, used to the shoddy umpiring that adorns the league, chased knuckleballer Tim Wakefield in the second, and proceeded to muscle every reliever the Sox threw at them. Dave Burba got the win, Dave Justice drove in four with a 3 run blast and a sac fly, and C Sandy Alomar drove in two with 2 doubles. Garciaparra had 3 more RBI (he now has 7 for the series), but the second-line pitching just couldn't contain the tenacious Tribe.
(Boston, October 2, 1998) Charles Nagy has bamboozled these boys once again. And four solo shots, one each by Lofton and Thome, and two by Manny Ramirez (including what turned out to be a crucial pad run in the top of the ninth), left the Red Sox with their backs against the Green Monster. Nagy held the Sox to a run on four hits through 8, besting Bret Saberhagen in Game 3 of the Division Series at Fenway Park. The Beanos threatened in the bottom of the ninth when Mo Vaughn drilled one off the Wall and Nomar Garciaparra (three RBI tonight for 10 in three games) knocked one into the net in left... A day late and a dime short...
The Indians now lead this best of five 2-1, and Jimy Williams has a tough decision to make, a question he would like not to have addressed. This is (today's) biggest game of the season. There will be no tomorrow if you don't win today. And if you win today, of course, the most important game is tomorrow. Pitch Pedro Martinez on three days rest... or go with journeyman Pete Schourek... or Steve Avery? Another possibility would be Tim Wakefield, after all he only went an inning or so in Game 2. Perhaps starting Schourek and having Wakefield, Martinez et al available at any sign of trouble... Pedro's dominated the Indians, but has not pitched well on short rest ("Weeah payin' him 75 million dollahs, he should pitch every day!!!"). Well, it's Jimy's call, and if you asked him, he would certainly tell you, "If a frog had wings, he wouldn't bump his booty!" Amen.
(Boston, October 3, 1998) The Cleveland Indians will once again play the Yankees for the American League Championship. The glove and bat of David Justice did in the Townies, who clung to another Garciaparra homer until the 8th inning, and brought in Flash Gordon to close it out. But an inspired Justice, after nailing John Valentin at the plate, rifled a two-run double off the centerfield wall. This came at the expense of Flash Gordon, whose record 43 consecutive save streak came to an untimely end.
The Curse of the Bambino will continue, of course, but the (approximately one million) baseball pundits who second guessed manager Jimy Williams' choice of starter Pete Schourek, well, they might (grudgingly) admit that Jimy and pitching coach Joe Kerrigan are not clueless. Pete Schourek pitched a superb game, as he has his last four times out, and if the precarious 1-0 lead held up, the Sox would have Pedro Martinez tomorrow at the Jake...
Let's tip the caps to the Cleveland Indians, who have demons of their own. They have a solid club, strong up the middle, a high scoring offense, and a mix of promising young pitchers and proven veterans. They've been in the chase for much of the decade. But it's now been 50 years since they won it all...
(Boston, October 3, 1998) Perhaps the ongoing Curse can (at least in part!) be attributed to the fact that the Bosox have not put a competitive enough team on the field to beat teams like the Yanks, Indians, or the Big Red Machine. This years' edition, despite winning 92 games, had some serious holes. The lack of a bench, a weak bottom third of the lineup, and shallow starting pitching held them back as much as an Angry Bambino. But they have three things those Priceless Pinstripers cannot purchase: Nomar Garciaparra, Pedro Martinez, and Fenway Park. Mo Vaughn may have been #4, but he's now up for sale... modern baseball... don't get me goin'... If you don't know Nomar yet, you will. He is a shortstop of incredible range, and the deadliest of clutch hitters. In this, his first postseason series, he set the record with 11 RBI, in just four games. I've seen the future of baseball, and his name is Nomar. In the near future, when the torch is passed from future Hall of Famers Rocket Roger Clemens, Greg Maddux, Randy "Big Unit" Johnson et al, Pedro Martinez will be the Man. Perhaps Cubs righty Kerry Woods will be the Other Man. And God (or Babe), if you're listening, don't let "new stadium madness" take our beloved Fenway Park. Alongside the Friendly Confines, this is the best place in America to see a ballgame.
