The 2005 Red Sox and Beyond

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

ALCS Recap

Early in this series it looked as if the trip to the World Series belonged to the Tigers, as they held series leads of 1-0 and 2-1, and that their strong pitching would carry them there. However, the Red Sox offense triumphed as they managed to pull out of the early series holes to win the series.


Game 1 - Tigers win 9-5 in 9 innings

Synopsis: It was a pitching duel and a close game, that is until the 5th inning rolled around. The Tigers scored 5 in the 5th, to essentially put the game out of reach, and any hope the Red Sox had of a comeback in the game was squandered when the Tigers scored a run in both the 7th and 8th innings.


Game 2 - Red Sox win 5-4 in 9 innings

Synopsis: The Red Sox managed to fend off the daunting 2-0 series deficit and win this game. Thats not how it looked early on, however, as the Tigers scored 3 in the first that would go unanswered until the Red Sox tied it with 3 of their own in the 4th. The Red scored again in the 6th to take the lead, the Tigers would tie it with a run in the top of the 7th however. The Red Sox got the go-ahead run in the bottom of the 8th on an RBI single my Kevin Millar.


Game 3 - Tigers win 9-7 in 9 innings

Synopsis: This game also looked to be over early, as the Tigers led 7-1 after 4 innings. The Red Sox managed to score 5 runs in the top of the 6th, to make the score 7-6, and make it a game again. The Tigers got to Jon Papelbon and Brian Fuentes and scored a run each in the 7th and 8th innings. The Red Sox managed to get one in the top of the 8th, it wouldn't be enough however. With a loss in Game 4 the series would be essentially over for the Red Sox


Game 4 - Red Sox win 4-3 in 9 innings

Synopsis: This was a great, close game. The Red Sox would be held to no runs on 2 hits, and trailing 2-0, until the 7th inning when they scored all 4 of their runs and made the score 4-2 in favor of Boston. The Tigers managed to get one run in the bottom of the 8th but the only purpose it would serve would be to give Red Sox fans indigestion, as the Red Sox won the game 4-3. The Red Sox managed to fend off the possibility of an elimination game and tie the series, for the time being.


Game 5 - Red Sox win 13-6 in 9 innings

Synopsis: This game, even before it started, was going to be a pivotal game, because it would give the winner the chance to eliminate the loser, and give the winner the chance to advance to the World Series, with one more win. The Red Sox started things off early, scoring 6 runs in the first 3 innings. The Tigers would counter with 6 of their own between the 3rd and 5th innings. The Red Sox managed to overcome the minor meltdown by scoring 6 in the 7th and 1 in the 8th and holding the Tigers scoreless the remainder of the game. The Red Sox took their first lead of the series, with one more win they would earn the chance to defend their World Series title.


Game 6 - Red Sox win 12-6 in 9 innings

Synopsis: The Red Sox managed to go ahead early, scoring one run in each of the first 2 innings, but they trailed 3-2 after the 2nd inning. They trailed 5-2 going into their half of the 5th, but they managed to score 2 run in their half of the inning to pull within one run of the Tigers. They scored one run in the bottom of the 6th to tie the game. Both the Tigers and Red Sox would get a run in the 7th and would go into the 8th tied at 6 a piece. The Tigers would get nothing in their half of the 8th, but the Red Sox would capitalize on the opportunity to take the lead, and the series, by scoring 6 runs in the inning to put the game out of reach. The Red Sox had won their second consecutive AL Pennant and held the opportunity to defend their World Series title, after not winning one for 86 years prior to winning in 2004.

ALCS MVP: (BOS) Manny Ramirez LF 8-24 (.333BA) 3HR 5RBI .441OBP .833SLG%

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

World Series Preview



Boston Red Sox (91-71) @ Philadelphia Phillies (99-63)

Pitching Matchups

Game 1: BOS Wade Miller @ PHI Brett Myers

Game 2: BOS Odalis Perez @ PHI Randy Wolf

Game 3: PHI Cory Lidle @ BOS Ben Sheets

Game 4: PHI Vincente Padilla @ BOS Curt Schilling

Game 5 (if needed): PHI Brett Myers @ BOS Wade Miller

Game 6 (if needed): BOS Odalis Perez @ PHI Randy Wolf

Game 7 (if needed): BOS Ben Sheets @ PHI Cory Lidle

Roster Breakdown and Series Advantages

Expected Starting Lineup for Red Sox (and reg. season stats):

#1 Johnny Damon (CF) - .306BA/22HR/32SB/147R/116RBI/.371OBP
#2 Hanley Ramirez (SS) - .280BA/13HR/38SB/107R/76RBI/.341OBP
#3 David Ortiz (DH) - .296BA/38HR/0SB/101R/134RBI/.391OBP
#4 Manny Ramirez (LF) - .330BA/29HR/2SB/93R/105RBI/.428OBP
#5 Kevin Millar (1B) - .305BA/22HR/1SB/103R/115RBI/.378OBP
#6 Jason Varitek (C) - .255BA/26HR/0SB/97R/104RBI/.330OBP
#7 Bill Mueller (3B) - .330BA/12HR/2SB/75R/64RBI/.411OBP
#8 Kevin Youkilis (RF) - .256BA/8HR/0SB/69R/57RBI/.360OBP
#9 Dustin Pedroia (2B) - .333BA/0HR/0SB/0R/0RBI/.333OBP

(Without DH Kevin Millar moves to RF and Youkilis is moved to the bench with everyone keeping their spots in the BA order except for Pedroia moving up to 8 to compensate for the pitcher.)


Expected Starting Lineup for Phillies (and reg. season stats):

#1 Jimmy Rollins (SS) - .285BA/9HR/18SB/113R/67RBI/.347OBP
#2 Bobby Abreu (RF) - .290BA/27HR/21SB/125R/97RBI/.402OBP
#3 Chase Utley (2B) - .293BA/37HR/10SB/109R/128RBI/.357OBP
#4 Ryan Howard (1B) - .299BA/35HR/0SB/80R/96RBI/.401OBP
#5 Jim Thome (DH) - .300BA/32HR/1SB/76R/77RBI/.458OBP
#6 Pat Burrell (LF) - .249BA/27HR/0SB/84R/101RBI/.379OBP
#7 Mike Lieberthal (C) - .260BA/25HR/0SB/62R/91RBI/.329OBP
#8 Melvin Mora (3B) - .281BA/19HR/6SB/76R/61RBI/.353OBP
#9 Jason Michaels (CF) - .264BA/6HR/5SB/50R/32RBI/.354OBP

(Without DH Jim Thome moves to the bench and everyone below him in the batting order moves up a spot to compensate for the pitcher.)

Advantage: This is extremely close. Both teams have great power hitters and All-Star caliber bats at nearly every position. Both teams also possess excellent, dynamic leadoff men. However, the Red Sox do possess slightly better contact hitters, and the Phillies have slightly more power in their lineup. I'm going to call this one a push, its so close it could go either way and each lineup has its own strength's and weaknesses'.


Starting Rotation for Red Sox (and reg. season stats):

SP#1 Ben Sheets - 11-12/4.88ERA/179IP/177K/41BB/.258BAA/28.3GB%
SP#2 Curt Schilling - 7-3/4.53ERA/107.1IP/101K/16BB/.262BAA/33.6GB%
SP#3 Wade Miller - 6-4/3.93ERA/91.2IP/78K/41BB/.231BAA/33.8GB%
SP#4 Odalis Perez - 11-10/5.22ERA/170.2IP/135K/60BB/.271BAA/37.9GB%


Starting Rotation for Phillies (and reg. season stats):

SP#1 Brett Myers - 8-8/3.83ERA/148IP/139K/47BB/.230BAA/30.5GB%
SP#2 Randy Wolf - 9-9/5.44ERA/145.2IP/127K/62BB/.269BAA/29.3GB%
SP#3 Cory Lidle - 10-7/4.19ERA/152.1IP/103K/44BB/.279BAA/43.5GB%
SP#4 Vincente Padilla - 12-3/4.19ERA/131IP/111K/53BB/.235BAA/42.9GB%

Advantage: Neither rotation is particularly good. However, that being said, the Phillies have the stronger, more consistent rotation. Every pitcher in the Phillies rotation, except for perhaps Wolf, you can count on for a solid 5-7 innings. Comparably, on the Red Sox they have been terribly inconsistent and will give you a great outing one night, but will totally collapse their next time out. Advantage Phillies.


Bullpen for Red Sox (and reg. season stats):

CL Keith Foulke - 29SV/74SV%/4.95ERA/53K/49.1GB%
SU Brian Fuentes - 5.63ERA/61K/35.3GB%
SR Jon Papelbon - 4.68ERA/70K/43.7GB%
SR Chad Bradford - 3.73ERA/55K/53.0GB%
MR Manny Delcarmen - 3.58ERA/37K/37.1GB%
LR Geremi Gonzalez - 3.43ERA/34K/42.4GB%
MU Matt Clement - 8-8/6.34ERA/157.2IP/138K/67BB/.275BAA/45.6GB%


Bullpen for Phillies (and reg. season stats):

CL Billy Wagner - 50SV/91SV%/3.39ERA/72K/22.3GB%
SU Aaron Fultz - 2.73ERA/53K/43.3GB%
SR Terry Adams - 4.24ERA/76K/38.6GB%
SR Tim Worrell - 3.19ERA/75K/41.5GB%
MR Geoff Geary - 5.66ERA/71K/43.4GB%
LR Rheal Cormier - 3.72ERA/43K/52.7GB%
MU Eude Brito - 5-4/4.36ERA/64IP/46K/32BB/.263BAA/46.9GB%

Advantage: The bullpens are relatively close. Both have good, effective closers with decent, or better, middle relievers and others sprinkled throughout. The Red Sox is probably slightly more talented, however the Phillies has performed better throughout the season and postseason. A slight edge to the Phillies, with the Red Sox holding out hope that talent prevails and theirs performs better.

This should be a good series that will go 6 or 7 games. The offenses are extremely close, as are the pitching staffs. This is a tossup and could easily go either way, but since I'm running the Red Sox I'm going to take the Red Sox in 7.

[Arctic Blast]

Wow...that should be a pretty competitive series.

[Red Sox Fan 734]

This looks like it could go either way, Red Sox will win though!

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Phillies Take Game 1 in A Great Pitching Duel

In one of the greatest pitching duels in Game 1 history the Phillies triumphed by the score of 2-1. The Phillies drew first blood by getting a run in the bottom of the first on an infield single by Chase Utley with a man on 3rd base. The lead wouldn't last, as the Red Sox got one in the top of the second on Varitek homer, tying the game at 1 a piece. The Red Sox got only one hit over the remainder of the game, a 6th inning single by David Ortiz, and surrendered the winning run to the Phillies on a solo homer by Phillies first basemen Ryan Howard. The Red Sox and Phillies both pitched and played a great game, but there has to be a winner and a loser in everything and the Red Sox happened to get the short end of the stick this time.

Boston Red Sox at Philadelphia Phillies
October 23, 2005

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
       Red Sox (BOS) 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0    1  2  0
      Phillies (PHI) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 x    2  5  1

BOSTON               ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
J. Damon (CF)         3  0  1  0  0  0  0  0    .306
H. Ramirez (2B)       3  0  1  0  0  0  0  0    .280
D. Ortiz (1B)         2  1  2  0  0  0  0  0    .296
M. Ramirez (LF)       3  0  1  0  0  0  1  0    .330
K. Youkilis (RF)      4  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .256
J. Varitek (C)        4  1  0  1  1  1  2  0    .255
B. Mueller (3B)       3  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .330
D. Pedroia (SS)       3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .333
W. Miller (P)         3  0  0  0  0  0  2  0    .400
 J. Papelbon (P)      0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
TOTALS               28  2  5  1  1  1  6  0

   HR:  J. Varitek
   GIDP:  K. Youkilis
   CS:  H. Ramirez

          BOSTON   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
       W. Miller  7.1  5  6  1  2  2  7 163   3.93
     J. Papelbon  0.2  0  0  0  0  0  0  13   4.68
          TOTALS  8.0  5  6  1  2  2  7 176

PHILADELPHIA         ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
J. Rollins (SS)       4  2  0  1  0  0  1  1    .285
B. Abreu (RF)         4  0  0  0  0  0  2  0    .290
C. Utley (2B)         4  2  0  0  0  1  1  1    .293
R. Howard (1B)        2  1  2  1  1  1  0  0    .299
 D. Bell (P)          0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .238
P. Burrell (LF)       3  0  1  0  0  0  0  0    .249
 M. Byrd (P)          0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .338
M. Lieberthal (C)     4  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .260
M. Mora (3B)          3  0  1  0  0  0  1  0    .281
J. Michaels (CF)      2  0  1  0  0  0  0  0    .264
B. Myers (P)          1  0  1  0  0  0  1  0    .130
 J. Thome (P)         1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .300
 T. Adams (P)         0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
 B. Wagner (P)        0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
TOTALS               28  5  6  2  1  2  7  2

   HR:  R. Howard
   GIDP:  J. Michaels

    PHILADELPHIA   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
        B. Myers  6.0  2  5  1  1  1  4 107   3.83
        T. Adams  2.0  0  0  0  0  0  1  34   4.24
       B. Wagner  1.0  0  0  0  0  0  1  20   3.39
          TOTALS  9.0  2  5  1  1  1  6 161

     WP: T. Adams
     LP: W. Miller
     SV: B. Wagner

     Temperature: 49F
     Wind: Calm
     Attendance: 43,012
     Time: 3:24

[rockiesfan4ever]

Wow this should be interesteing if every game is like that.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Red Sox Tie Series Up in Another Pitcher's Duel

It was a pitcher's duel, and a great game, again in Game 2 of the 2005 World Series. However, in this game the Red Sox came out on top, by the count of 3-2, and tied the Series at 1-1. Again, just as in Game 1, the Phillies scored in the bottom of the 1st with the Red Sox countering with a run of their own in the top of the second. This time the Red Sox wouldn't go the rest of the game with only one hit, however. The Red Sox scored one run in the 6th and 7th innings to make the score, at the time 3-1, on an RBI groundout by Damon and a solo homer by Millar, respectively. The Phillies made it interesting in the bottom of the 9th when Pat Burrell singled home a run and the Phillies had men on the corners for Mike Lieberthal, but he would ground to 3rd to end the game and give the Sox the win. Another great game to start this series, this time the Red Sox emerged victoriously.

Boston Red Sox at Philadelphia Phillies
October 24, 2005

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
       Red Sox (BOS) 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0    3  6  0
      Phillies (PHI) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1    2  4  0

BOSTON               ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
J. Damon (CF)         4  0  0  0  0  1  0  0    .306
H. Ramirez (2B)       4  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .280
D. Ortiz (1B)         4  0  0  0  0  0  3  0    .296
M. Ramirez (LF)       4  1  0  1  1  1  1  0    .330
K. Millar (RF)        4  1  0  1  1  1  1  0    .305
J. Varitek (C)        3  0  0  0  0  0  3  0    .255
B. Mueller (3B)       3  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .330
D. Pedroia (SS)       3  2  0  1  0  0  0  0    .333
O. Perez (P)          1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .233
 J. Mabry (P)         1  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .308
 B. Fuentes (P)       0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
 K. Foulke (P)        0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
TOTALS               31  6  0  3  2  3  9  0

   2B:  D. Pedroia
   HR:  M. Ramirez, K. Millar
   CS:  H. Ramirez

          BOSTON   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
        O. Perez  7.0  2  1  1  1  1  4  93   5.22
      B. Fuentes  1.0  0  0  0  0  0  2   8   5.63
       K. Foulke  1.0  2  1  0  1  1  1  20   4.95
          TOTALS  9.0  4  2  1  2  2  7 121

PHILADELPHIA         ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
J. Rollins (SS)       4  1  0  1  0  0  1  0    .285
B. Abreu (RF)         4  1  0  0  0  0  1  0    .290
C. Utley (2B)         4  1  0  1  1  1  1  0    .293
R. Howard (1B)        2  0  2  0  0  0  0  0    .299
P. Burrell (LF)       4  1  0  0  0  1  0  0    .249
M. Lieberthal (C)     4  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .260
M. Mora (3B)          2  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .281
 J. Thome (P)         1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .300
J. Michaels (CF)      3  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .264
R. Wolf (P)           2  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .130
 A. Fultz (P)         0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
 P. Polanco (P)       1  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .303
 E. Brito (P)         0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .130
TOTALS               31  4  2  2  1  2  7  0

   HR:  C. Utley

    PHILADELPHIA   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
         R. Wolf  7.0  4  0  2  3  3  7 113   5.44
        A. Fultz  1.0  2  0  0  0  0  1  21   2.73
        E. Brito  1.0  0  0  0  0  0  1  14   4.36
          TOTALS  9.0  6  0  2  3  3  9 148

     WP: O. Perez
     LP: R. Wolf
     SV: K. Foulke

     Temperature: 55F
     Wind: Calm
     Attendance: 43,012
     Time: 2:43

Player of the Game: SP Odalis Perez (BOS) 7IP 1ER 4K

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Red Sox take 2-1 Series Lead With Game 3 Victory at Home

Breaking the trend of the series set by the first two games, this game was far less climactic and had much more offense, that did not detract from the game, however, it was still a great game and very competitive. Both teams scored in the first inning, the Phillies on solo jack by Chase Utley and the Red Sox on a sac fly to score Damon by Manny Ramirez. The Phillies also put up runs in the top of the 3rd and 5th innings, on an RBI single by Utley and an RBI groundout by Bobby Abreu respectively. The runs put the Red Sox down 3-1 when they came to bat in the bottom of the 5th, they quickly erased that deficit however, when they put up 3 runs in the inning, on an RBI double by Damon to score Pedroia, an RBI single by Manny Ramirez a few batters later, and then an RBI single immediately after by Millar, to make the score 4-3 in favor of the Red Sox. The Red Sox would tack on two more insurance runs in the 7th to make it 6-3. The Phillies never even managed to mount anything resembling a rally, as they went down in order in both the 8th and 9th innings.

Philadelphia Phillies at Boston Red Sox
October 26, 2005

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
      Phillies (PHI) 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0    3  6  0
       Red Sox (BOS) 1 0 0 0 3 0 2 0 x    6 12  1

PHILADELPHIA         ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
J. Rollins (SS)       4  2  0  1  0  0  1  1    .285
B. Abreu (RF)         3  0  1  0  0  1  0  0    .290
C. Utley (2B)         4  2  0  1  1  2  0  0    .293
R. Howard (1B)        4  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .299
J. Thome (DH)         3  0  1  0  0  0  0  0    .300
P. Burrell (LF)       4  0  0  0  0  0  2  0    .249
M. Lieberthal (C)     4  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .260
M. Mora (3B)          4  1  0  0  0  0  2  0    .281
J. Michaels (CF)      3  1  0  1  0  0  1  0    .264
TOTALS               33  6  2  3  1  3  7  1

   HR:  C. Utley
   GIDP:  P. Burrell

    PHILADELPHIA   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
        C. Lidle  4.1  8  2  0  4  4  5  78   4.19
      T. Worrell  2.1  2  0  0  2  2  2  39   3.19
        T. Adams  1.1  2  0  0  0  0  2  24   4.24
          TOTALS  8.0 12  2  0  6  6  9 141

BOSTON               ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
J. Damon (CF)         5  3  0  2  0  1  0  1    .306
H. Ramirez (SS)       4  1  0  1  0  0  1  1    .280
D. Ortiz (DH)         2  0  2  1  0  0  1  0    .296
M. Ramirez (LF)       3  1  0  0  0  2  2  0    .330
K. Millar (1B)        4  2  0  1  0  2  0  0    .305
J. Varitek (C)        4  1  0  0  0  0  2  0    .255
B. Mueller (3B)       4  3  0  0  0  1  0  0    .330
K. Youkilis (RF)      4  0  0  0  0  0  2  0    .256
D. Pedroia (2B)       4  1  0  1  0  0  1  0    .333
TOTALS               34 12  2  6  0  6  9  2

   2B:  D. Pedroia, J. Damon 2
   HBP:  H. Ramirez
   GIDP:  K. Youkilis

          BOSTON   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
       B. Sheets  7.0  6  2  1  3  3  5 113   4.88
      B. Fuentes  1.1  0  0  0  0  0  1  14   5.63
       K. Foulke  0.2  0  0  0  0  0  1  13   4.95
          TOTALS  9.0  6  2  1  3  3  7 140

     WP: B. Sheets
     LP: C. Lidle

     Temperature: 42F
     Wind: 4 MPH (out to right)
     Attendance: 12,558
     Time: 2:59

Player of the Game: SP Ben Sheets (BOS) 7IP 3ER 5K

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Red Sox Grab Commanding 3-1 Series Lead

The Red Sox took the bull by the horns and grabbed an ominous 3-1 series lead over the Philadelphia Phillies. The game looked like it was going to be over quickly as the Red Sox quickly got to Jon Lieber for 5 runs in his lone inning of work, on 5 hits including a bases clearing double by Bill Mueller, and had a 5-2 lead after one inning. The game was fairly uneventful until the 7th inning when the Phillies scored 3 runs, on a solo homer by Pat "The Bat" Burrell, a double by Jason Michaels, and a single by Jimmy Rollins, to tie the game at 5 a piece. The game wouldn't remain tied for long, the Red Sox knocked in 4 of their own in the next half inning to take the 9-5 lead. The game would end at that scored and moved the Red Sox to within one win of their second consecutive World Series title. The series may appear to be over, no one knows better than the Red Sox that a comeback is possible however, but don't expect the Red Sox to lie back and play like dogs, they'll look to wrap up their title defense tomorrow night at home.

Philadelphia Phillies at Boston Red Sox
October 27, 2005

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
      Phillies (PHI) 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0    5  7  0
       Red Sox (BOS) 5 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 x    9 12  1

PHILADELPHIA         ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
J. Rollins (SS)       4  2  0  1  0  1  0  2    .285
B. Abreu (RF)         3  0  1  0  0  0  0  0    .290
C. Utley (2B)         4  1  0  1  1  2  2  0    .293
R. Howard (1B)        4  1  0  0  0  0  1  0    .299
J. Thome (DH)         3  0  1  0  0  0  1  0    .300
P. Burrell (LF)       4  1  0  1  1  1  1  0    .249
M. Lieberthal (C)     4  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .260
M. Mora (3B)          4  1  0  1  0  0  2  0    .281
J. Michaels (CF)      3  1  0  1  0  1  0  0    .264
TOTALS               33  7  2  5  2  5  7  2

   2B:  J. Michaels
   HR:  C. Utley, P. Burrell
   GIDP:  C. Utley, J. Rollins

    PHILADELPHIA   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
       J. Lieber  1.0  5  1  0  5  5  1  25   3.32
      V. Padilla  5.1  5  0  0  4  4  7  90   4.19
        A. Fultz  0.2  1  0  0  0  0  1  10   2.73
        T. Adams  1.0  1  0  0  0  0  0  15   4.24
          TOTALS  8.0 12  1  0  9  9  9 140

BOSTON               ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
J. Damon (CF)         4  3  0  2  0  1  1  0    .306
H. Ramirez (SS)       4  2  0  2  0  1  0  0    .280
D. Ortiz (DH)         4  1  0  1  0  1  2  0    .296
M. Ramirez (LF)       3  1  1  1  0  1  1  0    .330
K. Millar (1B)        4  0  0  0  0  0  4  0    .305
J. Varitek (C)        4  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .255
B. Mueller (3B)       4  2  0  2  0  3  0  0    .330
K. Youkilis (RF)      4  2  0  1  0  2  0  0    .256
D. Pedroia (2B)       3  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .333
TOTALS               34 12  1  9  0  9  9  0

   2B:  H. Ramirez, B. Mueller 2, K. Youkilis
   3B:  J. Damon
   GIDP:  H. Ramirez, B. Mueller

          BOSTON   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
    C. Schilling  6.2  5  2  2  4  4  3 117   4.53
     C. Bradford  0.1  2  0  0  1  1  0   8   3.73
      B. Fuentes  1.0  0  0  0  0  0  2  16   5.63
     J. Papelbon  1.0  0  0  0  0  0  2  12   4.68
          TOTALS  9.0  7  2  2  5  5  7 153

     WP: C. Bradford
     LP: V. Padilla

     Temperature: 49F
     Wind: Calm
     Attendance: 13,056
     Time: 3:02

Player of the Game: 3B Bill Mueller (BOS) 2-4 2 R 3 RBI 2 2B

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Red Sox Complete Title Defense, Remain World Champions!

Their won't be an 86 year wait this time. The Red Sox completed their title defense last night after toppling the heavily favored Phillies 6-3 in game 5, and 4-1 for the series, with the help of a great outing from righty Wade Miller. The Red Sox scored early, putting up a run in the second and third innings each, on an RBI double by Bill Mueller and an RBI single by Hanley Ramirez respectively, and went into the 5th inning leading 2-0. It all started falling apart for the Phillies in that inning however, as the Red Sox put up 3 more runs to make it a 5-0 game and put the game almost out of reach. The Phillies mounted a small rally, putting up 2 in the top of the 6th and one in the 8th, but it would be for naught as the Red Sox won the game 6-3 to become World Champions for the second straight year. Any doubt that anyone had about last season or any lucky breaks the Red Sox got this year was dispelled as they won it all for the second year in a row while beating the team with the best regular season record.

Philadelphia Phillies at Boston Red Sox
October 28, 2005

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
      Phillies (PHI) 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0    3  7  0
       Red Sox (BOS) 0 1 1 0 3 0 0 1 x    6 10  0

PHILADELPHIA         ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
J. Rollins (SS)       4  3  0  1  0  0  0  0    .285
B. Abreu (RF)         3  1  1  1  1  1  1  0    .290
C. Utley (2B)         4  2  0  1  1  2  1  1    .293
R. Howard (1B)        4  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .299
J. Thome (DH)         4  0  0  0  0  0  2  0    .300
P. Burrell (LF)       4  1  0  0  0  0  2  0    .249
M. Lieberthal (C)     4  0  0  0  0  0  2  0    .260
M. Mora (3B)          3  0  0  0  0  0  2  0    .281
J. Michaels (CF)      4  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .264
TOTALS               34  7  1  3  2  3 11  1

   2B:  J. Rollins 2, P. Burrell
   HR:  C. Utley, B. Abreu
   HBP:  M. Mora

    PHILADELPHIA   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
        B. Myers  4.0  7  3  1  5  5  3  92   3.83
      R. Cormier  3.0  0  1  0  0  0  4  39   3.72
        T. Adams  1.0  3  0  0  1  1  1  29   4.24
          TOTALS  8.0 10  4  1  6  6  8 160

BOSTON               ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
J. Damon (CF)         4  1  1  2  0  0  1  0    .306
H. Ramirez (SS)       3  1  1  1  0  1  2  1    .280
D. Ortiz (DH)         4  2  0  1  1  3  1  0    .296
M. Ramirez (LF)       4  0  0  0  0  0  4  0    .330
K. Millar (1B)        3  0  1  0  0  0  0  0    .305
J. Varitek (C)        4  2  0  2  0  0  0  0    .255
B. Mueller (3B)       4  2  0  0  0  1  0  0    .330
K. Youkilis (RF)      3  1  1  0  0  0  0  0    .256
D. Pedroia (2B)       4  1  0  0  0  1  0  0    .333
TOTALS               33 10  4  6  1  6  8  1

   2B:  B. Mueller
   3B:  J. Damon
   HR:  D. Ortiz
   GIDP:  K. Youkilis

          BOSTON   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
       W. Miller  7.1  5  1  2  3  3  8 146   3.93
      B. Fuentes  0.2  1  0  0  0  0  0  19   5.63
       K. Foulke  1.0  1  0  0  0  0  3  18   4.95
          TOTALS  9.0  7  1  2  3  3 11 183

     WP: W. Miller
     LP: B. Myers
     SV: K. Foulke

     Temperature: 45F
     Wind: 3 MPH (out to left)
     Attendance: 13,568
     Time: 3:54

Player of the Game: SP Wade Miller (BOS) 7.1IP 3ER 8K

[Red Sox Fan 734]

Wooooohooooooo! Great job!

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Looking Ahead
What the Red Sox will have to do this offseason to contend for another title, and contend for more in coming years.

Despite the Red Sox winning their second straight World Series there are some apparent holes in the club that will need to be addressed this offseason in order for them to contend for another title next year, and the coming years after that.

Starting Pitching:

The Red Sox starting pitching was terribly inconsistent this season, and very well could have cost them in the post season or there ticket to the post season. The Red Sox will look to resign one of Wade Miller and Odalis Perez before they hit the open market, with the other likely going to another team on the open market. That will leave the team with Schilling, Sheets, Perez/Miller, and Clement in the rotation, leaving one spot open in the rotation. Word out of the Red Sox front office is that they are going to look to acquire a front of the line starter, like Johan Santana, Felix Hernandez, or Brandon Webb, by packaging one of Theo Albermarle (51/93) or Cornelius Farmer (58/97) with a few more prospects to fill out the rotation. They are also reportedly going to try to move Matt Clement and convert either Jon Papelbon or Manny Delcarmen to SP. If the Red Sox can complete their apparent intent of acquiring a front of the rotation starter, to pair with Sheets and Schilling, this will immediately become a strong suit for the team.


Right Field:

The only player who gave them even average production at this position this season was Jay Payton, and even then he didn't play very well at times, this is a position they will look to upgrade at. In-house options include Youkilis and Gabe Kapler, however, word out of the Red Sox organization is that the Red Sox are not enthralled with Youkilis and may look to move him as part of a deal for an aforementioned starter, which would leave Kapler, but the Red Sox do not apparently see him as a starter and like him better coming off the bench. Which means that the Red Sox will likely delve into the FA pool and look to sign a RF, notable right fielders on the market include Jacque Jones, Wily Mo Peña, Kevin Mench, Juan Rivera, and Austin Kearns, any one of which the Red Sox may look to add. The Red Sox are reportedly highly interested in the services of Wily Mo Peña, in particular, because of his phenomenal power and the fact that he is only 23. Next in line would be Austin Kearns, Juan Rivera, Kevin Mench and Jacque Jones, in roughly that order.


Depth:

The Red Sox were hit hard by injuries all season, which should compel the Red Sox front office to add depth. Look for the Red Sox to add a defensive minded reserve middle infielder, a strong bat off the bench, and a LOT of SP depth.

Impending FA's

SP Wade Miller - Will look to resign either Miller or Perez
SP Odalis Perez - Will look to resign either Miller or Perez
SP Bronson Arroyo - Injured deep into next season, may look to bring back once he is fully recovered
SS Ramon Vazquez - May look to resign depending on asking price, could contribute to aforementioned depth issues
SP Geremi Gonzales - Will look to resign for use out of BP
RP Mike Myers - Will not be resigned
OF John Mabry - Has player option, if not exercised will look to resign to address depth
RP Blaine Neal - Will not be resigned
SP Tim Wakefield - May be resigned depending on asking price, would pitch out of BP if resigned
SP John Halama - Will not be resigned

[rockiesfan4ever]

Congrats on the series win.

[Red Sox Fan 734]

SP Tim Wakefield - May be resigned depending on asking price, would pitch out of BP if resigned

Lol, when i first read this i was like "Would pitch out of batters practice if resigned

[rockiesfan4ever]

That's what I thought I was like "You can have pitchers pitch BP now? Sweet."