Red Sox BEAT The A's in 5!!!

[Clay Dreslough]

Just got an e-mail from my Dad. Hard to put it any better than this.

===

WHO CAN NOW SAY THAT BASEBALL ISN'T THE GREATEST GAME
EVER?!?!

And how many of us were thinking Grady should be shot
when he didn't call for the intentional walk with one
out? And how many of us then ate our words when Lowe
walked them full?

And if the A's can bunt, why can't we? I was afraid
for a while in the 9th that the two most important
plays of the series were going to be bunts.

Next task: find out what companies makes Maalox and
portable defibrillators and buy their stock.

How sweet it is!

Jim

===

I disagree with him on the intentional walk. It's a lot easier to get a guy out when you have the flexibility to nibble at the corners.

Clay

[Clay Dreslough]

Since the creation of the Division Series in 1995, a team has come back only 4 times from a 2-0 deficit. I actually watched all 4 of these Series, which is pretty amazing since there have been a lot of playoff games in the last 9 years that I haven't seen.

Some interesting trivia:

1. They were all American League teams.

2. The Red Sox were the only team to accomplish this feat TWICE (1999, 2003). Pedro was the winning pitcher in BOTH deciding games.

3. The A's were on the losing end twice (2001, 2003).

4. The Yankees won in 2001, and lost in 1995 (to Seattle -- the year that made me a Mariner's fan: http://www.baseball-reference.com/po...95_ALDS2.shtml).

5. The only team to win game 5 on the road was the Red Sox (both 1999 and 2003!)

6. I'm pretty sure that the Zito-Pedro matchup was the first decisive game 5 that pitted 2 Cy Young winners against each other.

7. Game 5 in 1999 also featured 2 Cy Young winners -- on the same team -- Pedro and Bret Saberhagen.

8. In 2003 game 5, Pedro pitched 7 innings to get the win.
In 1999 game 5, Pedro pitched 6 PERFECT innings, in relief, to get the win.

9. Lowe ALSO pitched in both deciding games for the Red Sox.

So, it appears that in order to accomplish this feat on the road, you have to have Pedro Martinez AND Derek Lowe.

Clay

[Clay Dreslough]

One final comment:

I'm sure if this happened in Baseball Mogul, whoever was controlling the A's would say that the game must be broken -- and it wouldn't be an entirely asinine point.

Clay