Monday, November 30, 2009
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
King of the mound, lord of the dance
Perhaps the most fun running subplot of the Red Sox charge through the playoffs became the dancing antics of All-Star closer Jonathan Papelbon.Papelbon delighted fans after the Sox clinched a playoff berth in the regular season by doing an Irish jig -- in spandex -- on the field after the win.
The closer, who pitched flawlessly in the post-season, promised fans he would dance if the team won it all. And he didn't disappoint.
Thousands of Red Sox fans flock to World Series victory parade - Local News Updates - The Boston Globe
With thousands of fans screaming their hearts out, a caravan carrying Red Sox players rolled through the streets of Boston today in a celebration of the team's second World Series victory in four years.
"This is just incredible. Two championships. It's hard to even imagine it," said David Charleau, 35, of Everett, who was holding his 2-year-old son, Matthew, on his shoulders along the crowded parade route near Boston Common.
The "rolling rally" to mark the Red Sox sweep of the Colorado Rockies included about two dozen duck boats -- amphibious vehicles used for tours of the city -- that spewed red, white, and blue confetti.
It took about two hours for the caravan to make its way along the route from Fenway Park to City Hall, as players and their families, coaches, executives, and other members of the Red Sox organization waved to a wildly cheering crowd.
The Sox completed their sweep of the Rockies with a 4-3 victory on Sunday in Denver. In 2004, the Sox swept the St. Louis Cardinals, a victory that came after the team had suffered an 86-year championship drought, leading some to believe it was cursed.
In a day celebrating the team's indomitable pitching, the best save was made by Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who stumbled coming off a stage but did not drop the World Series trophy.
Slugger Manny Ramirez used the public address system as the caravan rolled along to invite fans back to his house for free beer.
Catcher Jason Varitek held up a sign saying "Re-sign Lowell," echoing the concerns of some fans that the team might lose World Series MVP Mike Lowell, who is now a free agent.
Closer Jonathan Papelbon, who rode on a flatbed truck with fellow relievers Hideki Okajima and Mike Timlin, ignited a frenzy when he performed his trademark jig along the route.
At City Hall Plaza, all three pitchers capered to the music provided by the Dropkick Murphys band. And Papelbon, who had donned a red kilt, brandished a broom, symbolic of the Series sweep, as a guitar.
By 3:30 p.m., Boston police had arrested 18 people on disorderly conduct charges. Details were not immediately available.
Fans vying for spaces along the parade route had to endure cool temperatures early in the morning, but by midday the temperature neared 60 and the sky was clear.
First baseman Kevin Youkilis, taking a mike from a broadcaster on the street, echoed the sentiment of every member of Red Sox Nation, saying, "We hope we can do this every year."
After the rolling rally ended, the players returned to Fenway Park, where they were met by more fans before they headed home.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Mike Lowell wins World Series MVP
Mike Lowell wins World Series MVP
By MIKE FITZPATRICK, AP Baseball Writer Mon Oct 29, 4:15 AM ET
DENVER - Drenched from the celebration in Boston's bustling clubhouse, Mike Lowell clutched his new trophy and broke into a sheepish smile.
He's much more than some throw-in on a Red Sox trade — and he knows it. He's the World Series MVP.
The steady third baseman capped an outstanding October with a big performance Sunday night, helping Boston finish a four-game sweep with a 4-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies.
Earlier in the Series, Lowell called himself "the throw-in" on the 2005 deal with Florida that brought ace Josh Beckett to Boston. Nobody looks at Lowell that way anymore.
"I'm on Cloud 9. It's unbelievable," he said. "We've got a lot of people to give credit to."
Lowell homered, doubled and scored twice in the Game 4 clincher at Coors Field, dirtying his uniform with a headfirst slide at the plate that typified his whatever-it-takes attitude. He hit .400 (6-for-15) in the Series with four RBIs, three walks and a team-high six runs.
"Pretty good throw-in, I guess," said Lowell, a survivor of testicular cancer. "Icing on the cake. This is just extra special."
When the Red Sox swept St. Louis in 2004 for their first championship in 86 years, Lowell was still in Florida. This time, he's got an invitation to the party.
A key cog in Boston's powerful lineup, Lowell bats fifth behind David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. Lowell's job is to protect those big boppers by driving in enough runs to make opponents think twice about walking them.
Few could have done it better this year.
Lowell set career bests by batting .324 with a team-leading 120 RBIs. Pretty good numbers to show potential suitors in the offseason, when he can become a free agent.
His best sales pitch, however, might be his production under pressure.
Lowell, who also won a World Series ring with the Marlins in 2003, hit .348 this postseason with two homers and 13 RBIs. He did it quietly, like almost everything. But that doesn't mean it went unnoticed.
About 15 minutes after the final out, a huge horde of red-clad Boston fans behind the third base dugout chanted "MVP! MVP!" for Lowell and "Re-sign Lowell! Re-sign Lowell!"
"Free agency to me is very new, so I'm going to take it step by step. But I've never hid the fact that I enjoy playing here in Boston," Lowell said. "I have great teammates, a great manager, great coaches, so we'll see what happens. But I'm more focused on celebrating right now."
A four-time All-Star, Lowell got tossed into the Beckett trade because the small-budget Marlins wanted to shed his $9 million salary after he had a disappointing season.
The Red Sox plugged him in at third base, and they've been rewarded with two fine years of professionalism and leadership.
"I was the throw-in in the deal. They needed Josh Beckett," Lowell said last week. "They needed to get a top right-handed pitcher, and I don't think the Red Sox after the '05 season were like, Lowell has to be in that deal for us to take Beckett. I'm sure that's not the way they were going."
It was Beckett who won the 2003 World Series MVP for the surprising Marlins.
Now, Lowell has a gleaming prize of his own.
"I think in '03 no one expected us to do anything, so we were kind of beating the odds each time," Lowell said. "But I think it's a little different when, from the onset, a lot of people are expecting you to win a world championship and if you don't it's a disappointing year. For us to come through and do what we thought we were capable of doing is unbelievable."
A new era dawns for the Red Sox and it's twice as nice
The best
DENVER - If you go to a high school graduation in New England in the Year 2026, you will hear a lot of Jacobys, Dustins, Jonathans, and Hidekis when they call the roll. And it will remind you of a special time when it seemed the beloved local baseball team simply could not lose.
Five thousand feet above sea level and 1,800 miles from Fenway Park, the Boston Red Sox last night won their second World Series in four seasons, beating the Colorado Rockies, 4-3, to complete a four-game sweep of the 103d Fall Classic. Frustrated for the final eight decades of the 20th century, the Sox have emerged as hardball monsters of the new millennium.
Indomitable closer and nifty dancer Jonathan Papelbon fanned pinch hitter Seth Smith on a 94-mile-per-hour fastball at 12:05 a.m. (EDT) for the final out, then heaved his glove toward the heavens. Catcher Jason Varitek stuffed the precious baseball into his back pocket while he ran out to the mound to congratulate his teammate. Time to pop the corks.
As they did in 2004, Terry Francona's men shredded their National League rivals like so many cardboard cutouts, beating the Rockies by an aggregate 29-10 over four games. Once famous for autumnal folds, the Sox have won eight consecutive World Series games and finished the 2007 playoffs with seven straight wins.
In the last two weeks, Sox fans who worship Curt Schilling, David Ortiz, and the other curse-breaking veterans of 2004 discovered a new generation of October warriors; young men developed by the Theo Epstein administration . . . Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Papelbon, and Jon Lester.
It was Lester, one year removed from chemotherapy treatments for lymphoma, who won the clincher with 5 2/3 innings of shutout ball. Mike Low ell, who hit a home run and a double, was named World Series MVP, and Bobby Kielty's pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning proved to be the difference.
"I'm so proud of Jon Lester," said Francona. "I thought it was very appropriate that he got the win. It's hard to come up with the right words."
"It feels like a dream," said Sox chairman Tom Werner.
"Don't wake me up," added owner John W. Henry.
After the final out, thousands of Sox fans convened behind the third base dugout and lingered for more than an hour, standing, chanting, and saluting their champions. The first "Yankees suck" chorus broke out 22 minutes after the game ended.
"For us to come through and do what we thought we were capable of doing is unbelievable," said Lowell. "Our manager didn't panic, the players didn't panic, the coaches didn't panic. We knew if we just kept playing the baseball that we know we can play, we'll be all right."
The national pastime (past bedtime, actually) was played three years and one day after the champagne bath that cleansed 86 years of a region's pain in 2004. The home plate umpire was Chuck Meriwether, who also worked the dish in Game 4 in St. Louis, and the Sox shot out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning, just as they did in '04.
Ellsbury, the rookie of Navajo descent who started the season in Double A, hit the second pitch of the night into the left-field corner for a double and came around to score on a single by Big Papi. New generation meets old. Same result.
The Sox tacked on a second run in the fifth when Lowell doubled and scored on a single by Varitek. Lowell (.400 for the series) homered leading off the seventh to chase Rockies starter Aaron Cook, who hadn't pitched since Aug. 10.
The 23-year-old Lester hadn't started in the majors in over a month. He finished the season in the minor leagues and was not included on the Sox' 25-man roster for the Division Series against the Angels. And then he went out and won the clinching game of the World Series one year after his chemo treatments. Jake Gyllenhaal is already lined up to play the lead in "The Jon Lester Story," a major motion picture coming soon to theaters near you.
Lester gave up three hits and three walks. Manny Delcarmen finished the sixth, but gave up a homer to Brad Hawpe to start the seventh. When Delcarmen put another man on base, 41-year-old Mike Timlin - another holdover from '04 - came on and fanned two of the Rockies' best hitters.
There was stardust sprinkled all over the Sox dugout. Pinch hitting in the eighth, Kielty homered on the first pitch thrown by Brian Fuentes. It was Kielty's only appearance in the World Series.
In the eighth, a fatigued Hideki Okajima surrendered a two-run homer to Garrett Atkins and Papelbon was summoned for the five-out save. Papelbon pitched 10 2/3 postseason innings without giving up a run.
Francona, Boston's oft-maligned manager, is 8-0 lifetime as a World Series skipper. And his boss, Epstein - who walked away from the job for a few months in 2005 - has a second championship ring.
"What happened in '04 we'll never forget," said Francona. "But this is '07 and we said that from Day 1 and we accomplished our goal and it's not easy to do."
"Our goal is to get into the postseason as often as possible and win multiple World Series," said Epstein. "We used to say, 'Well, anyone can win one.' A lot of people worked hard to make this happen."
And so on the day the Patriots officially moved halfway to perfection and the Boston College footballers enjoyed another 24 hours as the No. 2 team in the nation, the Red Sox won their seventh World Series in franchise history. How do New England parents explain to children there was a time when local sports fans endured failure and collapse and actually waited for a rare championship season to unfold?
In October of 2007, the streets of Boston are paved with gold and this week those streets will be packed with the legions of Red Sox Nation, saluting the World Champion Boston Red Sox. Again.BoSox sweep Rockies to win World Series
By RONALD BLUM - The Associated Press
Boston Red Sox's Daisuke Matsuzaka, right, and Hideki Okajima hold up the World Series trophy after Game 4 of the baseball World Series Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. The Red Sox won 4-3 to sweep the series. David J. Phillip / AP Photo
DENVER -- The Boston Red Sox have won the World Series, completing a four-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies with a 4-3 win last night.
For the second time in four years, the Boston Red Sox sit at the pinnacle of the baseball world. After going 86 years without a World Series title, the Red Sox now have won two of the last four in most impressive fashion.
The Red Sox dominated Colorado, a team that came into the World Series having won 21 of 22 games. Boston outscored the Rockies 29-10 in the four-game sweep. Boston has seven World Series titles, which is fourth on the all-time list.
The Red Sox' title continues a New England resurgence in sports. The Patriots are unbeaten in the NFL, Boston College is unbeaten and ranked second in college football and the Boston Celtics have high hopes after acquiring Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett for the upcoming NBA season.
World Series MVP Mike Lowell hit a seventh-inning home run to give Boston a 3-0 lead. Lowell batted .400 while scoring six runs and driving in four in the sweep.
Lowell had called himself "the throw-in" in the 2005 deal with Florida that brought ace Josh Beckett to Boston. Lowell also won a World Series while in Florida. He says he's on "cloud 9" with his second World Series title.
Bobby Kielty added a pinch-hit homer in the eighth for the Red Sox' winning margin. The Red Sox as a team batted .333 in the World Series, compared to a paltry .218 for the Rockies.
In his first career postseason start, lefty Jon Lester held the Rockies to three hits over five and two-thirds innings for the win. Jonathan Papelbon completed the seven-hitter for his third save of the series. Papelbon retired all five Rockies he faced. He did not allow a run in 10 and two-thirds innings in the postseason.
Boston Red Sox players spray each other with champagne after defeating the Colorado Rockies in Game 4 to win the baseball World Series Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. David J. Phillip / AP Photo
Boston Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek leaps into pitcher Jonathan Papelbon's arms after winning the baseball World Series in Game 4 over the Colorado Rockies Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. David J. Phillip / AP Photo
The Boston Red Sox celebrate after the final out in Game 4 of the baseball World Series against the Colorado Rockies Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. The Red Sox won 4-3 to sweep the series. David J. Phillip / AP Photo
Boston Red Sox pitcher Jonathan Papelbon leaps into the air after the Red Sox beat the Colorado Rockies, 4-3, to win the baseball World Series Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. Jack Dempsey / AP Photo
Boston Red Sox's Bobby Kielty, right, is greeted by teammates David Ortiz, left, Julio Lugo (23) and Manny Ramirez (24) after Kielty's eighth inning home run off Colorado Rockies pitcher Brian Fuentes in Game 4 of the baseball World Series Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. David Zalubowski / AP Photo
Boston Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester, left, gets a pep talk from catcher Jason Varitek during the fifth inning of Game 4 of the World Series against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. Jack Dempsey / AP Photo
Boston Red Sox pitcher Jonathan Papelbon reacts after getting the final out in the eighth inning of Game 4 of the World Series on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. Jack Dempsey / AP Photo
Boston Red Sox pitcher Jonathan Papelbon, left, and catcher Jason Varitek celebrate after the Red Sox beat the Colorado Rockies 4-3 to win the World Series on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. David Zalubowski / AP Photo
The Boston Red Sox celebrate after the final out in Game 4 of the World Series on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. The Red Sox won 4-3 to sweep the series. Eric Gay / AP Photo
The Boston Red Sox's Mike Lowell, center, is greeted by teammates Julio Lugo (23) and David Ortiz, back, after Lowell's home run during the seventh inning in Game 4 of the World Series on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. David Zalubowski / AP Photo
Boston Red Sox players spray each other with champagne after defeating the Colorado Rockies in Game 4 to win the World Series on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. David J. Phillip / AP Photo
Boston's Julio Lugo (23) greets teammate Mike Lowell after Lowell scored on a single by Jason Varitek in the fifth inning of Game 4 of the World Series on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. Ed Andrieski / AP Photo
The Boston Red Sox celebrate after Game 4 of the baseball World Series against the Colorado Rockies Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. The Red Sox won 4-3 to sweep the series. Ed Andrieski / AP Photo
Boston's Mike Lowell slides safely home past Colorado Rockies catcher Yorvit Torrealba during the fifth inning in Game 4 of the World Series on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. Lowell scored from second on a single by Jason Varitek. Eric Gay / AP Photo
Boston Red Sox president Larry Lucchino, left, general manager Theo Epstein, center, and manager Terry Francona hold the World Series trophy after Boston defeated the Colorado Rockies in Game 4 on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. David J. Phillip / AP Photo
Boston Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell is lifted into the air by coach Luis Alicea Gafter the Red Sox defeated the Colorado Rockies to win the World Series on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. Lowell was named the series MVP. Jack Dempsey / AP Photo
Boston Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester prepares to throw to the Colorado Rockies during the first inning of Game 4 of the World Series on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. David J. Phillip / AP Photo
The Boston Red Sox's Mike Lowell, left, celebrates with J.D. Drew (7) after Lowell's seventh inning home run in Game 4 of the World Series on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. Jack Dempsey / AP Photo
The Boston Red Sox celebrate after Game 4 of the baseball World Series against the Colorado Rockies Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. The Red Sox won 4-3 to sweep the series. Ed Andrieski / AP Photo
The Boston Red Sox's Kevin Youkilis, right, pours champagne on one of his teammates after the Red Sox defeated the Colorado Rockies in Game 4 to win the World Series on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. David J. Phillip / AP Photo
MVP Boston Red Sox's Mike Lowell gets sprayed with champagne after Boston defeated the Colorado Rockies in Game 4 to win the baseball World Series Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. David J. Phillip / AP Photo
Boston's Jacoby Ellsbury, left, is congratulated by Mike Lowell (25) and Manny Ramirez (24) after scoring against the Colorado Rockies during the first inning of Game 4 of the World Series on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. David Zalubowski / AP Photo
The Boston Red Sox's Jonathan Papelbon celebrates after the final out in Game 4 of the World Series on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. The Red Sox won 4-3 to sweep the series. Ed Andrieski / AP Photo
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Boston.com
Boston.com
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AGAIN!! Resurgent Red Sox sweep, capture 2d crown in 4 years
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Mountain men: Sox are champs
The Official Site of Boston Red Sox: News: Boston Red Sox News
DENVER -- A scintillating seven-game winning streak that began in Cleveland with the season on the brink of elimination ended Sunday night with the Red Sox mobbing each other in the thin air of Coors Field of all places, culminating in a World Series championship that didn't take even close to 86 years this time around.
Mountain men: Sox are champs Boston rides four-game sweep to second title in four seasons By Ian Browne / MLB.com |
By sweeping the Rockies with a 4-3 victory in Game 4, the Red Sox are champions of Major League Baseball for the second time in four seasons, once again doing it by giving their National League opponent the broom treatment. It was the seventh -- there goes that number again -- time the Red Sox have won the World Series.
Give the Rockies credit for this, they didn't quit. Down, 4-1, in the bottom of the eighth, Garrett Atkins blasted a two-run homer to left against Hideki Okajima, putting the heat on the Red Sox.
Out of the bullpen came closer Jonathan Papelbon, entrusted with recording the final five outs to get the Red Sox to their ultimate goal. Papelbon accomplished that mission with his third save of this World Series. The right-hander didn't allow a run in the seven games he pitched in this postseason.
There was also a feel-good touch to the end of the script, as left-hander Jon Lester, who was undergoing chemotherapy treatments for anaplastic large cell lymphoma at this time last year, fired 5 2/3 shutout innings against the Rockies to earn the win in his first career postseason start.
Aaron Cook, making his first start since Aug. 10 because of a left oblique strain, hung tough (six innings, six hits, three runs) for the Rockies in a losing effort.
But the Red Sox did enough offensively to get the job done. Mike Lowell belted a solo homer in the top of the seventh to give Boston a 3-0 lead.
Brad Hawpe drew the Rockies within two on a solo shot to right against Manny Delcarmen in the bottom of the seventh. But after Mike Timlin navigated the Red Sox through the final two outs of that inning, Bobby Kielty opened the eighth with a pinch-hit homer to push the lead back to three runs.
Don't let the relative ease of the World Series conquest fool you. The ride to the pinnacle was anything but easy for the Red Sox. They trailed the Indians, 3-1, in the American League Championship Series before climbing out of that seemingly daunting deficit.
If the script sounds reasonably familiar, it should. In 2004, the Red Sox came back from 3-0 down to beat the Yankees in the ALCS and finished that championship ride with eight straight wins.
After taking over first place in the AL East for good on April 18 and winning 96 games during the regular season, Boston went 11-3 in the postseason.
In Game 4 of the World Series, the Red Sox again set the tone early. Jacoby Ellsbury, fresh off his four-hit performance in Game 3, led the game off with a double. He moved to third on a groundout by Dustin Pedroia and scored on David Ortiz's single to right.
Cook held the Red Sox down for a while after that first, throwing three straight shutout innings. But the Boston bats came alive in the fifth. Lowell got it started with a leadoff double to center and belly-flopped home on a one-out single to right by Jason Varitek. After Julio Lugo followed with a single, Cook struck out Lester and Ellsbury to keep it at 2-0.
Rookies lead Red Sox to brink of sweep
By RONALD BLUM - AP Baseball Writer
Boston Red Sox's Julio Lugo (23) pats Jacoby Ellsbury on the head after Game 3 of the baseball World Series against the Colorado Rockies Saturday, Oct. 27, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. The Red Sox won 10-5 to take a 3-0 lead in the series. David J. Phillip / AP Photo
DENVER -- Mile high or sea level, these Boston Red Sox can't be stopped. The Red Sox made Coors Field their own pinball palace, spraying balls to every part of the park and moving within one win of another World Series sweep.
On a night when rookies ruled, Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia sparked the Red Sox from the top of the order, Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched shutout ball into the sixth inning and Boston beat Colorado 10-5 on Saturday for a 3-0 Series lead.
Still, the Red Sox weren't quite ready to celebrate.
"We don't want to eat the cake before your birthday," Manny Ramirez said.
Ellsbury became the first rookie in 61 years with four hits in a Series game, getting three of Boston's seven doubles. Pedroia had three hits, including a bunt single that helped spark a six-run third against Josh Fogg, who allowed 12 of 19 batters to reach.
Colorado was down 6-0 in the third and seemingly out but came back with two runs in the sixth. The Rockies then closed to 6-5 when Matt Holliday hit a three-run homer in the seventh on Hideki Okajima's first pitch.
"It looked like we were hanging on for dear life," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said.
But the Rockies' chance to get back into the World Series vanished into Coors Field's thin air.
Ellsbury lofted an RBI double down the right-field line off Brian Fuentes in the eighth that just eluded Brad Hawpe's attempt at a sliding, backhand catch, and Pedroia followed with a two-run double to right that made it 9-5. Jason Varitek added a sacrifice fly in the ninth of a game that took 4 hours, 19 minutes - the longest nine-inning game in Series history.
"We got a little comfortable," Ellsbury said. "It was big to respond after their big inning."
It was a night that resembled Coors' pre-humidifier days, when it was baseball's premier launching pad.
"With their offense, no lead is safe," Pedroia said.
On Oct. 27 three years ago at old Busch Stadium, the Red Sox completed a sweep of St. Louis for their first World Series title in 86 years. Having won seven straight Series games for the first time in franchise history, Boston will try for its seventh championship Sunday. Jon Lester starts for the Red Sox against Aaron Cook in a matchup of pitchers who made it back to the majors after major medical problems.
The 22 previous teams that took a 3-0 World Series lead all went on to win, 19 with sweeps.
"It looks like we're in groundbreaking territory," Colorado manager Clint Hurdle said.
If the Rockies are the National League's best, the senior circuit has a lot of catching up to do. Maybe it is the rust of a record eight-day layoff for the Rockies, or maybe the Red Sox really are a league above.
Colorado has been outscored 25-7 and is batting just .222. Boston's batters have been bruisers, hitting .352 in the Series with 16 doubles. The Rockies were the talk of baseball with 21 wins in 22 games coming into the Series, but they've gone into reverse, looking more like the fourth-place team they were in mid-September.
"After 21 of 22, four games doesn't seem like a whole lot," Fuentes said.
Boston has won six straight since falling behind Cleveland 3-1 in the AL championship series. While the Yankees owned the 20th century, the Red Sox are one win from becoming the first team to win two titles in the 21st.
"We have to continue our focus the same way," Varitek said.
Francona, the first manager to start 7-0 in Series history, made all the right moves. Ellsbury, who hit ninth in the opener and No. 8 in Game 2, moved to the top of the order and became only the third rookie with four hits in a Series game, following Freddie Lindstrom in 1924 and Joe Garagiola in 1946. David Ortiz, kept in the lineup despite the loss of the designated hitter in the NL city, doubled in the first run and flawlessly handled both his chances at first base before Kevin Youkilis replaced him in the bottom of the sixth.
Hurdle also made some moves. He benched center fielder Willy Taveras, started Cory Sullivan in center, moved Kaz Matsui - Dice-K's old Seibu teammate - to leadoff and batted Troy Tulowitzki second.
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Boston Red Sox pitcher Hideki Okajima pitches during the seventh inning against the Boston Red Sox in Game 3 of the baseball World Series Saturday, Oct. 27, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. David J. Phillip / AP Photo
Colorado Rockies right fielder Brad Hawpe can't catch a double by Boston Red Sox's Jacoby Ellsbury to drive in a run in the eighth inning of Game 3 of the baseball World Series Saturday, Oct. 27, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. Jack Dempsey / AP Photo
Colorado Rockies Matt Holliday reacts after flying out to end the eighth inning against the Boston Red Sox in Game 3 of the baseball World Series Saturday, Oct. 27, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. David J. Phillip / AP Photo
Boston Red Sox Manny Ramirez signals himself safe after being tagged out by Colorado Rockies catcher Yorvit Torrealba dives to tag out while trying to score on a Jason Varitek single in the third inning of Game 3 of the baseball World Series Saturday, Oct. 27, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. David J. Phillip / AP Photo
Boston Red Sox Jacoby Ellsbury watches his RBI double against Colorado Rockies pitcher Brian Fuentes in the eighth inning in Game 3 of the baseball World Series Saturday, Oct. 27, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. Boston's Julio Lugo scored on the hit. David J. Phillip / AP Photo
Colorado Rockies Colorado Rockies Matt Holliday watches his three run home run against Boston Red Sox pitcher Hideki Okajima in the seventh inning in Game 3 of the baseball World Series Saturday, Oct. 27, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. David J. Phillip / AP Photo
Colorado Rockies' Matt Herges pitches against the Boston Red Sox in the seventh inning of Game 3 of the baseball World Series Saturday, Oct. 27, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. Jack Dempsey / AP Photo
Boston Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka singles off Colorado Rockies pitcher Josh Fogg to drive in two runs in the third inning of Game 3 of the baseball World Series Saturday, Oct. 27, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. Jack Dempsey / AP Photo
Boston Red Sox David Ortiz is congratulated by teammates Dustin Pedroia (15) and J.D. Drew after Ortiz scored on an RBI single by Mike Lowell during the third inning in Game 3 of the baseball World Series against the Colorado Rockies Saturday, Oct. 27, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. Ed Andrieski / AP Photo
Boston Red Sox's Daisuke Matsuzaka hits a two-run scoring single during the third inning in Game 3 of the baseball World Series against the Colorado Rockies Saturday, Oct. 27, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. Eric Gay / AP Photo
Boston Red Sox's Daisuke Matsuzaka pitches against the Colorado Rockies in the first inning of Game 3 of the baseball World Series Saturday, Oct. 27, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. Jack Dempsey / AP Photo
Boston Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell tags out Colorado Rockies' Kazuo Matsui on a rundown between second and third base in the first inning of Game 3 of the baseball World Series Saturday, Oct. 27, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver. Matsui got caught off second on a ground ball to the pitcher by the Rockies' Matt Holliday. David Zalubowski / AP Photo
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