Baseball in the Pythagorean Universe 1871-Present

Garrett Garlits · Sep 16, 2019

Now it's time for Game 3 of the first 2011 American League Division Series from Fenway Park in Boston. The date is Monday, October 3:

Lineup Changes:

Rangers- Josh Hamilton moves from center field to left field. Craig Gentry starts in center field and will bat ninth, which means that Mitch Moreland moves up to eighth.

Red Sox- Jarrod Saltalamacchia is back behind the plate and will bat eighth, which moves Marco Scutaro down to ninth.

Weather: 67 degrees, partly cloudy skies, south wind at 12 MPH.

Rangers 1st: With two out, Hamilton singled up the middle. Michael Young's single to left put two men on, and Adrian Beltre's single to center scored Hamilton and gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead. Young moved to third on the hit. Mike Napoli walked to load the base, and a wild pitch from Red Six starter Josh Beckett brought Young home and made it 2-0 Texas. Napoli and Beltrre each moved up, but they were stranded at second and third respectively when Nelson Cruz popped to Marco Scutaro at short, ending the inning. The Rangers have scored twice on three hits, a walk, and a wild pitch; now let's see about the Bosox.

Red Sox 3rd: With one out, Scutaro grounded a single to left center, which brought Jacoby Ellsbury to the plate. Here's Ernie Johnson with thee count one ball and two strikes:

"With one out, Scutaro might be taking off at first, although Ellsbury's more than capable of moving him over with a base hit. Colby Lewis has given up a hit in each inning, but hasn't really been in trouble yet, as the Rangers haven't gotten anyoe past first. Lewis gets the sign, now checks Ellsbury, not going, AND THE PITCH IS LINED DEEP TO RIGHT! BACK GOES CRUZ, HE'S AT THE WALL, BUT THIS ONE CLEARS JUST TO THE LEFT OF THE PESKY POLE! A two-run homer for Ellsbury, and just like that we're tied at two."

Jim Kaat: "This was a bullet hit by Jacoby Ellsbury that got out in a hurry. It didn't have far to go, either, because it's only 302 feet to that short right field porch. Colby Lewis just has to reset and pitch like it's a scoreless tie in the first inning. Just keep going after the hitters and pitching the game he started out to pitch. If he does that, he'll be fine."

But Lewis fell behind Crawford two balls and no strikes. Here's EJ again:

"Lewis seems a bit rattled following Ellsbury's home run; now he's down two balls to Crawford, and on deck is Dustin Pedroia, who's hit home runs in both games in this series. Nobody up yet in the Rangers bullpen, but that will almost certainly change should Crawford get on. Here's the 2-0 pitch...…...AND THAT'S HIT HIGH AND DEEP TO CENTER! GENTRY GOING BACK, BUT HE CAN TAKE HIS SWEET TIME! THIS ONE'S OUTTA HERE!......Ellsbury and Crawford go back-to-back here in the third, and just like that it's 3-2 Boston."

Kaat: "Carl Crawford was waiting on the fastball, which Lewis threw just to get a strike, and he drove it deep to center. Craig Gentry starts back, but this one's hit so hard that he has no chance whatsoever. Here comes pitching coach Mike Maddux to steady Lewis, who certainly needs it after giving up back-to-back home runs.'

Maddux's visit did the trick, as Lewis got Pedroia to pop to third and Ortiz to ground to Mitch Moreland at first to end the inning. But back-to-back dingers from Ellsbury and Crawford have given the home squad the lead. At the end of three, it's Red Sox 3, Rangers 2.

Red Sox 5th: Scutaro drew a leadoff walk. Lewis immediately tried to pick him off, but his throw went into center field, which allowed Scutaro to go to second. Ellsbury whacked a double into the right center power alley to bring Scutaro home and put the Bosox up 4-2. Crawford followed with s ingle to right that brought Ellsbury home and made it 5-2 Red Sox. Lewis once again received a visit from Maddux, and again it worked. Pedroia forced Crawford for the first out, then moved to second on Ortiz's grounder to first. Adrian Gonzalez's bouncer to third ended the inning, but the Red Sox have added two runs on two hits, an error, and a walk while leaving another runner at second. After five, it's Boston 5, Texas 2.

Red Sox 6th: With one out, J.D. Drew faced Lewis. Here's EJ with the count no balls and two strikes:

"Lewis has been up and down all night, but right now he's retired four in a row. He needs to hold the Red Sox where they are roght now and give the Rangers a chance to come back; they certainly have the offense to do so in a hurry. Red Sox 5, Rangers 2, last of the sixth. The two-strike pitch...…...high fly ball to left center, does Hamilton have a play he's at the track, and the wall, up and......RAN OUT OF ROOM A HOME RUN FOR J.D. DREW!......That makes three tonight for the Red Sox, who now lead 6-2."

Kaat: "So many home runs are no-doubrters or at least have more of a chance to get out than not. This one was in doubt until it went over the wall. Ler's see; I think Hamilton might have gotten a glove on it...….nope, just missed, but it looked like he had a play until the last second."

Unfortunately, the Red Sox couldn't follow up. Saltalamacchia went down swinging, and Scutaro grounded to counterpart Elvis Andrus to end the inning. But Drew's home run has given the Bosox some insurance; after six, they lead the Rangers 6-2.

Rangers 9th: With two out, Napoli faced Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon. Here's EJ with the count one ball and two strikes:

"They're on their feet at Fenway anticipating the last strike and a chance to finish their upset tomorrow here at home. Meanwhile, Napoli's looking to start a two-out rally for the Rangers. You may have heard the stories about players eating fried chicken and drinking beer in the clubhouse during games. Well, a nearby Boston restaurant is offering free fried chicken and beer to everyone with a ticket stub after Red Sox victories in the postseason. The fans chowed down happily on Saturday night, and they want to do so again tonight, but they may have to wait, as Napoli pulls the pitch down the left field line. Crawford over to take a look, but this one's GONE! It's now 6-3 Red Sox, and Nelson Cruz is next for Texas."

Kaat: "Napoli guessed fastball all the way and pulled it down the line in left and over the Green Monster, but the Rangers still have a ton of work to do against Papelbon. It's great that the fans in this city are taking what's really a negative- players eating and drinking during games- and turning it into a sort of rallying point. We'll see if it works throughout October."

The fans at Fenway got their free dinner, as Cruz's liner was speared by Scutaro for the final out. Our final score: Red Sox 6, Rangers 3, and the Bosox lead the series two games to one.

Ellsbury was named Player of the Game by TBS. He went three for four on the evening with two runs scored, a home run, and three RBIs.

Sorry, but I accidentally erased the sim before I could record the totals.

W- Beckett (1-0)
L- Lewis (0-1)

HR- TEX: Napoli (1)
BOS: Drew (1), Crawford (1), Ellsbury (1)

The series will continue with Game 4 tomorrow afternoon here at Fenway. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 2PM Eastern. Erik Bedard will get the start for the Red Sox, while Matt Harrison takes the hill for the Rangers.

Next: We look at Game 4.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Sep 17, 2019

Now it's time for Game 4 of the first 2011 American League Division Series from Fenway Park in Boston. The date is Tuesday, October 4:

Lineup Changes:

Rangers- Josh Hamilton moves back to center field, and David Murphy takes his place in left and will bat eighth. That means that Mitch Moreland moves down to ninth,

Red Sox- Dustin Pedroia moves up to second, David Ortiz to third, and Jed Lowrie to fourth. Also, Ryan Lavarnway will start behind the plate and bat sixth. Daenell McDonald gets the start in right and will bat seventh, while Carl Crawford moves down to eighth.

Weather: 61 degrees, cloudy skies, west-northwest wind at 7 MPH.

Rangers 1st: After two out, Josh Hamilton cracked a double to left center. Michael Young's single to right center put runners at first and third and set things up for Adrian Beltre. Here's Ernie Johnson with the count one ball and one strike:

"It's drying out a bit now, but the outfielders could have some trouble on the warning track, as there was rain early this morning here in Boston. There you see the remains of a puddle on the warning track in center, as Erik Bedard gets ready for his next pitch to Adrian Beltre. One-one offering is CRUSHED DEEP TO RIGHT! MCDONALD BACK, AT THE TRACK, CAN'T GET GOOD FOOTING, BUT THIS ONE'S GONE ANYWAY! Adrian Beltre starts us off today with a three-run homer on to the short porch in right, and the grounds crew may have more work to do on that right field warning track, Kitty."

Jim Kaat: "They probably do, EJ, but this was a home run regardless, as Beltre put the ball right in Beltre's sweet spot. Even on a wet day when the ball doesn't carry that well, it's an easy home run. Now the grounds crew is out to put some of that kitty litter on the track in right."

Mike Napoli drew a walk to continue the inning, but Nelson Cruz's liner to third was speared by Lowrie to retire the side. Beltre's three-run homer has the Rangers off to a flying start; can the Red Sox ground them?

Red Sox 1st: Jacoby Ellsbury grounded the first pitch he saw to third. Beltre made the stop but had trouble throwing the slick ball, and Moreland was pulled off the bag at first for an error. Ellsbury stole second, but held there while Pedroia grounded to short. Ortiz smacked a double off the wall in center to bring Ellsbury home and put the Red Sox on the board. Lowrie's base hit to left put runners at first and third, and Big Papi came home when Adrian Gonzalez forced Lowrie. Levarnway grounded to short to end the inning, but the Sox have come back with a pair of runs on two hits and an error. At the end of one, it's Rangers 3, Red Sox 2.

Red Sox 2nd: McDonald led off with a single to left center, but was forced by Crawford. Marco Scutaro lined a base hit to left, which moved Crawford to third. Ellsbury's fly to right pushed Cruz back to the track, but Nelson made the catch as Crawford trucked home to tie the game at three. Pedroia's single to left center put runners back at the corners, but Ortiz flew to center, ending the inning. The Bosox have tied the game with the help of three hits, but they've also left runners at first and third. We've played two, and we're deadlocked at three.

Rangers 4th: After two out, Moreland lined a single to right. Kinsler doubled over Ellsbury's head in center to score Moreland and give the Rangers a 4-3 lead. Elvis Andrus took a called third strike to end the inning, thus stranding Kinsler at second, but the Rangers have retaken the lead thanks to a pair of hits. After three and a half, it's Lawmen 4, Bosox 3.

Red Sox 4th: With one out, Ellsbury singled to right center. Pedroia's base hit to left moved him to third, and both runners came home when Ortiz doubled into the left center power alley, giving the home squad a 5-4 lead. Lowrie followed by ripping a double to center to bring home Big Papi and make it 6-4 Boston. Gonzalez struck out swinging for out number two, but Lavarnway's single to left scored Lowrie to put the Sox up 7-4. That was all for Rangers starter Matt Harrison; he was relieved by Mark Lowe, who struck McDonald out swinging to end the inning. But the Sox have taken the lead with four runs on five hits, and after four they lead the Rangers 7-4.

Red Sox 6th: With one out, Lowrie lined a base hit up the middle against new Texas pitcher Scott Feldman. Gonzalez's ringing double to right center brought him home, and the Sox led 8-4. That brought Lavarnway to the plate. Here's EJ:

"Lavarnway got the start when Jason Varitek was scratched with back spasms and Jarrod Saltalamacchia had to be taken off the roster due to sinus problems, which means that he's out for a potential Game 5 as well. So far, Lavarnway has acquitted himself well singling in a run in the fourth. Now he's up with Gonzalez at second and one out. The Red Sox up 8-4, and another hit could just about put the series away. Feldman needs to get out of the inning with no further damage and let the bats take over from there for the Rangers. First pitch...…..THAT ONE'S HIGH AND DEEP TO LEFT CENTER! HAMILTON GOING BACK, AT THE TRACK, AT THE WALL, IT'S GONE!...….That's three RBIs today for Erik Levarnway, and the Red Sox are up 10-4 and thinking about the ALCS."

Kaat: "This is what happens when a breaking ball doesn't break. Lavarnway puts a nice, level wing on the ball, and with it warming up outside it carries farther than it would have earlier in the game. What a day for Ryan Lavarnway; from sitting on his couch and watching the Red Sox to helping them possibly get to the ALCS."

Koji Uehara replaced Feldman and ended the inning by retiring McDonald on a fly to left and Crawford on a grounder to second. But the Bosox have added three more runs on three hits, with the big blow coming off the bat of Lavarnway. After six, it's Beantown 10, Big D 4.

Rangers 7th: With one out, Michael Young lashed a triple into the left field corner. That brought Beltre to the plate against Red Sox reliever Franklin Morales. Here's EJ with the count one ball and one strike:

"The Rangers need to string a bunch of hits together in a hurry to save their season. They have eight outs left now, but Beltre has already homered today, so he's someone they know can spark their offense. One ball and one strike to him with Young at third. Michael takes his lead, and Morales gets the sign from Lavarnway. Here's the one-one pitch...…..HIGH FLY BALL DEEP TO CENTER, ELLSBURY STARTS BACK, HE'S AT THE TRACK, NOW THE WALL, BUT THIS ONE'S GONE!......Adrian Beltre belts his second home run of the day, and the Rangers are back within striking distance at 10-6."

Kaat: "Beltre has awesome power to all fields, and he shows it here by hitting a homer to the deepest part of the park. Ellsbury starts back like he might have a play, but soon he realizes that this one's out of here, and we have a four-run game again."

Napoli followed up by walking on four pitches. Morales struck Cruz out swinging for the second out, but after Murphy walked to put two men on, he departed in favor of Daniel Bard, who fanned Moreland swinging on three straight pitches to end the inning. The Rangers have drawn closer thanks to two runs on two hits and two walks, including Beltrre's second homer of the day. As we stretch at Fenway, the home squad's lead is down to 10-6.

Red Sox 7th: With one out, Ellsbury slapped a single to right. Pedroia walked to put two men on, and Ortiz's lined base hit to right brought Ellsbury home and reestablished a five-run lead for the Bosox, with Pedroia moving to third. Lowrie went down swinging for the second out, but Gonzalez's single to left scored Pedroia and gave the Sox an even dozen. Lavarnway's grounder to Beltre at third ended the inning and stranded runnners at first and second, but the Scarlet Hose have their six-run lead back thanks to three hits and a walk. We've now played seven, and it's Red Sox 12, Rangers 6.

That was all the scoring. The Rangers put two men on in the ninth, but reliever Matt Albers struck Murphy out swinging ro end the game and the series. Our final: Red Sox 12, Rangers 6, and the Bosox take the series three games to one.

Note: I was running short on time, so I omitted EJ's call of the final out.

Final totals: Red Sox 12-19-0, Rangers 6-12-1.

W- Bard (1-0)
L- Harrison (0-1)

HR- TEX: Beltre 2 (2)
BOS: Lavarnway (1)

Ortiz was named Player of the Game by TBS. He finished the day three for five with two runs scored and four RBIs. Beltre also deserves a tip of the cap for his two home runs and five RBIs in a lowing cause.

The ALCS will begin on Saturday night at Fenway Park. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 8PM Eastern on Fox, with Jon Lester starting for the Sox and Justin Verlander taking the hill for the Tigers.

Next: We look at Game 1 of the ALCS.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Sep 18, 2019

Now it's time for Game 1 of the 2011 American League Championship Series from Fenway Park in Boston. The date is Saturday, October 8:

Weather: 81 degrees, fair skies, variable winds at 6 MPH.

Tigers 2nd: Right fielder Magglio Ordonez led off with a double into the right center power alley. He moved to third on catcher Alex Avila's grounder to first and scored when shortstop Jhonny Peralta doubled off the wall in left center. Second baseman Ramon Santiago went down swinging for the second out, and third baseman Brandon Inge's fly to Carl Crawford in left ended the inning. The Tigers have hit the board first thanks to the doubles of Ordonez and Peralta, and after an inning and a half they lead the Red Sox 1-0.

Red Sox 2nd: With one out, Crawford belted a triple off the wall in right,. Third baseman Mike Aviles lined a single up the middle to bring Crawford home and tie things up at one, then stole second. He held while shortstop Marco Scutaro grounded to his counterpart Peralta for the second out, but center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury lined a double into the right center field power alley that brought him home and put the Bosox up 2-1. Second baseman Dustin Pedroia walked to put two men on, but first baseman Adrian Gonzalez took a called third strike to end the inning. The home squad has taken the lead with a pair of runs on three hits and a walk while leaving runners at first and second. At the end of two, it's Red Sox 2, Tigers 1.

Tigers 4th: Catcher Alex Avila led off with a ground-rule double to left center. Peralta grounded a single to left center that brought Avila home and tied the game at two. Santiago was next, and he served a double over Ellsbury's head in center. Peralta came home, and the Tigers led 3-2. The Tigers stranded Santiago at second, as Inge popped out to Pedroia, center fielder Austin Jackson flew to left, and left fielder Ryan Raburn struck out swinging. The Tigers have scored twice on three hits, and after three and a half they lead the Red Sox 3-2.

Red Sox 4th: Aviles lined a leadoff single up the middle. Scutaro flew to left center for the first out, but Ellsbury's tapper to first moved Aviles to second. and Pedroia walked to put two men on. Gonzalez lined a base hit to left to score Aviles and tie the game at three. Ortiz took a called third strike to end the inning. The Bosox have evened things up thanks to two hits and a walk, but they've also left runners at first and second. After four, we're looking at a 3-3 tie.

Tigers 6th: Avila led off with a double into the right field corner. A wild pitch from Red Sox starter Jon Lester moved Avila to third. Peralta's double to left center scored Avila and put the Tigers in front 4-3. The Bosox got the first out when Peralta was picked off of second, but Santiago kept the inning going with a single to left. Next was Inge, who whacked a ball off of the Green Monster. By the time Crawford could get to the ball, Santiago was on his way home to give the Tigers a 5-3 lead and Inge was steaming toward third; he slid in easily with a triple. Lester struck out both Jackson and Raburn swinging to end the inning, but the Bkess You Boys have taken the lead with two runs on four hits and a wild pitch while leaving another runner at third. After five and a half, it's Detroit 5, Boston 3.

Red Sox 6th: Scutaro led off with a base hit to left center. He held at first while Ellsbury flew to the warning track in center and Pedroia popped to third, but Gonzalez's lined single to right put two men on and brought up Big Papi. Here's Joe Buck with the count two balls and no strikes:

"(Tigers starter) Justin Verlander's thrown a lot of pitches, and there you see Al Alburquerque throwing in the Tigers bullpen. Lester's thrown a lot of pitches too, which makes this game a kind of throwback. We'll see if Ortiz swings or takes on 2-0. Verlander checks the runners, but no one's going, AND THE PITCH IS HIT HIGH AND DEEP TO RIGHT! BACK IS ORDONEZ, AT THE WALL, BUT I;TS GONE! JUST TO THE LEFT OF THE PESKY POLE! BIG PAPI PUTS THE RED SOK UP 6-5!.....Verlander's disgusted with himself, but that looked like a good pitch, Tim."

Tim McCarver: "It was, but Ortiz put a better swing on it, Joe. I don't think that Papi even got all of this pitch, but there's still enough power behind the swing to put it over the wall in right. This is one of those times when a pitcher just has to tip his hat to the hitter who got the better of him."

Right fielder Josh Reddick kept the inning going with a base hit to center, but catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia went down swinging to end the inning. Ortiz's three-run homer was one of four hits in the inning, and it has the Scarlet Hose in front of the Bengals 6-5 after six in Game 1.

Red Sox 8th: Ellsbury led off against Alburquerque with a single to center. Pedroia struck out swinging for out number one, but Gonzalez lined a single to right to put runners at the corners. Ortiz walked to load the bases, and Tigers manager Jim Leyland went to his bullpen again, this time for Joaquin Benoit, whose first pitch went to the backstop, Ellsbury scampered home, and the Sox led 7-5. With a big innig potentially brewing, Ortiz exited in favor of pinch runner Kevin Youkilis. Next was Reddick, who put the game away for good:

Buck: "One and two to Reddick, and Benoit needs this out badly. If he can get out if this inning, the Tigers have Raburn, Cabrera, and Victor Martinez due up in the ninth against a tiring Jon Lester, as no one's gotten up in the bullpen for the Red Sox. Reddick now ready, and Benoit checks the runners and comes home......HIGH AND DEEP TO LEFT, BACK IS RABURN TO THE WALL, AND IT'S OFF THE WALL! GONZALEZ SCORING EASILY, AND THEY'RE WAVING YOUKILIS! THROW TO THE PLATE IS LATE! REDDICK HAS A TRIPLE, AND THE RED SOX LEAD 9-5!"

Reddick was stranded at third when Saltalamacchia went down swinging and Crawford was caught looking, but the Sox have added three insurance runs on three hits and a walk. Lester may be tired, but he has a bigger margin for error as he heads to the mound trying for the complete game; it's Red Sox 9, Tigers 5 after eight.

Lester retired the Tigerrs in order in the top of the ninth to finish his 130-pitch complete game. Our final: Red Sox 9, Tigers 5, and the Red Sox lead the best-of-seven series one game to none.

Ortiz was named Player of the Game by Fox due to his game-winning homer, but honorable mentions could have gone to Gonzalez, who was four for five with two runs scored and an RBI, and Reddick, who was three for five with a pair of RBIs. Lester also gets a tip of the cap; he went all the way despite giving up five runs on thirteen hits, walking two and striking out six.

Final totals: Red Sox 9-14-0, Tigers 5-13-1.

W- Lester (1-0)
L- Verlander (0-1)

HR- BOS: Ortiz (1)

The series will continue with Game 2 tomorrow night here at Fenway. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 8PM Eastern, with Tim Wakefield starting for the Red Sox and Max Scherzer taking the hill for the Tigers.

Next: We look at Game 2.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Sep 18, 2019

I have an important announcement on the future of this timeline.

For the last few weeks, I've been trying to do some years that have only one participant that's different from real life. I did this in order to reduce my remaining workload somewhat, since taking a break altogether wouldn't make any difference in the amount of ground I had left to cover. I managed to get two years out of the way, which knocked my number of incomplete seasons down to twenty-two. But the 2011 "chicken-and-beer" Red Sox put a crimp in my plans by upsetting the Rangers in their ALDS, which means that I have to sim an ALCS and a World Series that I didn't think I would. However, where one plan derails, another one can move forward.

A page or so back when I was doing the tiebreaker games, Doug Fowler (known here as DTF955BaseballFan) brought up the fact that my skipping around prevented him and other interested parties from finding out exactly when the Red Sox' famous curse ended in the Pythagorean universe. I forgot about his post until a day or so ago, when I realized that he was right; an event like the Red Sox curse should not only be documented chronologically, but have a section of its own. I've done various side projects within my timelines, including the one I just mentioned covering tiebreaker games in this timeline and several others in my NFL timeline, but since I'm primarily a National League fan I never thought about doing one concerning the Red Sox until now.

So here's my new plan (and I promise I'll do my best to stick to it):

From now on until the Red Sox win a World Series, this timeline will be about them. I'll sim all series with the Bosox as a participant. When they're eliminated in a particular year, I'll "bank" the rest of that year's postseason and return to it later, much like I did with Super Bowls in my NFL timeline. (This will also reduce my workload, since doing World Series games in the way I feel they should be done takes almost a whole afternoon which I could be spending on personal business or errands away from the computer.) I'll finish 2011, then go back to 2000 (the last year I have yet to complete where the Red Sox' fate is unknown) and start forward chronologically. When the Bosox have won a world championship, I'll clear out my bank, then start a second part of this project having to do with an equally famous curse: that of the Cubs. I've already documented what happens to them up until 2001, plus 2017. (Sorry, Indians fans, seventy-one years and counting isn't quite enough to have a famous curse.) If the Sox win in 2011, I'll go back to 2000 anyway and keep going until they win a Series chronologically. The Red Sox "bank" post will be below.

Thank you for sticking with me these past two and a half years, and stay tuned; there's lots more excitement to come!

Garrett Garlits · Sep 18, 2019

These are the postseason series I have yet to sim due to my Red Sox/Cubs side project:

2017 ALCS: Yankees vs. Indians (joined in progress; NYY carry three games to two lead over from real-life ALDS)
2017 World Series: Dodgers vs. Yankees/Indians

Garrett Garlits · Sep 19, 2019

Now it's time for Game 2 of the 2011 American League Championship Series from Fenway Park in Boston. The date is Sunday, October 9:

Lineup Changes:

Red Sox- Mike Aviles moves from eighth to second. Dustin Pedroia moves down to cleanup, which bumps David Ortiz down to fifth. Conor Jackson starts in left and will bat sixth, while Darnell McDonald starts in right and will bat seventh. Finally, Jarrod Saltalamacchia moves down to eighth.

Tigers- Ramon Santiago moves up to second. Delmon Young gets the start in left and will bat third, which bumps Miguel Cabrera down to fourth and Victor Martinez to fifth. Ryan Raburn moves from left field to right field and will bat sixth. Finally, Alex Avila falls to eighth.

Weather: 85 degrees, fair skies, west winds at 10 MPH.

Tigers 2nd: With one out, Jhonny Peralta walked. Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield struck Avila out swinging for out number two, but Brandon Inge's double to center brought Peralta home and put the Tigers up 1-0. Center fielder Austin Jackson beat out a grounder to short for an infield single, which put runners at the corners and brought Santiago to the plate. Here's Joe Buck with the count one ball and one strike:

"Wakefield in trouble here in the second, and he hasn't really been on his game so far. He allowed two baserunners in the first, but the Tigers left them at the corners. So far he's walked two, given up two hits, and hit a better. Now it's one and one to Santiago with Peralta at third and Jackson at first. No one throwing yet in the bullpen for the Red Sox; they can let Wakefield work out of trouble with a one-game lead. A check of the runners, and here's the one-one pitch...…..IN THE AIR TO CENTER FIELD, BACK IS ELLSBURY, AT THE WALL, AND THIS ONE IS GONE!...….Ramon Santiago takes this Wakefield knuckleball over the wall in center, and the Tigers lead 4-0 here in the second."

Tim McCarver: "I don't think that was a knuckler, Joe. Wakefield throws an occasional fastball to keep hitters honest, and I think that's what he threw here, but Santiago was waiting on it and turned on it. That might have even been the first fastball that Wakefield's thrown tonight, and I guess Santiago figured that he had to throw one sometime."

Young lined to Marco Scutaro at short to end the inning, but the Tigers have gotten on the board with four runs on three hits and a walk, with the big blow being Santiago's three-run homer. We've played an inning and a half, and it's Tigers 4, Red Sox 0.

Red Sox 2nd: Ortiz drew a leadoff walk. Conor's double to center put runners at second and third, and McDonald lined a double into the left field corner to bring home both Ortiz and Conor and cut the Tigers' lead to 4-2. A wild pitch from Tigers starter Max Scherzer moved McDonald to third, but Scherzer came back to strike Saltalamacchia out swinging. Next was Scutaro, who stroked a base hit to left center. McDonald came home, and all of a sudden it was 4-3. Ellsbury followed up with another single to left center to put two men on, and Brad Penny began throwing in the Detroit bullpen. Aviles' fly to left center was caught by Austin for the second out, but runners were still at first and second for Adrian Gonzalez. Here's Joe:

"Penny's about ready, but if Scherzer can get Gonzalez (manager) Jim Leyland may not have to go to him quite so early. The Tigers' aces have been hit around in these first two games, and that figured to be the Tigers' big advantage in the series, particularly here in Game 2 with the youngster Scherzer against the aging veteran Wakefield. Gonzalez singled in the first, AND HE'S HIT ONE HIGH AND DEEP HERE IN THE SECOND! TO LEFT CENTER FIELD, JACKSON BACK, TRACK, WALL AND IT'S GONE!...Gonzalez goes deep here in the second off of Max Scherzer to give the Red Sox a 6-4 lead, and here comes Leyland out of the dugout to end Scherzer's evening."

McCarver: "This ball was absolutely smoked. I'm not sure what's wrong with (Justin) Verlander and Scherzer, but they've hardly been themselves over these last two nights. Scherzer in particular has been shaky; his ERA against the Yankees in the Division Series was 9.72. They need to be a lot better to give the Tigers a chance to win a world championship."

Penny promptly walked Pedroia on four pitches, and Ortiz grounded a base hit up the middle to put runners at the corners. Conor was next, and he stroked a single to left center for his second hit of the inning. Pedroia came home, and it was 7-4 Red Sox. Papi moved to third, but both runners were stranded when McDonald popped to Inge at third, finally ending the inning. The Red Sox have exploded for seven runs on seven hits, two walks, and a wild pitch while sending twelve men to the plate. It's taken an hour and three minutes to play the second inning, and after two it's Bosox 7, Bengals 4.

Red Sox 3rd: With one out, Scutaro singled to left center. Ellsbury popped to Santiago at second for out number two, but Aviles singled to short to put two men on. Next up was Gonzalez, whose seeing-eye base hit to right center brought Scutaro home and gave the Sox an 8-4 lead while Aviles moved to third. Pedroia's bouncer to third ended the inning with runners still at the corners. The home squad has added a run on three hits, and after three they lead the Tigers 8-4.

Tigers 4th: Avila led off against Wakefield. Here's Joe with the count one ball and no strikes:

"After this half-inning we'll go back to Los Angeles for an NFL update. The Tigers are still trying to shake off that second inning; they were up 4-0 and had Wakefield on the ropes, and the Red Sox came back in the bottom of the inning with seven and added one in the third to lead 8-4. Avila leading off here in the fourth, and the next pitch is HIT ON A LINE TO LEFT CENTER! ELLSBURY BACK, HE'S AT THE WALL, BUT IT'S OVER HIS HEAD AND GONE!...…...Ellsbury went back on it quickly and thought he had a play, but it got out, and the Tigers are back to within 8-5 here in the fourth."

McCarver: "That might be exactly what the Tigers need to wake themselves up and get back into this game. Wakefield hasn't been really sharp tonight; he's benefitted from his offense more than anything else. If the Tigers can get a few hits off of him, it could force (Red Sox manager) Terry Francona to make what would still be an early move."

The knuckleballer recovered to strike Inge and Austin out swinging and retire Santiago on a fly to center, but Avila's gone deep, and the Red Sox' lead is down to 8-5 after three and a half.

Red Sox 4th: With two out, it was McDonald against Penny. Here's Joe with the count two balls and one strike:

"McDonald has been a godsend to the Red Sox in the latter part of the season and into the postseason, with J.D. Drew nursing a sore ankle and foot. They've played six games in this postseason including tonight, and McDonald's started two and been a late-inning defensive replacement in three more. He's ahead of Penny two and one with two out here in the fourth, and Al Alburquerque's starting to get loose for the Tigers in their bullpen. Next pitch from Penny is DRIVEN DEEP TO LEFT! BACK GOES YOUNG, AT THE MONSTER, AND IT'S GONE!...….Darnell McDonald adds a home run to his fine postseason resume, and the Red Sox once again have a four-run lead."

McCarver: "Darnell McDonald is one of those players every team needs. He can play all three outfield positions, can be used as a pinch runner, and he has enough power to be a dangerous hitter, as you can see here. He only had six home runs this season, but that was more a function of coming off the bench than anything else. The Tigers will have to watch out for him over the rest of this series."

Saltalamacchia's fly to left center was caught by Austin to end the inning, but McDonald's homer has restored the Bosox' four-run lead. At the end of four, it's Boston 9, Detroit 5.

Red Sox 5th: With one out, Ellsbury faced a tiring Penny. Here's Joe:

"They're starting to hit Penny hard, as that ball just hit by Scutaro was really stung. Now here's Ellsbury, who's one for three tonight. Alburquerque back up and throwing for the Tigers, and he won't need much to get ready. Penny starts off Ellsbury, AND ELLSBURY HITS IT DEEP TO RIGHT CENTER! JACKSON BACK, AT THE TRACK, AND THE WALL, AND IT'S GONE!......Three home runs so far tonight for the Red Sox, and they now lead 10-5 here in the fifth."

McCarver: "Leyland's on his way out to get Penny, who's really pitched well but is getting tired now. Scutaro took Austin Jackson back to the edge of the track, and now Ellsbury takes him over the wall in right center. The Detroit pitching staff has been a real disappointment so far in this series, and if this keeps up they're going to be out of this series in a hurry."

Aviles continued the inning with a base hit to left center, which brought up Gonzalez. We rejoin Joe with the count two balls and no strikes:

"Albuquerque's thrown five pitches, and they've produced four balls and a single. Gonzalez has already homered once tonight, and that homer gave the Red Sox the lead in that wild second inning. Alburquerque just wants to throw a strike here. He checks Aviles at first, and here's the two-ball pitch...….HAMMERED DEEP TO RIGHT, AND IT'S ANOTHER HOME RUN FOR GONZALEZ! OVER THE PESKY POLE AND DOWN ONTO YAWKEY WAY! RED SOX LEAD 12-5!"

McCarver: "These get-me-over pitches do more to hurt pitchers than just about anything else. He got it over, all right, but it was right in Gonzalez's hitting zone, and he absolutely crushes it. Look at Jim Leyland; these first two games have been his worst nightmare come true from a pitching standpoint."

There was more trouble ahead for Alburquerque, as Pedroia walked on five pitches. Ortiz's single to right put runners at the corners, and Conor lined a double into the right center power alley to bring both Pedroia and Papi home and make it 14-5 Boston. A fuming Leyland came out to get Alburquerque, who was replaced by Ryan Perry. McDonald greeted the fresh meat with a solid base hit to left center, which brought Conor home and gave the Bosox a double-digit lead at 15-5. Perry finally got the second out by catching Saltalamacchia looking at strike three, but Scutaro's single to left put two men back on the bases. Ellsbury became the tenth man to bat in the inning, and he forced Scutaro to retire the side. The Bosox have added six runs on seven hits and a walk while leaving runners at first and second, and we officially have a laugher on our hands. After five, it's Beantown 15, Motor City 5.

Tigers 6th: Raburn led off with a double down the right field line. Peralta lined to his counterpart Pedroia for the first out, but Avila's single to right put runners at the corners. Inge walked to load the bases, and Austin brought Raburn home with a sacrifice fly to deep left center. Avila moved to third on the play, but both runners were stranded when Santiago also flew to left center, ending the inning. The Tigers scratch out a run on two hits and a walk, but they still trail the Red Sox 15-6 after five and a half.

Red Sox 8th: Scutaro led off with a base hit up the middle against new Tigers pitcher Daniel Schlereth. Ellsbury followed with a single to left that put two men on. Jed Lowrie (batting for Aviles) went down swinging for out number one, but Gonzalez walked to load the bases. Pedroia's fly to left produced the second out, but it also allowed Scutaro to score Boston run number sixteen. Ortiz walked to reload the bases, and his designated pinch runner Kevin Youkilis took his place at first. Carl Crawford batted for Conor, and his single to right scored Ellsbury to make it 17-6. Schlereth finished off his disastrous outing by walking McDonald on four pitches to drive in Gonzalez and pinch hitter Ryan Lavarnway (batting for Saltalamaccihia) on five pitches to force in Youkilis. Completely out of patience with his pitching staff, Leyland turned to utilityman Don Kelly to get the final out. He did, as Scutaro flew to center, ending the inning with the bases still loaded. The Red Sox have topped their big night with four runs on three hits and four walks, and they head to the ninth leading the Tigers 19-6.

That was all the scoring. Our final: Red Sox 19, Tigers 6, and the Bosox lead the series two games to none.

Gonzalez was the easy choice for Fox's Player of the Game. He finished five for five plus a walk, with two home runs, three runs scored, and six runs batted in. McDonald was three for five with a home run and five RBIs, and Conor was three for five with three RBIs. Scutaro added four hits and three runs scored from the ninth spot in the batting order.

Final totals: Red Sox 19-24-1, Tigers 6-10-0.

W- Wakefield (1-0)
L- Scherzer (0-1)

HR- DET: Santiago (1), Avila (1)
BOS: Gonzalez 2 (2), McDonald (1), Ellsbury (1)

The series will shift to Comerica Park in Detroit for Game 3 on Tuesday night. First pitch us scheduled for shortly after 8PM Eastern, with Doug Fister taking the hill for the Tigers and Josh Beckett starting for the Red Sox.

Before we go, here's our Defensive Play of the Night. It's the bottom of the second with the Tigers still leading 4-3, and Aviles is at the plate with two on and one out. Here's Joe:

"Fly ball to left center, dropping quickly, Ellsbury coming it, slides, and MAKES THE CATCH!......Jacoby skids to a stop just behind second base after that tremendous diving catch, and here's Gonzalez with two out."

Next: We look at Game 3.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Sep 20, 2019

Now it's time for Game 3 of the 2011 American League Championship Series from Comerica Park in Detroit. The date is Tuesday, October 11:

Lineup Changes:

Red Sox- Marco Scutaro moves up to second. Josh Reddick is back in right field and will bat sixth. Jarrod Saltalamacchia moves down to seventh, Mike Aviles moves down to eighth, and Darnell McDonald moves from right field to left field and will bat ninth.

Tigers- Miguel Cabrera moves up to third and Victor Martinez to fourth. Don Kelly gets the start at third base and will bat fifth. Jhonny Peralta moves up to sixth and Alex Avila to seventh. Ryan Raburn moves down to eighth and will start in left field, and Andy Dirks starts in right field and will bat ninth.

Tigers 1st: Austin Jackson led off with an infield single deep in the hole at third. He moved to third on Ramon Santiago's single up the middle and scored on Miguel Cabrera's single to left center to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. Santiago moved to third on the play, and he scored when Victor Martinez lined a single to left; it was 2-0 Detroit. Kelly forced Martinez for out number one, which allowed Miggy to move to third. Peralta's single to left scored him, and the Tigers led 3-0. Kelly moved to third, and he came home when Avila forced Peralta to give the Tigers a 4-0 lead. Raburn's fly to Jacoby Ellsbury in center ended the inning, but for the second game in a row the Tigers have jumped out to an early lead with four runs on five hits, and after one it's Tigers 4, Red Sox 0.

Red Sox 2nd: With one out, Reddick singled to right. He held when Saltalamacchia flew to the warning track in left for the second out, and scored when Aviles doubled into the left field corner. McDonald's grounder to Santiago at second ended the inning, but the Bosox have gotten on the board thanks to a pair of hits while leaving a runner at second. After an inning and a half, the Tigers still lead 4-1.

Red Sox 5th: With one out, Ellsbury beat out a grounder to second for an infield single. A wild pitch from Tigers starter Doug Fister moved Jacoby to second, and Scutaro walked to put two men on. Adrian Gonzalez went down swinging for the second out, but Dustin Pedroia grounded a single to left, scoring Ellsbury and cutting the Tigers' lead to 4-2. Next up was David Ortiz, who smoked a line drive into left center for a double. Both Scutaro and Pedroia scored, and the game was tied at four. Tigers manager Jim Leyland replaced Fister with Phil Coke, but Reddick slapped the first pitch he saw into right for a single that brought Big Papi home, and the Red Sox led 5-4. Saltalamacchia walked, and Avilies beat out a grounder to short for an infield single to load the base. That brought McDonald to the plate. Here's Joe with the count two balls and no strikes:

"Two-one pitch is lifted high to center. Austin Jackson coming in, dives, and MAKES THE.....no, wait, the ball's on the ground! Jackson still thinks he caught it, now sees the ball on the ground! Reddick has scored, Saltalamacchia scores, and the Red Sox now lead 7-4! They're calling an error on Austin Jackson, but he thinks he held on to it long enough, and so does (Tigers manager) Jim Leyland, who's already in the outfield arguing with the left field umpire Tim Welke!"

McCarver: "Let's see if he, to borrow a term from football, completed the catch. There's the dive, ball's in the glove, Jackson hits the ground, rolls to get to his feet.....It fell out just before he got up, Joe. There you see it on the ground, and there's Tim Welke calling the play safe, which starts the Red Sox running."

Buck: "Leyland taking a series' worth of frustration out on Tim Welke, and he's been thrown out! Now (third base coach) Gene Lamont out to restrain Leyland, who's about as angry as I've ever seen a manager. Austin Jackson restraining him as well, but he's bound and determined to have his say."

Leyland's tirade continued for eight minutes before he was finally escorted off the field, and bench coach Lloyd McClendon took over the lineup card. Coke's evening ended when Ellsbury doubled off the wall in left to bring home Aviles and McDonald and put the Sox up 9-4. Next out of the Detroit bullpen was Daniel Schlereth, who was shelled in Game 2. Scutaro greeted him with a single to left that brought home Ellsbury with the ninth run of the inning and the tenth Boston run of the game. Gonzalez struck out swinging to end the inning, but the Red Sox have sent fourteen men to the plate and scored nine runs on seven hits, with two walks, a wild pitch, and an extremely costly error. We're halfway through Game 3, and the Red Sox now have a 10-4 lead.

Red Sox 7th: Aviles took a fastball off the arm from new Tigers reliever Ryan Perry. He stole second, held there when McDonald's fly down the left field line was caught by Raburn for the first out, and moved to third when Perry was called for a balk. He came home when Ellsbury tapped to Cabrera at first, and the Red Sox lead was now 11-4. Scutaro popped to short to end the inning, but the Bosox have added a run without benefit of a hit, thanks to a hit batsman, a balk, and a groundout. As we stretch in the Motor City, the visitors now lead by a touchdown.

Red Sox 9th: With one out, Aviles walked against new Tigers pitcher Joaquin Benoit. McDonald's single to left moved him to third, and Ellsbury came to the plate. Here's Joe with the count three balls and no strikes:

"We wonder what's going through the mind of Lloyd McClendon. Every member of the Tigers bullpen has been shelled over the last two games except for closer Jose Valverde, so might we see Don Kelly again if the Red Sox can score any more? Brandon Inge could play third base if that's the way they wanted to go. Ellsbury ahead three balls and no strikes, and the next pitch is WHACKED TO DEEP RIGHT! BACK GOES RABURN, AT THE TRACK, AND THE WALL, AND IT'S GONE!......Jacoby Ellsbury hits a three-run homer here in the ninth, and the Red Sox now lead 14-4."

McCarver: "A home run is about the only thing we didn't see from the Red Sox in that big fifth inning, but we sure get one here. Ellsbury times the fastball perfectly and gets every bit of it. Raburn has no chance, although he does a fine job of going back on the ball and giving it a shot."

Scutaro continued the inning with a single to right center. Next up was Gonzalez, who fell behind two balls and a strike:

Buck: "Nobody warming up in the Tigers' bullpen, so either Benoit's out there for the duration or we'll see Don Kelly, or possibly another position player who's already on the field. Never in postseason history has a team used a position player to pitch in consecutive games, so we may be on the edge of history. Two-one pitch is HIT DEEP TO LEFT CENTER! BACK GOES JACKSON, AT THE WALL, IT'S GONE! TWO HOME RUNS IN THE INNING FOR THE RED SOX, WHO NOW LEAD 16-4!...That's Gonzalez's third home run of the series, and as we suspected, Brandon Inge is coming in to play third base and Don Kelly's going to the mound. An unprecedented act of surrender by the Tigers for the second game in a row."

McCarver: "Don Kelly got the last two outs of the eighth inning in Game 2, which makes him the most effective pitcher the Tigers currently have. I'm bot a big fan of position players pitching normally, but we've seen the Tigers' pitchers just be so spectacularly ineffective that there's no sense in continuing to trot them out there, even in a playoff game. The question now becomes: What if the Red Sox tee off on Kelly?"

Buck: "Maybe (Lions quarterback) Matthew Stafford?"

Once again, Kelly proved to be effective, striking out Pedroia and retiring Ortiz on a grounder to first to end the inning. But a pair of home runs have netter the Red Sox a five-spot, and they head to the bottom of the ninth with a comfortable (to say the least) 16-4 lead.

That was all the scoring. Our final: Red Sox 16, Tigers 4, and the Bosox lead the series three games to none.

Ellsbury was named Player of the Game by Fox. he finished four for six with three runs scored, a home run, and six RBIs.

Final totals: Red Sox 16-18-1, Tigers 4-11-1.

W- Beckett (1-0)
L- Fister (0-1)

HR- BOS: Gonzalez (3), Ellsbury (2)

Game 4 will be at Comerica Park tomorrow night. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 8PM Eastern on Fox, with John Lackey starting for the Red Sox and Rick Porcello starting for the Tigers.

Next: We look at Game 4.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Sep 21, 2019

The computer stored my tabs in the middle of my post again, so here's a short recap of Game 4 with a fresh sim:

Red Sox 3, Tigers 1 (Fox: Joe Buck, Tim McCarver; BOS sweeps series 4-0)

The Red Sox put the finishing touches on their sweep of the Tigers thanks to a superior pitching performance by starter John Lackey, who allowed a run on six hits in eight innings. He shut out the Tigers on five hits through seven and a third innings before Ryan Raburn homered to cut the Red Sox' lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the eighth. The Sox added a run in the top of the ninth on singles by Jed Lowrie and Conor Jackson and Darnell McDonald's sacrifice fly, but closer Jonathan Papelbon got into trouble in the bottom of the ninth when Alex Avila doubled with one out and moved third on Jhonny Peralta's single. With the tying runs on base and the winning run at the plate, Papelbon caught Ramon Santiago looking, then retired Brandon Inge on a fly to defensive replacement Carl Crawford in left to end the series and bring the American League pennant back to Boston.

The Red Sox opened the scoring in the top of the first on back-to-back singles by Marco Scutaro and series MVP Adrian Gonzalez, plus a fielder's choice from Dustin Pedroia. They added a run in the sixth on a Pedroia infield single, a conventional base hit by David Ortiz, and a force play by Jed Lowrie.

Starter Rick Porcello pitched well for the Tigers, giving up just two runs on six hits in eight innings. The Sox scored their insurance run in the ninth off of reliever Joaquin Benoit.

This is the ninth American League pennant for the Red Sox so far in this timeline.

The Red Sox will face the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series, which will begin a week from tonight on Wednesday, October 19 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Chris Carpenter will start Game 1 for the Redbirds, while Lackey will make a second consecutive start for the Red Sox.

Final totals: Red Sox 3-8-0, Tigers 1-8-0.

W- Lackey (1-0)
S- Papelbon (1)
L- Porcello (0-1)

HR- DET: Raburn (1)

Next: We look at Game 1 of the 2011 World Series.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Sep 22, 2019

Now it's time for Game 1 of the 2011 World Series from Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The date is Wednesday, October 19:

Red Sox 1st: Center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury led off with a base hit to right, but immediately was caught trying to steal second by Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina. Shortstop Marco Scutaro popped up to second baseman Nick Punto for the second out, but ALCS MVP Adrian Gonzalez kept the inning going with a single to left. Second baseman Dustin Pedroia walked to put two men on, but left fielder Carl Crawford's fly to right center ended the inning. The Red Sox have left runners at first and second; now let's hear from the Cardinals.

Cardinals 1st: With one out, center fielder Jon Jay lined a double to left. First baseman Albert Pujols' single to left scored Jay and gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead. Left fielder Matt Holiday popped to Pedroia behind second, and right fielder Lance Berkman went down swinging to end the inning. The Cards have drawn first blood thanks to a pair of hits, and after one they lead the Red Sox 1-0.

Red Sox 2nd: Third baseman Jed Lowrie led off with a single to right, and right fielder Josh Reddick followed up with another single to right that put two men on. Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia took a called third strike for out number one, and starting pitcher John Lackey went down swinging for out number two. That brought up Ellsbury, who snuck a base hit through the hole between first and second and into right center for a base hit. Lowrie scored to tie the game at one, and Reddick moved to third. Scutaro's liner to short was gloved by Furcal to end the inning, but the Bosox have scored a run on three hits to tie the game, with runners left on the corners. We've played an inning and a half, and we're even at one.

Cardinals 2nd: Third baseman David Freese stroked a leadoff single to right. He was forced by Molina, but Punto walked to put two men on. Starting pitcher Chris Carpenter was next, and he stroked the first pitch he saw into left center for a hit. Freese came home, and the Cards led 2-1. Punto moved to third, and he scored when Furcal forced Carpenter to make it 3-1. Jay's grounder to third ended the inning, but the Cards have taken the lead with two runs on two hits and a walk. At the end of two, it's Cardinals 3, Red Sox 1.

Red Sox 3rd: Gonzalez led off with a single to right center and moved to third on Pedroia's single to left center. Crawford's fly to right center was caught by Jay for the first out, and Lowrie grounded into a 6-4-3 inning-ending double play. The Bosox leave runners at first and third, and they still trail the Cards 3-1 after two and a half.

Cardinals 3rd: Pujols drew a leadoff walk. After Holiday flew to left, Berkman stepped in. Here's Joe Buck with the count two balls and one strike:

"Lackey isn't having anything close to the night that he had exactly a week ago against the Tigers in the Red Sox pennant-clincher, and he's due up third in the top of the fourth. (Red Sox manager) Terry Francona said that we'd only see David Ortiz as a pinch hitter with runners on or in a game-changing situation; we'll see if he sticks with that or not. Berkman ahead two and one, and the next pitch is HIT DEEP TO RIGHT, BACK IS REDDICK, AT THE TRACK, AT THE WALL, AND IT'S GONE! Lance Berkman hits the first home run of this series, a two-run shot, and the Cardinals now lead 5-1 in the third."

Tim McCarver: "Lackey has been struggling to get his breaking pitches over all night, and this curve......well, it doesn't curve at all. It ends up as a waste pitch, and Lance Berkman certainly wastes it by driving it over the right field wall. I think I see Matt Albers throwing in the Boston bullpen, so Lackey's evening may be drawing to a close sooner than he would like."

Lackey got out of the inning by getting Freese to ground to second and Molina to ground to third. But Berkman's two-run shot has made the Red Sox' comeback task a bit more difficult. After three, it's Cards 5, Bosox 1.

Red Sox 4th: A one-two-three inning for Carpenter. After three and a half, the Redbirds still lead 5-1.

Cardinals 4th: Furcal's two-out single to right center was wasted when Jay flew to left center. After four, it's NL Champs 5, AL Champs 1.

Red Sox 5th: With one out, Scutaro slapped a single to left center. Gonzalez' fly to left center dropped in front of Jay for a double, which brought Marco home and cut the St. Louis lead to 5-2.Adrian held at second on Pedroia's grounder to third, but Crawford's lined single to right center scored him and made it a 5-3 game. Crawford stole second, and Lowrie's fly to center looked like trouble off the bat. Jay had a bead on it from the start, however, and made the catch two steps in front of the wall to retire the side. The Bosox thus settle for two runs on three hits while leaving Crawford at second. We're halfway through Game 1, and it's Cardinals 5, Red Sox 3.

Cardinals 5th: Pujols led off with a single to left center. Holiday's double into the left center power alley moved Albert to third, and both runners scored when Berkman lined a single to right center; the Cardinals now led 7-3. Freese grounded into a 4-6-3 double play, and Molina's fly to left center ended the inning. The Cards have added a pair of runs on three hits, and after five they hold a 7-3 advantage over the Bosox.

Red Sox 6th: With one out, Saltalamacchia doubled off the wall in right. A balk called on Carpenter by home plate umpire Jerry Layne moved him to third, and Papi came up to bat for Albers. He went down swinging on three pitches, and Ellsbury ended to inning by lining to Furcal at short. The visitors leave a runner at third, and after five and a half, it's Gateway to the West 7, Beantown 3.

Cardinals 6th: With two out against new pitcher Daniel Bard, Furcal stepped to the plate. Here's Joe with the count one ball and one strike:

"The Red Sox will have Scutaro, Gonzalez, and Pedroia due up in the seventh against Carpenter, but the big bat off the bench is out of the game in case there's a rally. They're not about to take the ALCS Most Valuable Player out of the game just to give Ortiz an extra at-bat, especially since Gonzalez is probably a better overall hitter than Papi is at this point. At any rate, the Cardinals are past that obstacle for tonight and trying to add to their lead. One-one pitch HIT HIGH AD DEEP TO RIGHT, TROUBLE FOR REDDICK, HE'S AT THE TRACK, THE WALL, BUT IT'S GONE!......Both Berkman and Furcal have homered to right tonight, and the Cardinals now lead 8-3."

McCarver: "Furcal isn't your classic home run hitter, but he has what they call 'sneaky power', which means that he can really do damage with the right pitch. This one from Bard gets up a bit too much in the strike zone, and Furcal really turns on it. Reddick hasn't had a shot at either of the Cardinals' home runs tonight so far."

Jay kept the inning going with a single to right, but Pujols' grounder to third retired the side. Furcal has gone deep, and his dinger has extended the St. Louis lead to 8-3 after six.

Red Sox 7th: Scutaro led off by lining a double off the wall in left, and Gonzalez's base hit to left center brought him home to get the Red Sox within 8-4. That was all for Carpenter; Octavio Dotel came out of the St. Louis pen to strike Pedroia out swinging. Crawford forced Gonzalez for the second out, and Lowrie grounded to third to retire the side. The Red Sox have scored a run on two hits, but as we stretch at Busch they still trail the Cards 8-4.

Cardinals 7th: Berkman drew a one-out walk, but Freese flew to left center and Molina flew to left. After seven, it's St. Louis 8, Boston 4.

Red Sox 8th: Reddick led off with a single to right against new Cards pitcher Arthur Rhodes, but Saltalamacchia went down swinging, and Kevin Youkilis (batting for Bard) flew to center for the second out. Ellsbury's base hit to right center put runners at the corners, but Scutaro flew to left center to strand both runners and end the inning. The Red Sox leave runners at first and third, and after seven and a half the still trail the Redbirds 8-4.

Cardinals 8th: With one out, Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa shocked everyone watching by allowing Rhodes to bat for himself. As expected, he was fooled badly, swinging wildly at the first two pitches. That's where we join Joe:

"For those few who may be interested, Arthur Rhodes has exactly one major league hit; it came as a member of the Orioles thirteen years ago. LaRussa wants Rhodes to at least start the ninth so he can save (closer) Jason Motte until the Red Sox mount a threat. Still, though, there have to be others in the bullpen who can do that, because watching Rhodes swing is painful. (Red Sox reliever) Alfedo Aceves wants to get this over with.....BUT RHODES LAUNCHES ONE TO CENTER! IT CAN'T BE, IT SHOULDN'T BE, BUT IT IS! A HOME RUN FOR ARTHUR RHIDES, OF ALL PEOPLE!...…...I've seen it all now, Tim."

Tim McCarver: "He'll never come down from this high, Joe. He's stated during the Cardinals' run over the last month that this is his final year in the big leagues; he's been pitching since 1991, and not only is he finally in a World Series, but he's hit an honest-to-God home run. He's actually going to take a curtain......no, he's going back in to sit down. He's exhausted from the home run trot because he hasn't had to do it in years."

Once the bedlam at Bush died down, Furcal took a called third strike for the second out. Jay singled up the middle to keep the inning going, but Pujols went down swinging to end the inning. Rhodes' unlikely home run has given him a five-run cushion to take to the mound in the ninth, as the Cardinals now lead the Red Sox 9-4.

Red Sox 9th: Rhodes began the inning by striking Ginzalez and Pedroia out swinging, but Crawford walked on five pitches, and Lowrie beat out a grounder to second for an infield single to put two men on. Motte was throwing in the Redbirds' bullpen by now, but Rhodes struck Reddick out swinging to end the game with runners still at first and second. Our final score: Cardinals 9, Red Sox 4, and the Cardinals lead the best-of-seven series one game to none.

Berkman was named Player of the Game by Fox. He finished the game two for three plus a walk with a home run and four RBIs. For the Red Sox, Gonzalez continued to swing a hot bat, going four for five with a run scored and two more driven in. Ellsbury was three for five with an RBI, and the Red Sox outhit the Cardinals 16-13.

Final totals: Cardinals 9-13-0, Red Sox 4-16-0.

W- Carpenter (1-0)
L- Lackey (0-1)

HR- STL: Furcal (1), Berkman (1), Rhodes (1)

The series will continue tomorrow night here at Busch Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 8PM Eastern, Jaime Garcia will get the start for the Redbirds, while Josh Beckett will get the call for the Red Sox.

Next: We look at Game 2.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Sep 23, 2019

Now it's time for Game 2 of the 2011 World Series from Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The date is Thursday, October 20:

Lineup Changes:

Red Sox- Dustin Pedroia moves up to the two hole. Josh Reddick moves up to the cleanup spot. Finally, Marco Scutaro moves down to seventh.

Cardinals- Lance Berkman and Matt Holliday switch places in the batting order; Berkman will hit fourth, while Holliday bats fifth.

Red Sox 1st: Jacoby Ellsbury drew a leadoff walk, then stole second. He never moved again, as Pedroia lined to Rafael Furcal at short, Adrian Gonzalez struck out swinging, and Reddick bounced to short. Now let's see about the Cardinals.

Cardinals 1st: Furcal led off the game against Red Sox starter Josh Beckett. Here's Joe:

"Furcal a dangerous hitter, as he proved with a home run in Game 1. The Red Sox figured to be in business early when Ellsbury walked and stole second, but (Cardinals starter) Jaime Garcia retired the next three men in order to end the inning. Beckett's first pitch is PULLED DOWN THE RIGHT FIELD LINE! OVER IS REDDICK, AT THE WALL, BUT IT'S GONE! RAFAEL FURCAL HITS THE FIRST PITCH HE SEES DOWN THE RIGHT FIELD LINE AND OUT TO GIVE THE CARDINALS THE EARLY LEAD!"

Tim McCarver: "Furcal's really stung the ball when he's had the chance these past two nights. This ball's pulled down the line in right, but it's fair all the way. Josh Reddick was playing straight away, and by the time he could get over and make a play on it, it was already over the fence."

Beckett recovered to retire the next three hitters in order; he caught Jon Jay looking, struck Albert Pujols out swinging, and retired Berkman on a fly to the warning track in center. But Furcal's second dinger of the series has staked the Redbirds to a 1-0 lead after one.

Red Sox 2nd: With one out, Jed Lowrie whacked a double into the left field corner. After Scutaro swung at strike three, Jarrod Saltalamacchia walked to put two men on. But Beckett's weak bouncer to third ended the inning with runners still at first and second. We've played an inning and a half, and it's Cardinals 1, Red Sox 0.

Cardinals 2nd: David Freese singled to left center with one out, but Yadier Molina grounded into a 6-4-3 inning-ending double play. After two, the Cards still lead 1-0.

Red Sox 3rd: Gonzalez grounded a two-out single up the middle, but Reddick's popup to Nick Punto at second retired the side. It's still 1-0 Redbirds after two and a half.

Cardinals 3rd: A one-two-three inning for Beckett. After three, it's Cardinals 1, Red Sox 0.

Red Sox 4th: Crawford drew a leadoff walk. A passed ball on Molina moved him to second, and Lowrie;'s fly to left moved him to third. Scutaro's seeing-eye base hit to left center brought him home to tie the game at one. Garcia finished with a flourish striking out both Saltalamacchia and Beckett swinging. But the Red Sox have tied the game thanks to a walk, a passed ball, a productive fly ball and Scutaro's hit. After three and a half, it's Red Sox 1, Cardinals 1.

Cardinals 4th: Jay led off with a bloop single to right. After Pujols took a called third strike, Berkman singled to left center to put runners at the corners. Beckett struck Holliday out swinging for the second out, but Freese stroked a base hit to left center, scoring Jay and giving the Redbirds a 2-1 lead. Berkman moved to third, and Beckett hit Molina on the elbow with a pitch to load the bases for Punto. Nick hit the first pitch he saw down to short, and Scutaro flipped to Pedroia for the force on Molina to end the inning. The Cards have manufactured a run thanks to three hits and a hit batsman, and they've taken a 2-1 lead over the Red Sox after four.

Red Sox 5th: Ellsbury led off with a double to left and moved to third on Pedroia's roller to Ortiz at first. But the Red Sox shortstop never made it home, as Gonzalez bounced to short and Reddick took a called third strike. We're halfway through Game 2, and it's Redbirds 2, Bosox 1.

Cardinals 5th: Jay drew a two-out walk and moved to third on Pujols' single to left center. Berkman struck out swinging to end the inning. The Cards leave runners at the corners, but they still lead 2-1 after five.

Red Sox 6th: Crawford grounded a leadoff single to right, but was forced by Lowrie. Scutaro's liner was speared by Freese for the second out, and Saltalamacchia went down swinging to end the inning. After five and a half, it's St. Louis 2, Boston 1.

Cardinals 6th: A one-two-three inning for Beckett: Holliday struck out swinging, Freese flew to center, and Molina popped to second. We've played six, and the Cardinals are still clinging to a 2-1 lead.

Red Sox 7th: Pedroia's two-out single up the middle was wasted when Gonzalez struck out swinging to end the inning. As we stretch in St. Louis, it's still Cards 2, Scarlet Hose 1.

Cardinals 7th: With one out, Allen Craig stepped up to the plate to bat for Garcia. Here's Joe with the count one ball and no strikes:

"This time, the Cardinals use the pinch hitter Craig instead of letting Garcia hit for himself as Arthur Rhodes did last night. Of course, that was a four-run game, while this is a one-run game with Big Papi still lurking on the bench for the Red Sox. Craig hit eleven home runs in seventy-five games this season, so he can jerk one out of here. Beckett trying to get through one last inning, as Daniel Bard's throwing in the Red Sox bullpen. Next pitch to Craig IS HAMMERED DEEP TO LEFT! BACK IS CRAWFORD, AT THE WALL, BUT THIS ONE'S GONE! Allen Craig goes deep off the bench for the Cardinals here in the seventh, and they now lead 3-1."

McCarver: "You mentioned Craig's eleven home runs this year, Joe, and he shows off some of that power here. Becakett's going for the outside corner, but this pitch tails back over the plate, and it's hit flush in the sweet spot by Craig. Crawford didn't exactly break a record going back to the wall, but it wouldn't have mattered anyway."

Furcal kept the inning going by beating out a grounder to short for an infield single, but Jay popped to third and Pujols was caught looking to end the inning. The Cardinals have added a run on Craig's pinch-hit homer; after seven they lead the visiting Bosox 3-1.

Red Sox 8th: Cardinals reliever Mitchell Boggs retired the Red Sox in order: Reddick grounded to first, Crawford flew to left center, and Lowrie popped up to second. After seven and a half, the American League champs still trail by a pair.

Cardinals 8th: With one out against Bard, Hollliday, Freese, and Molina wall walked in a row to load the bases. Punto forced Molina, which scored Holliday and put the Cards up 4-1. Skip Schumaker batted for Boggs, and he walked to load the bases again. Bard was well and truly finished, and Matt Albers was next into the fray for the Sox. Furcal grounded Albers' first pitch into left for a base hit to bring Freese home and make it 5-1 Cards, and Jay drew the fifth walk of the inning to force Punto home and make it 6-1. The crowd rose in anticipation of a Pujols grand slam, but Albert grounded to first instead, ending the inning with the bases still loaded. The Redbirds have scored three runs on just one hit thanks to five walks, one of which came with the bases loaded. Closer Jason Motte will face the Red Sox in the ninth, and he'll have a five-run lead to play with. It's now Cardinals 6, Red Sox 1.

Red Sox 9th: Scutaro lined a leadoff single up the middle, but Saltalamacchia grounded into a 3-6-3 double play, and Papi (batting for Albers) fouled out to Pujols to end the game. Final score: Cardinals 6, Red Sox 1, and the Cardinals lead the series two games to none.

Garcia was named Player of the Game by Fox. He went seven innings, giving up just one run on six hits while walking three and striking out eight. He threw a hundred and seven pitches on the night. Offensively, Furcal led the way, going three for five with a home run and two RBIs.

Final totals: Cardinals 6-9-0, Red Sox 1-7-0.

W- Garcia (1-0)
L- Beckett (0-1)

HR- STL: Furcal (2), Craig (1)

The series will continue with Game 3 on Saturday night at Fenway Park in Boston. Kyle Lohse will start for the Redbirds, while Jon Lester will get the call for the Red Sox.

Before we go, here's our Defensive Play of the Night. Ellsbury's leading off the top of the third against Garcia, and here's Joe:

"Bouncer to short. Tricky hop for Furcal, knocks it down, has to hurry, Throw is......IN TIME! NICE STRETCH BY PUJOLS FOR THE OUT!...….I'm not sure who had the tougher play, as Furcal's throw was low and to the right field side, but Pujols stretched to get the out. Here's Dustin Pedroia."

Next: We look at Game 3.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Sep 24, 2019

Now it's time for Game 3 of the 2011 World Series from Fenway Park in Boston. The date is Saturday, October 22:

Lineup Changes:

Cardinals- The biggest change for the Redbirds is that Lance Berkman will serve as their designated hitter now that the series is at an American League park. Allen Craig will get the start in right field and bat second. Berkman and Matt Holliday will once again swap spots in the batting order, with Holliday batting fourth and Berkman fifth. Jon Jay will move down to eighth, and Ryan Theriot will start in place of Nick Punto at second and bat ninth.

Red Sox- Josh Reddick moves down to fifth to make way for the return of designated hitter David Ortiz. Jason Varitek will start behind the plate in place of Jarrod Saltalamacchia and bat seventh, Marco Scutaro moves down to eighth, and Mike Aviles gets the start at third base and will bat ninth.

Weather: 60 degrees, cloudy skies, west winds at 14 MPH gusting to 18 MPH.

Cardinals 1st: Rafael Furcal was hit in the head by Red Sox starter Jon Lester's second pitch of the game. He lay sprawled at home plate for a few moments, then rose and walked to the dugout under his own power for evaluation. Skip Schumacher took his place at first, and the game continued. Craig forced Schumacher for the first out, but Albert Pujols walked on five pitches. Holliday's lined single to right center brought Craig home, and the Redbirds led 1-0. Berkman went down swinging form out number two, and David Freese was caught looking to end the inning. But the Redbirds have jumped out in front thanks to a hit, a walk, a hit batsman, and a fielder's choice. Now it's the Red Sox' turn.

Red Sox 1st: A one-two-three inning for Cardinals starter Kyle Lohse. The Cards lead 1-0 after one.

Cardinals 2nd: Lester responded with a one-two-three inning of his own. It's still 1-0 Cards after one and a half.

Red Sox 2nd: Ortiz flew to center, Reddick lined to short, and Theriot's pop was caught behind first by Pujols to end the inning. We've played two, and it's Cardinals 1, Red Sox 0.

Cardinals 3rd: Schumacher, who was now at second base while Theriot moved to short, popped to first, Craig grounded to third, and Pujols flew to right center. Lester has retired the last eight Cardinal hitters in a row, but the visitors still lead 1-0 after two and a half.

Red Sox 3rd: Aviles became Boston's first baserunner with his two-out single to left. Jacoby Ellsbury singled to deep short to put two men on, and Pedroia brought them both home with a double to right, giving the Bosox a 2-1 lead. Gonzalez came within inches of making it 4-1, but his fly to left was caught at the wall by Holliday to retire the side. The Sox take the lead with two runs on three hits while leaving a runner at second, and after three they lead the Cardinals 2-1.

Cardinals 4th: Berkman drew a one-out walk. After Freese's foul pop was caught by Gonzalez for out number two, Molina stepped to the plate against Lester. Here's Joe Buck with the count no balls and a strike:

"This is the first threat that the Cardinals have had since the first inning, when they scored first to take the lead. Ken Rosenthal tells us that Rafael Furcal is all right, just a slight bruise, and he'll be back tomorrow, which is good news for the Cardinals, since he's their spark at the top of the lineup. Right now, it's a one-strike count on Molina, and Lester's next pitch is PULLED DOWN THE LINE IN LEFT! A LOT OF HOME RUNS IN THIS AREA, DO WE HAVE ANOTHER? YES, WE DO!.....The hitters in this postseason have hit a ton of home runs down the lines here at Fenway, and we just saw another from Yadier Molina. Cardinals lead, 3-2."

Tim McCarver: "It's ridiculously easy to hit home runs down the lines in this park, because each one's only a little over three hundred feet. All you have to do is get it high enough to go over the fences, and Molina's more than capable of doing that, as you just saw."

Jay's grounder to third ended the inning, but the Redbirds have taken the lead thanks to Molina's two-run homer. At the end of three and a half, it's NL Champs 3, AL Champs 2.

Red Sox 4th: Papi lined the first pitch he saw into the right field corner for a double. Reddick cashed him in with a double off the wall in center, and we were tied at three. Crawford went down swinging for the first out, but Varitek's single to right center put runners at the corners. Scutaro then grounded a base hit up the middle to bring Reddick home, and the Red Sox led 4-3. Varitek tried to go to third, but he was thrown out easily by Jay for out number two. McCarver called Varitek's attempt to go to third "an unusually boneheaded play by one of the smartest players in baseball".

Aviles' fly to left ended the inning, but the Red Sox have retaken the lead thanks to two runs on four hits. After four, it's Boston 4, St. Louis 3.

Cardinals 5th: Another three-up three-down inning for Lester. Theriot grounded to third, Schumacher went down swinging, and Craig was caught looking. We're halfway through Game 3, and the Red Sox hold a 4-3 lead.

Red Sox 5th: Ellsbury went down swinging, Pedroia grounded to short, and Gonzalez tapped to first. After five, it's Scarlet Hose 4, Scarlet Birds 3.

Cardinals 6th: Pujols and Holliday each went down swinging, and Berkman's pop was caught behind third by Aviles. That's seven in a row retired by Lester, and the Bosox still lead by one after five and a half.

Red Sox 6th: After one out, Reddick took a Lohse fastball off of his shin. Crawford lined a single up the middle to put runners at the corners, and Varitek took anoter one off the shin to load the bases, only going to first after a long staredown with Lohse. Scutaro bounced a double off the track in left and over the Green Monster for a book-rule double to score Reddick and Crawford and open up a 6-3 Boston lead. Feeling that one more hit could ice the game for good, Red Sox manager Terry Francona called Aviles back and sent Jed Lowrie up to bat for him. Here's Joe:

"Two balls and one strike to Lowrie, who will enter the game at third in the top of the seventh. Varitek at third, Scutaro at second, and Lance Lynn just about ready in the St. Louis bullpen. Ready now for the 2-1 pitch...…...ground ball, BASE HIT RIGHT CENTER! VARIITEK IS IN! COMING HOME IS SCUTARO! LOWRIE STOPS AT FIRST, AND THE RED SOX LEAD 8-3 HERE IN THE SIXTH! Once again, Francona pushes the right button at the right time for these Red Sox!"

That was all for Lohse; Lynn came in and retired Ellsbury on a fly to right, then struck Pedroia out swinging to end the inning. But the Sox have exploded for four runs on three hits and two hit batsmen to open up an 8-3 lead after six.

Cardinals 7th: Jay's two-out single up the middle came to nothing when Theriot grounded to first. As we stretch at Fenway, it's still Bosox 8, Redbirds 3.

Red Sox 7th: Ortiz doubled to right with one out and was run for by Kevin Youkilis, who moved to third on Reddick's bouncer to second. He was stranded there when Crawford grounded to second to end the inning. After seven, the Red Sox still hold a five-run lead.

Cardinals 8th: Schumacher led off with a grounder to third that was booted by Lowrie, allowing Schumacher to reach. Craig grounded into a 3-6-3 double play, but Pujols' double down the left field line kept the inning alive. Holliday's base hit up the middle brought Albert home, and the Redbirds were within 8-4. Lowrie redeemed himself by catching Berkman's foul pop to end the inning. The Cards settle for a run on two hits and an error, and as we go to the bottom of the eighth they're only down by four.

Red Sox 8th: With two out, Lowrie hit a routine grounder down to Freese. David's throw was in time, but Pujols dropped it, and Lowrie was on. Jed then stole second and came home on Ellsbury's single to right to give the Bosox a 9-4 lead. Pedroia's grounder to Pujols at first retired the side, but the Sox come up with a run on an error, a stolen base, and a hit. Lester's going for the complete game in the top of the ninth; he'll face Freese, Molina, and Jay with his Red Sox leading 9-4.

Cardinals 9th: Lester finished his evening in style by retiring the Cardinals one-two-three: Freese struck out swinging, Molina's fly to the power alley in left center was run down by Ellsbury, and Jay flew to left to end the game. Our final: Red Sox 9, Cardinals 4, and the St. Louis lead in the series is now two games to one.

Lester was named Player of the Game by Fox. He went the distance, giving up four runs on five hits while walking two and striking out six in 122 pitches. Scutaro led the way offensively for Boston, going two for four with a run scored and three more batted in. Holliday and Molina each drove in a pair for the Redbirds, Molina with his homer.

Final totals: Red Sox 9-12-1, Cardinals 4-5-1.

W- Lester (1-0)
L- Lohse (0-1)

HR- STL: Molina (1)

Game 4 will be tomorrow night here at Fenway Park. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 8PM Eastern, with Tim Wakefield starting for the Red Sox and Edwin Jackson taking the mound for the Cardinals.

Next: We look at Game 4.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Sep 25, 2019

Now it's time for Game 4 of the 2011 World Series from Fenway Park in Boston. The date is Sunday, October 23:

Lineup Changes:

Cardinals- Nick Punto is back at second base and will bat ninth. Also, Rafael Furcal has been cleared to return. He'll lead off and play shortstop.

Red Sox- Kevin Youkilis will make his first start of the postseason at third base and bat fifth. Josh Reddick moves down to sixth. Also, Jarrod Saltalamacchia is back behind the plate and will bat ninth.

Weather: 55 degrees, cloudy skies, west-northwest winds at 6 MPH.

Cardinals 1st: With one out, Allen Craig hit a ground ball to third. Youkilis made the grab, but his throw to first pulled Adrian Gonzalez off the bag, allowing Craig to reach. Albert Pujols' grounder to first moved Craig to second, and he came home on Matt Holliday's lined single to right, giving the Redbirds a 1-0 lead. Lance Berkman walked to put two men on, but David Freese's grounder to short stranded both runners and ended the inning. The Cards draw first blood thanks to an error, a hit, a productive out, and a walk, Now we'll see how the Red Sox answer.

Red Sox 1st: Gonzalez's two-out single to right was wasted when Ortiz grounded to third. The Cards lead 1-0 after one.

Cardinals 2nd: Yadier Molina drew a leadoff walk and moved to third on Jon Jay's single up the middle. Punto forced Jay, which allowed Molina to score and gave the Cards a 2-0 lead. After Furcal flew to center for the second out, Craig was hit on the knee by a pitch to put two on. Pujols' bouncer to third ended the inning. The Redbirds settle for a run on a walk, a hit, a forceout, and a hit batsman while leaving runners at first and second. We've played an inning and a half, and it's Cards 2, Bosox 0.

Red Sox 2nd: A one-two-three inning for Cardinals starter Edwin Jackson. After two, it's NL Champs 2, AL Champs 0.

Cardinals 3rd: With one out, Berkman blooped a single to right center. Freese's single to left put runners at the corners, but Molina grounded into a 4-6-3 inning-ending double play. It's 2-0 St. Louis after two and a half.

Red Sox 3rd: Marco Scutaro drew a leadoff walk. Jackson struck out Saltalamacchia and retired Jacoby Ellsbury on a fly to left center, but Dustin Pedroia walked to keep the inning going. Gonzalez's grounder to Pujols retired the side. The Sox have left runners at first and second, and after three in Game 4 they trail the Cardinals 2-0.

Cardinals 4th: With one out, Punto lined a single up the middle. After Furcal flew to center for the second out, Craig stroked a single to left. Pujols then uncorked a fly to deep left center, but Ellsbury ran it down in the power alley for a final out. It's the visitors' turn to leave runners at first and second, but they still lead 2-0 after three and a half.

Red Sox 4th: Ortiz led off with a double off of the Green Monster, but Jackson struck Youkilis out swinging, retired Reddick on a grounder to second (with Ortiz moving to third), and got Crawford to fly to Jay in the left center power alley. The Sox leave Papi at the front door, and they're still down 2-0 through four.

Cardinals 5th: Freese whacked a two-out double to left, but Mplina popped to Scutaro at short to end the inning. We're halfway through Game 4, and it's St. Louis 2, Boston 0.

Red Sox 5th: Scutaro led off with a base hit to left. but Saltalamacchia struck out swinging. Ellsbury forced Scutaro, but was thrown out trying to steal second to retire the side. After five, it's still Cards 2, Bosox 0.

Cardinals 6th: With one out, Punto doubled down the right field line. Furcal singled up the middle to bring Punto home and put the Redbirds up 3-0. That brought Craig to the plate. Here's Joe Buck with the count one ball and two strikes:

"Alfredo Acevedes warming up for the Red Sox in the bullpen. Wakefield hasn't been especially sharp tonight, giving up three runs on nine hits if five and a third innings, so you would think that his time in this game is growing short. He'll have to retire Craig and Pujols to get out of the inning, and he's ahead of Craig one ball and two strikes. Furcal's a threat to steal, but he's probably not going at the moment. Wakefield to the stretch, and the one-two pitch...….HIGH FLY BALL TO LEFT! BACK IS CARL CREWFORD, HE'S AT THE TRACK, AT THE WALL, AND ALLEN CRAIG HAS HIT HIS SECOND HOME RUN OF THE SERIES!.....It didn't get over the Monster by much, but the Cardinals still have a 5-0 lead in the sixth."

McCarver: "Wakefield's knuckleballs haven't really been dancing all night, and a straight knuckleball is death to a pitcher, a ball just asking to be hit hard. That one certainly was, and (Red Sox manager) Terry Francona is coming to get him right now. He's announced his retirement at the end of the season, so that's why he's getting an ovation from the fans here at Fenway despite the fact that he hasn't really pitched well tonight."

Aceves hit Pujols in the leg with his first pitch, but Holliday popped to shirt and Berkman's fly to deep right center was caught by Ellsbury on the warning track to retire the side. The Redbirds have scored three runs on three hits and a hit batsman, with the big blow coming in the form of Craig's two-run homer. At the end of five and a half, it's Cardinals 5, Red Sox 0.

Red Sox 6th: Ortiz grounded a two-out single to center, and Youkilis singled to right to put two men on. But Reddick's fly to right center ended the inning. The Sox once again leave runners at first and second, and after six they still trail the Cardinals 5-0.

Cardinals 7th: Jay singled to right center with two out, but Punto took a called third strike to end the inning. As we stretch at Fenway, it's still 5-0 St. Louis.

Red Sox 7th: With one out, Scutaro grounded to short. The ball bounced off of Furcal's glove for an error, allowing Marco to reach. Saltalamacchia flew to Jay on the warning track in right center, and Ellsbury bounced to third to retire the side. The Redbirds still lead by five after seven.

Cardinals 8th: Craig walked with one out. After Pujols popped to short for the second out, Craig stole second. That brought Holliday to the plate against reliever Daniel Bard. Here's Joe with the count two balls and two strikes:

"The Red Sox will have Pedroia, Gonzalez, and Ortiz in the bottom of the eight, and Lance Lynn's ready to face them. That means that Edwin Jackson's night is over, and what a night it was: He shut out the Red Sox on five hits over seven innings, walking two and striking out four. The Cardinals got their money's worth and more out of him tonight, and they're looking for more runs to really put the game away. Craig at second, two out, and a two-two pitch ready to Holliday...….THAT IS CRUSHED TO DEEP RIGHT CENTER! BACK GOES ELLSBURY, AT THE WALL, BUT THIS ONE'S A TAPE MEASURE SHOT FOR MATT HOLLIDAY! 7-0 ST. LOUIS!......What a blast by Matt Holliday, Tim. I can't wait to see the estimated distance."

McCarver: "Daniel Bard has been one of the go-to pitchers out of the Red Sox bullpen in this postseason, and I suspect that he's just about had it. This ball doesn't look to have much zip to it, at least until Holliday gets a hold of it. That's one of the hardest-hit home runs I've seen in a long time."

Buck: "The estimated distance on this home run was 412 feet. Right center at Fenway Park is 379 feet."

Berkman kept the inning going with a single to right center, and that was all for Bard. New Boston pitcher Matt Albers retired Freese on a fly to right center, and that was the inning. The Cards have added a pair on Holliday's two-run moonshot, and the Cardinals are cruising 7-0 after seven and a half.

Red Sox 8th: With one out, Gonzalez stroked a base hit to right center. Next up was Ortiz, and here's Joe with the count one ball and one strike:

"It looks like the Cardinals are going to go into Game 5 with a chance to win the world championship, and Chris Carpenter will take the mound against John Lackey. Game time is a little after 8PM. If necessary, we'll go back to St. Louis for Game 6 on Wednesday night, with Jaime Garcia set to pitch against a starter to be named by Terry Francona. Right now, the Red Sox just want to get on the board. One and one to Ortiz, and Lynn's next pitch is HIT HIGH AND DEEP TO RIGHT! GOING BACK IS HOLLIDAY, HE'S AT THE WALL, AND THE RED SOX ARE INDEED ON THE BOARD HERE IN THE EIGHTH! Big Papi goes deep, and it's now a 7-2 ballgame."

McCarver: "David Ortiz was looking fastball from Lynn, and that's what he got. Unfortunately for Lynn, he wanted it on the outside corner, but this one tails back over the plate, and Papi absolutely crushes it. It'll be tough for the Red Sox to keep the comeback going, but it's certainly been done before, and they now have to score only five more runs."

Youkilis kept things going with a single to left center, but was forced by Reddick. Next up was Crawford, who shocked the watching world by beating out a grounder to second for an infield hit. Scutaro reached on another infield single, this one to third, and the bases were loaded for Saltalamacchia, who worked the count to three balls and two strikes, then took strike three to end the inning with the bases loaded. The Sox have to settle for two runs on five hits, and after eight they're still trailing the Cardinals 7-2.

Cardinals 9th: With two out, Punto singled to right center. Furcal took a pitch off of his left knee to put two men on, but Craig struck out swinging to retire the side. The Redbirds leave runners at first and second, but they're still leading 7-2 as we head to the bottom of the ninth.

Red Sox 9th: Gonzalez and Ortiz drew back-to-back walks with two out, and Mike Aviles came in to run for Papi. But Mitchell Boggs got Youkilis to pop to Freese at third to end the game with runners still at first and second. Our final: Cardinals 7, Red Sox 2, and the Redbirds lead the series three games to one.

Jackson and Holliday shared Player of the Game honors from Fox. As Joe stated warlier, Jackson shut out the Red Sox on five hits over seven innings, while Holliday finished two for five with a home run and three RBIs. Craig was two for four plus a walk, with two RBIs and three runs scored. Ortiz was three for four with a homer and both Boston runs batted in.

Final totals: Cardinals 7-14-1, Red Sox 2-10-1.

W- Jackson (1-0)
L- Wakefield (0-1)

HR- STL: Craig (2), Holliday (1)
BOS: Ortiz (1)

The series continues tomorrow night with Game 5 at Fenway Park. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 8PM Eastern, and it will be a mound rematch of Game 1: Chris Carpenter will start for the Cardinals, while John Lackey goes for the Red Sox.

Next: We look at Game 5.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Sep 25, 2019

There's been an addition to my side project on cursed teams: the White Sox, who haven't won a World Series in either universe so far since 1917. (A small spoiler: You can butterfly away their real-life 2005 championship; the Indians won the Pythagorean Central that year instead, and the Chisox didn't earn the wild card.) They haven't even won an American League pennant in the Pythagorean universe since 1964, when they lost to the Reds in six games in the World Series.

By the way, the Indians aren't quite on the cursed list yet; they won a world championship in this universe in 1959, when they beat the Braves in six games. Compared to the Cubs, White Sox, and Red Sox, they're living off the fat of the baseball land!

I might cover 1996, where the White Sox have taken the American League Wild Card, after I'm done with 2011. I would then do each year with each team until all three curses are either lifted or not. I might also put the cursed years aside and concentrate on the rest of the timeline , saving the rest of this side project until last. I'm still looking to eliminate years fairly quickly; I've still got twenty-one to go once 2011 is finished, and I'd like to reduce that number so I can concentrate on the longer years where the postseason has to be mostly or totally redone.

Whichever way I decide to go, there's plenty of action left, even after the real-life season ends. Stay tuned!

Garrett Garlits · Sep 26, 2019

Now it's time for Game 5 of the 2011 World Series from Fenway Park in Boston. The date is Monday, October 24:

Lineup Changes:

Red Sox- The major news Is that David Ortiz won't start due to back spasms. Josh Reddick will take his place as the designated hitter and bat sixth. Dustin Pedroia will take Papi's place in the cleanup spot, and Marco Scutaro will move up to second in place of Pedroia. Reddick will be replace in right field by Darnell McDonald, who will bat ninth. Finally, Jason Varitek is behind the plate and will bat eighth.

Cardinals- Skip Schumaker gets the start in center and will bat eighth.

Weather: 60 degrees, mostly cloudy skies, south winds at 13 MPH.

Cardinals 1st: Rafael Furcal led off the game against John Lackey. Joe Buck was setting the Red Sox defense when:

"......First pitch of this game is HIT HIGH AND DEEP RIGHT CENTER FIELD! ELLSBURY BACK, AT THE WALL, AND JUST LIKE THAT THE CARDINALS LEAD!......Nothing like a leadoff man that'll get your team the lead right off the bat."

Tim McCarver: "They call the leadoff man the table setter, and Furcal's set up a banquet for the Cardinals. No question that this ball was gone, but the good new is that (Red Sox starter) John Lackey gets to start fresh with Allen Craig, like this never even happened."

Lackey retired the next three St. Louis hitters in order: Craig went down swinging, Albert Pujols bounced to short, and Matt Holliday grounded to third. But Furcal's leadoff blast has staked the Redbirds to a quick lead. Now let's see what the Red Sox can do.

Red Sox 1st: A one-two-three inning for Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter. It's 1-0 Redbirds after one.

Cardinals 2nd: For the second inning in a row, Joe's setup- in this case, promo reading for upcoming shows on Fox- was interrupted by the Redbirds' first-pitch swinging. This time, the culprit was Lance Berkman:

"...….AND THAT ONE'S LAUNCHED DEEP TO LEFT CENTER! ELLSBURY HAS NO CHANCE! AGAIN A LEADOFF HOMER ON THE FIRST PITCH, AND IT'S 2--0 ST. LOUIS!.....If they throw me out of the play-by-play union, I'm gonna blame Lance Berkman."

Tim McCarver: "For a ball that's hit like this, they'll understand, Joe. This one's like Furcal's homer earlier, an absolute moon shot. The cool air tonight's holding down the distance, because that's a four hundred-footer in the heat of summer, and Fenway Park's left center field is only 334."

Once again, Lackey recovered to retire the next three hitters in order: David Freese bounced to second, Yadier Molina grounded to short, and Schumaker took a called third strike. Lackey's been unhittable so far except for the first pitch of each inning, but Berkman's homer here in the second has given the Redbirds a 2-0 lead after an inning and a half.

Red Sox 2nd: With one out, Kevin Youkilis stepped to the plate against Carpenter. Here's Joe with the count one ball and one strike:

"Youkilis didn't get into a postseason game except as a pinch-runner for David Ortiz until last night because he publicly exposed the fried chicken-eating and beer drinking that went on at times this season in the Red Sox clubjouse, if you believe one rumor. The team hasn't officially commented of course, but Youkilis is finally in there. Except for the two first-pitch home runs by the Cardinals, neither pitcher's had a bit of trouble. One-one pitch is lined to left, over goes Holliday, ball still carrying on him, looks up, AND IT''S GONE!.....Holliday wanted to play it off the wall, but it was still carrying, so he looked up just in time for it to get over the fence."

McCarver: "Unlike the two Cardinal home runs, this wasn't a no-doubter. It didn't even really start to carry until it was in the outfield, and it just kept eluding Holliday and eluding him until it went over the Green Monster. What a night for a home run derby."

Reddick followed with a single to left, and Carl Crawford's single to right center put two men on. Vartitek made it four straight hits for the Red Sox with his base hit to right center, which cashed Reddick in and tied the game at two. McDonald was next, and he dumped a double in front of Craig in right. Crawford scored easily to give the Red Sox a 3-2 lead. and Red Sox third base coach Tim Bogar waved Varitek around third as well. Craig fired a bullet through the cutoff man and directly to Molina, who was waiting with the tag on his counterpart for out number two. Jacoby Ellsbury walked to put two men on, but Scutaro's bouncer to Freese at third ended the inning. The Bosox end up with three runs on five hits and a walk while leaving runners at first and second. After two, it's Red Sox 3, Cardinals 2.

Cardinals 3rd: With two out, Craig faced Lackey. Here's Joe with the count two balls and one strike;

"Craig got the starts here in Boston so that Berkman could DH, but if this series goes back to St. Louis, it's not known what (Cardinals manager)Tony LaRussa will do. An interesting note of trivia: Craig was supposed to bat for Arthur Rhodes when Rhodes hit his homer in Game 1, but Arthur asked LaRussa to let him bat in a World Series game, and with a four-run lead LaRussa agreed. So Craig really should have three home runs in this series...….AND NOW HE MIGHT! DEEP TO RIGHT, BACK IS MCDONALD, REACHES OVER THE WALL, BUT THIS ONE IS GONE! A nice hustle play by McDonald to reach over the wall, but he wasn't catching up to that one. The Cardinals continue to play longball; that's their third in three innings tonight."

McCarver: "Now Craig will say he should have had four. All three St. Louis hits have been home runs, and unquestionable ones at that. Meanwhile, Lackey's been letter-perfect otherwise. Talk about baseball being a funny game."

Pujols walked to become the Cards' first non-homer base runner, but Holliday's fly to left center ended the inning. The Redbirds have tied the game thanks to Craig's third home run of the series, and we're even at three after two and a half.

Red Sox 3rd: With one out, Pedroia whacked a double into the left center power alley. After Youkilis went down swinging for the second out, Reddick smacked another double down the right field line to score Pedroia and put the Bosox up 4-3. Crawford followed with a triple off the wall in center to bring home Reddick, and the Red Sox led 5-3. Varitek took a called third strike to end the inning with Crawford still at third, but the Sox have taken the lead thanks to two runs on three hits. After three, it's Boston 5, St. Louis 3.

Cardinals 4th: With one out, Freese lined a base hit to right center. Molina lined to Pedroia at second for the second out, but Schumacher's base hit just past Lackey and up the middle put runners at the corners. Nick Punto walked to load the bases, but Furcal's slow roller to Adrian Gonzalez ended the inning with the sacs still jammed. The Cards can't score despite two hits and a walk, and it's still 5-3 Bosox after three and a half.

Red Sox 4th: McDonald led off with a base hit to left. Ellsbury's single to right moved McDonald to third, and after Scutaro struck out swinging Ellsbury stole second. Next was Gonzalez, who beat out a grounder to short for an infield hit. McDonald scored, and the Red Sox led 6-3. Pedroia forced Gonzalez for the second out, but that allowed Ellsbury to score the Sox' seventh run. Youkilis ended Carpenter's evening with a single to left center that put runners at the corners. Fernando Salas relieved Carpenter, but Reddick laced his first pitch into left to score Pedroia and make it 8-3 Boston. Next was Crawford, whose grounder to short was fumbled by Furcal, allowing Carl to reach and load the bases. A hit from Varitek could have put the game away, but instead he popped weakly to Pujols at first, ending the inning with the bases still loaded. The Sox have still scored three runs thanks to four hits and an error, and after four they're on top of the Cards 8-3.

Cardinals 5th: Craig lined a leadoff base hit to left. After Pujols popped to Gonzalez at first, Holliday doubled down the left field line to score Craig and bring the Redbirds back to within 8-4. By now, Franklin Morales was just about ready in the Boston bullpen, and Berkman turned out to be Lackey's last hitter. Here's Joe with the count one ball and no strikes:

"Franklin Morales is standing and waiting in the Boston bullpen, but (Red Sox manager) Terry Francona's choosing to let Lackey face Berkman even though Berkman's already homered off of Lackey tonight. On deck to presumably face Morales is David Freese. We're coming up on the two and a half hour mark and we're not halfway through this game, but there's been a ton of action with lots more still to come. Lackey ready with the one-ball pitch, AND IT'S LAUNCHED TO DEEP RGHT! MCDONALD BACK, AT THE WALL, AND IT'S GONE! BERKKMAN'S SECOND HOME RUN OF THE NIGHT, AND IT'S NOW AN 8-6 GAME HERE IN THE FIFTH!......Francona's strategy blew up in his face, and the Cardinals are right back in the game. Here comes Franklin Morales."

McCarver: "Lackey's been having trouble spotting his fastball all night, and even though Varitek sets up outside, this one's comes right back over the middle of the plate, and Berkman absolutely destroys it. Not the smartest move for Tito to let Lackey face Berkman, and he's paying for it now."

Freese grounded Morales' first pitch to short, and Scutaro muffed it, then had to hold on to it as Freese reached. Molina grounded into a 6-4-3 inning-ending double play, but the Cardinals have gotten back into this game with three runs on three hits and an error. After two hours and thirty-eight minutes, we're finally halfway through Game 5, and the Red Sox lead the Cardinals 8-6.

Red Sox 5th: McDonald and Ellsbury each grounded to second, and Scutaro's pop was caught by Freese in foul territory. We've played five, and the Bosox still lead by a pair.

Cardinals 6th: With one out, Punto lined a single to right. Furcal took a called third strike for out number two, but Craig walked to put two men on. Pujols flew to Crawford in sallow left to end the inning. The Redbirds leave runners at first and second, and after five and a half they still trail 8-6.

Red Sox 6th: Pedroia singled to left center with one out, but Youkilis grounded into a 3-6-3 double play to retire the side. After six, it's Scarlet Hose 8, Redbirds 6.

Cardinals 7th: The Redbirds went down in order for the first time tonight. It's time to stretch at Fenway, and the Red Sox still lead by two.

Red Sox 7th: Reddick and Varitek each grounded to first, and Crawford bounced to short in between. After seven, it's still AL Champs 8, NL Champs 6.

Cardinals 8th: Molina struck out swinging, Schumaker grounded to short, and Punto grounded to second. As we head to the bottom of the eight, it's still 8-6 Red Sox.

Red Sox 8th: Ellsbury singled to short with one out, but was immediately caught stealing second. Scutaro's bouncer to short ended the inning. It's time for closer Jonathan Papelbon to try and nail down the game and save the Red Sox season. He'll face Furcal, Craig, and Pujols, and he'll be protecting an 8-6 lead.

Cardinals 9th: Furcal led off with a seeing-eye single to right. Craig's fly down the left field line was caught in front of the Green Monster by Holliday for out number one. Pujols checked his swing and chopped one over Papelbon's head for an infield single to put two men on, and Holliday's single to left center loaded the bases. Berkman took a called third strike for out number two, which brought Freese to the plate. Papelbon got ahead two strikes. Then:

Buck: "Papelbon needs just one more strike. Molina on deck in case the inning continues, but everyone in this ballpark not from St. Louis wants to see Papelbon end it right now. Bases loaded, everyone will be going. Pitch is hit in the air to right, over is McDonald, dives, BUT CAN'T COME UP WITH IT! FURCAL SCORES! HERE COMES PUJOLS! THROW TO THIRD......HOLLIDAY'S SAFE! DAVID FREESE'S BLOOP SINGLE HAS TIED THIS GAME AT EIGHT, AND YOU CAN HEAR A PIN DROP AT FENWAY PARK!"

Molina grounded to short, ending the inning with runners still at the corners. But the Cardinals have tied the game with two runs on four hits, the biggest one being Freese's game-tying bloop single. We now go to the bottom of the ninth with the game tied at eight.

Red Sox 9th: Gonzalez grounded to first, Pedroia grounded to short, and Youkils' line drive was speared by Furcal to end the inning. We'll see free baseball in Game 5 with the score tied at eight.

Cardinals 10th: Schumaker lined to second, Punto flew to Ellsbury in shirt center, and Furcal's fly to deep right center was caught by Ellsbury on the warning track. After nine and a half, it's Cardinals 8, Red Sox 8.

Red Sox 10th: Reddick took a called third strike, Crawford flew to right center, and Varitek struck out swinging. After ten, it's Redbirds 8, Bosox 8.

Cardinals 11th: Craig popped to short, Pujols flew to right center. and Holliday lined to short. We've played ten and a half, and we're still even at eight.

Red Sox 11th: McDonald took a called third strike, Ellsbury struck out swinging, and Scutaro bounced to third. After eleven, it's St. Louis 8, Boston 8.

Cardinals 12th: Berkman led off with a single to right against reliever Alfredo Aceves. Freese doubled into the left field corner to put runners at second and third. That brought up Molina, who worked the count to three balls and one strike. Here's Joe:

"Aceves to the belt, checks the runners, who will be off on contact. Three-one pitch IS A LINE DRIVE INTO LEFT CENTER, IT'LL GET DOWN IN THE ALLEY! BERKMAN SCORES! FREESE ON HIS HEELS! MOLNA AT SECOND WITH A DOUBLE, AND THE CARDINALS LEAD 10-8 HERE IN THE TWELFTH!"

That ended Aceves' evening. Next out of the pen for the Sox was Tim Wakefeld, who'd just started the night before. He got Schumacher to look at strike three for out number one, but Punto beat out a slow roller to first for an infield hit. with Molina moving to third. Punto then stole second, but Furcal went down swinging for out number two. That brought up Craig, who put the finishing touches on his Series MVP award by ripping a double into the right center power alley. Molina and Punto scored, and the Redbirds now led 12-8. Pujols grounded to third to end the inning, but the visitors have scored four runs on five hits while leaving another runner at second. Closer Jason Motte is coming in to nail the game down in the bottom of the twelfth, and he'll have a four-run cushion to work with.

Red Sox 12th: Gonzalez tapped to first, Pedroia struck out swinging, and Youkilis grounded to second to end the game and clinch the world title for the Cardinals. Our final: Cardinals 12, Red Sox 8, and the Redbirds take the world championship four games to one.

Final totals: Cardinals 12-18-1, Red Sox 8-15-1.

W- Boggs (1-0)
S- Motte (1)
L- Aceves (0-1)

HR- STL: Berkman 2 (3), Craig (3), Furcal (3)
BOS: Youkilis (1)

I was running short on time, so I omitted Joe's call of the final out.

We've now crowned ninety-three world champions in the Pythagorean universe, and the American League's lead is back down to five at 49-44. The Cardinals have now won eight world championships so far in this timeline.

Next: A summary of the 2017 ALCS, which we'll pick up with Game 6.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Sep 27, 2019

I've decided to finish 2017 before I go any further, since I left it hanging. Since we're in the middle of the ALCS between the Yankees and the Indians, here's a quick recap of the first five games.

The series began on Friday, October 13 at Progressive Field. There were only eight hits between the two teams, but the victorious Indians had five of them in their 4-0 triumph. Right fielder Jay Bruce's two-run homer in the fourth broke things open, and pitchers Trevor Bauer, Andrew Miller, and Cody Allen combined to shut out the Pinstripes on just three hits, of which second baseman Starlin Castro had two. Four Yankee pitchers combined to hold the Tribe in check, but not far enough.

Final totals: Indians 4-5-0, Yankees 0-3-0.

W- Bauer (1-0)
S- C. Allen (1)
L- Gray (0-1)

HR- CLE: Bruce (1)

The next afternoon saw a completely different type of game, as the teams combined for seventeen runs and twenty hits in a thirteen-inning marathon that took five hours and eight minutes to play. Fifteen of the seventeen runs were scored in the first six innings, with shortstop Francisco Lindor's grand slam in the sixth bringing the Tribe back into the game and Bruce's eighth-inning grand slam tying it up at eight. Catcher Yan Gomes won it for the Tribe with his thirteenth-inning base hit off of Dellin Betances that brought home left fielder Austin Jackson. The Yanks hit three home runs in a losing cause. Final in thirteen: Tribe 9, Pinstripes 8, and the Tribe led the series two games to none.

Final totals: Indians 9-9-2, Yankees 8-11-3.

W- Tomlin (1-0)
L- Betances (0-1)

HR- NYY: Sanchez (1), Bird (1), Hicks (1)
CLE: Bruce (2), Lindor (1)

Game 3 saw the series come to Yankee Stadium, and Masahiro Tanaka (Yankees) battled several Indians hurlers in a classic pitching duel. The only run was scored on a seventh-inning homer by Yankees first baseman Greg Bird off of Miller. Yankee closer Aroldis Chapman allowed two hits, but struck out four while earning a five-out save.

Final totals: Yankees 1-5-0, Indians 0-5-0.

W- Tanaka (1-0)
S- Chapman (1)
L- A. Miller (0-1)

HR- NYY: Bird (2)

I lost my writeup of Game 4, but the Yankees prevailed 7-3 behind a four-run second. The Indians committed four errors, and Bauer, lasted an inning and two-thirds.

Final totals: Yankees 7-8-0, Indians 3-4-4.

W- Severino (1-0)
S- Kahnle (1)
L- Bauer (1-1)

HR- CLE: Santana (1), Perez (1)
NYY: Sanchez (2)

The Yankees completed their home sweep on Wednesday, October 18 in Game 5. Shortstop Didi Gregorius belted a pair of homers, and the Tribe committed three more errors, which gave them seven in two games. Gegoorius hit a solo shot in the first off of Tribe starter Corey Kluber, then added a two-run shot in the third. Perez and third baseman Giovanny Urshela knocked in runs for the Indians in the fifth, but the Yanks put the game away with two more runs in the eighth. David Robertson got the win in relief of starter C.C. Sabathia, while Chapman recorded his second save of the series. Kluber took the loss, and the Indians are going home on the brink of elimination. Final: Yanks 5, Tribe 2.

Final totals: Yankees 5-8-0, Indians 2-5-3.

W- Robertson (1-0)
S- Chapman (2)
L- Kluber (0-1)

HR- NYY: Gregorius 2 (2)

Game 6 will be contested at Progressive Field on Friday, October 20. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 8PM Eastern on Fox, Jordan Montgomery will get the ball for the Yanks, and he'll be opposed by Carrasco.

Next: We look at Game 6.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Sep 27, 2019

Now it's time for Game 6 of the 2017 American League Championship Series from Progressive Field in Cleveland. The date is Friday, October 20:

Lineup Changes:

Yankees- Gary Sanchez and Didi Gregorius switch places in the batting order; Sanchez will hit third, while Gregorius will hit cleanup. Starlin Castro and Greg Bird will also change places; Castro will bat fifth, while Bird will hit sixth. Clint Frazier and Aaron Hicks switch as well; Frazier will bat seventh, while Hicks bats ninth. Finally, Chase Headley replaces Jacoby Ellsbury as the designated hitter and will bat eighth.

Indians- Jay Bruce moves up to fifth, while Carlos Santana moves down to sixth. Lonnie Chisenhall replaces Austin Jackson in left field and will bat seventh.

Weather: 74 degrees, fair skies, south winds at 5 MPH.

Indians 4th: Bruce led off against Yankees starter Jordan Montgomery. Here's Joe Buck with the count two balls and a strike:

"Jordan Montgomery was added to the Yankees' playoff roster when Sonny Gray came up with a sore shoulder in his bullpen session on Wednesday at Yankee Stadium. He was sent home due to an innings limitation, but he'd been keeping in shape with light throwing and other conditioning just in case the Yankees might need him. He came to Cleveland, proved he could still throw his pitches effectively, and got the start in the Yankees' biggest game of the year so far. He's behind Bruce two and one, and his next pitch IS DRIVEN DEEP TO LEFT CENTER! BACK GOES HICKS, AT THE TRACK, AT THE WALL, IT'S GONE!.....Jay Bruce hits his third homer of the series, and the Indians are on the board first in Game 6."

John Smoltz: "Montgomery went to the letup curve in order to get a strike, but he let up on it a bit too much, and Jay Bruce just hammered it. There was no question that it was gone. That was Montgomery's first bad pitch of the night, and if he continues pitching the way he has been so far, the Yankees have plenty of time to come back from it."

The inning continued when Santana drew a five-pitch walk. Chisenhall struck out swinging for out number one, and Perez grounded one down to third, where it was muffed by third baseman Clint Frazier, allowing Perez to reach. Third baseman Giovanny Urshela grounded into a 6-4-3 inning-ending double play, and the inning was over with a runner still at third. But Bruce's homer has given the Tribe a 1-0 lead after four.

That was all the scoring. Nobody from either team got as far as third base for the rest of the night, and the only time anyone got as far as second was when the Yankees put two men on in the fifth on walks to Judge and Sanchez. Indians starter Carlos Carrasco struck both Gregorius and Castro out swinging to end the inning. Carrasco, Andrew Miller, and Cody Allen combined on a seven-hit shutout, while Montgomery, Tyler Clippard, and David Robertson held the Tribe to just four hits in a losing cause. Our final: Indians 1, Yankees 0, and this series is tied at three games apiece.

Carrasco was named Player of the Game by Fox. He pitched seven innings and giving up just five hits while walking five and striking out ten.

Final totals: Indians 1-4-0, Yankees 0-7-1.

W- Carrasco (1-0)
S- C. Allen (2)
L- Montgomery (0-1)

HR- CLE: Bruce (3)

The series will be decided in Game 7 tomorrow night at Progressive Field. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 8PM Eastern, with Masahiro Tanaka taking the mound for the Yankees and Trevor Bauer making his third start of the series for the Indians.

Next: We look at Game 7.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Sep 28, 2019

Now it's time for Game 7 of the 2017 American League Championship Series from Progressive Field in Cleveland. The date is Saturday, October 21:

Lineup Changes:

Yankees- Aaron Hicks and Todd Frazier once again switch places in the batting order; Hicks will bat seventh and Frazier ninth. Also, Jacoby Ellsbury replaces Chase Headley as the designated hitter and will bat eighth.

Indians- Jay Bruce and Carlos Santana switch places in the batting order; Santana will bat fifth, while Bruce bats sixth. Austin Jackson gets the start in place of Lonnie Chisenhall in left, and he'll bat seventh. Finally, Yan Gomes replaces Roberto Perez behind the plate and will bat ninth.

Weather: 74 degrees. mostly cloudy skies, south-southwest wind at 8 MPH.

Like Game 3 and 6, this was a pitcher's duel from start to finish, as Masahiro Tanaka (Yankees) and Trevor Bauer (Indians) each kept their opponent's offense in check. There were no runners in scoring position until the top of the fifth, when Todd Frazier singled with to out for the Yankees and Brett Gardner walked. Aaron Judge struck out swinging to retire the side. There were no baserunners at all after Gary Sanchez's leadoff walk in the top of the sixth was erased when Didi Gregorius hot into a double play until the bottom of the ninth, when Francisco Lindor lined a leadoff base hit to left against Yankee reliever Tyler Clippard. Then it was Jason Kipnis' turn, and here's Joe Buck:

'Winning run at first for the Indians, and here's Kipnis. What a brilliant last two days of baseball we've seen. The pitching from both sides has been unbelievable, particularly today, with Trevor Bauer going the distance so far and Masahiro Tanaka pitching eight brilliant innings of his own. Even the mistakes turn out well, such as (Yankee manager) Joe Girardi putting Clint Frazier at third base last night instead of Todd Frazier. Clint had never played third base in the big leagues before, but he played so well last night that Girardi never bothered to make the change. The question now is, is Kipnis bunting to get Lindor over to second and set up (Jose) Ramirez and (Edwin) Encarnacion? We'll see in a moment, as Clippard throws his first pitch......HIT DOWN THE RIGHT FIELD LINE, FAIR BALL! CUT OFF BY JUDGE, BUT THEY'LL SEND LINDOR ANYWAY, RELAY FROM CASTRO IS......NOT IN TIME AND OFFLINE! INDIANS WIN THE PENNANT!"

John Smoltz: "The Yankees did everything right up until the end. Judge made a brilliant play to cut the ball off before it went down into the right field corner, and his throw to the cutoff man (Starlin) Castro was on target. But Castro rushed his throw to the plate, and it ended up taking off up the first base line. It would have been a bang-bang play at best anyway."

Final score: Indians 1, Yankees 0, and the Indians take the pennant four games to three.

Despite Kipnis' Game 7 heroics, Bruce's three home runs earned him series MVP honors. A special tip of the cap to Bauer for his Game 7 performance; he pitched a five-hit shutout, walking three and striking out eight in just a hundred and six pitches.

Final totals: Indians 1-5-0, Yankees 0-5-0.

W- Bauer (2-1)
L- Clippard (0-1)

This is the Indians' ninth American League pennant so far in this timeline.

Game 1 of the World Series will be here at Progressive Field on Tuesday night, since the Indians finished with a better regular-season record than the National League champion Dodgers. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 8PM Eastern, with Corey Kluber pitching for the Tribe and Clayton Kershaw taking the hill for the Dodgers.

Before we go, here's our Defensive Play of the Night. There's one out in the bottom of the sixth, with eventual hero Kipnis at the plate. Here's Joe:

"High fly ball into right center. Going over is Judge, cutting in front is (Aaron) Hicks, ball dropping quickly, BACKHANDED BY HICKS!.....Judge wanted that ball, but he was almost into straightway center, so Hicks cut n front of him just as the ball was dropping to the turf and backhanded it for the out. Now here's Ramirez with two away."

Next: We look at Game 1 of the World Series.

Note: I'm pretty sure that I used Clint Frazier instead of Todd Frazier at third base for the Yankees in Game 6, but I could have sworn Clint had played some third base for the Yankees at one point. He hasn't yet, but since I couldn't even be sure that I'd made that mistake, I didn't feel comfortable redoing the sim, especially since it didn't affect the summary I posted. So I blamed it all on Joe Girardi (who was, coincidentally or not, fired after the season in both universes).

Thoughts?

Unknown · Sep 28, 2019

At least the Cardinals won in 2011 ITTL, and didn't have two close calls (the Rangers were literally one strike away twice from winning the World Series in Game 6)...

Garrett Garlits · Sep 28, 2019

I remember.

That's one of the problems I've run into with this timeline; while Game 5 would have been seen as well above average, as a whole the Series I simmed would have paled in comparison to the real-life Series we got. There are plenty of other Series that didn't come close to their real-life counterparts. The 1975 Series comes to mind; instead of a classic between the Reds and the Red Sox that revitalized the game of baseball, we got a five-game romp by the Reds over the aging remnants of the early-seventies Orioles, along with a few late-seventies stars who hadn't come into their own quite yet. Even the '91 Series, which was perfectly fine and even went seven games, didn't come close to the real-life version. There have been a couple of simmed Series that have matched or surpassed the real-life versions, but not nearly as many as I'd hoped. I just hope that there are a couple over these last twenty-one seasons that will be worthy of the term "Fall Classic".

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more!

Garrett Garlits · Sep 29, 2019

Now it's time for Game 1 of the 2017 World Series from Progressive Field in Cleveland. The date is Tuesday, October 24:

Weather: 53 degrees, mostly cloudy skies, south-southwest winds at 15 MPH gusting to 26 MPH.

Dodgers 1st: Shortstop Corey Seager drew a one-out walk. Third baseman Justin Turner's single to right put runners at the corners. Next was first baseman Cody Bellinger, who grounded a routine ball down to second. The ball bounced off the glove of Indians second baseman Jose Ramirez for an error, which allowed Bellinger to reach and Seager to score the Series' first run. Turner moved to second on the play, but right fielder Yasiel Puig flew to Jason Kipnis in center and second baseman Logan Forsythe grounded to short, ending the inning. The Dodgers draw first blood thanks to a hit, a walk, and an error, but they also leave runners at first and second. Now let's check out the Indians.

Indians 1st: Left fielder Austin Jackson doubled to center with one out, and Ramirez singled up the middle to put runners at the corners. But first baseman Edwin Encarnacion grounded into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play. After one, it's Dodgers 1, Indians 0.

Dodgers 2nd: Catcher Austin Barnes led off with a base hit to left center. Designated hitter Joc Pederson followed with a double off the wall in right, and Barnes was sent around third by Dodgers third base coach Chris Woodward. It was going to take a perfect throw from right fielder Abraham Almonte to get Pederson at the plate, and that's exactly what the Tribe got. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts challenged the subsequent out call, claiming that Indians catcher Roberto Perez hadn't made the tag on Barnes in time, but home plate umpire Phil Cazzi's call was confirmed on replay, and there was one out. Left fielder Kike Hernandez's grounder to first moved Pederson to third, but he was stranded there when center fielder Chris Taylor struck out swinging to end the inning. The Dodgers string a pair of hits together, but get a runner thrown out at the plate and leave another at third. They still lead 1-0 after an inning and a half.

Indians 2nd: A one-two-three inning for Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw. It's still 1-0 Dodgers after two.

Dodgers 3rd: With one out, Turner singled to center. Bellinger followed with a base hot to right center, but Almonte came up with his second perfect throw in as many innings to cut Turner down as he slid into third. Puig reached when Indians third baseman Giovanny Urshela couldn't handle his two-hooper, but Urshela easily handled Forsythe's grounder to retire the side with runners still at first and second. We've played two and a half, and it's NL Champs 1, AL Champs 0.

Indians 3rd: Almonte drew a leadoff walk, but Urshela and Lindor struck out, and Jackson forced Almonte to end the inning. After three, it's Bums 1, Tribe 0.

Dodgers 4th: Hernandez's two-out double to left was wasted when Taylor took a called third strike. The Men in Blue are hanging on to a 1-0 lead through three and a half.

Indians 4th: Ramirez led off with a base hit to left, then stole second. Encarnacion's fly to right was caught on the warning track by Puig for the first out, with Ramirez moving to third. A wild pitch from Kershaw allowed Ramirez to scamper home, and we were tied at one. Designated hitter Jay Bruce kept the inning going by drawing a five-pitch walk, but Kershaw came back to strike both Kipnis and Perez out swinging to retire the side. The Tribe scores the tying run thanks to a hit, a stolen base, a deep fly ball, and a wild pitch. We've played four, and we're now even at one.

Dodgers 5th: With two out, Bellinger lined a base hit to left center. Puig followed up by lining another pitch into left center, this one for a double. Bellinger scored, and the Dodgers took a 2-1 lead. Forsythe's grounder to second stranded Puig and ended the inning, but Bellinger's single and the Wild Horse's double have given the Dodgers a 2-1 lead halfway through Game 1.

Indians 5th: Almonte led off with a single to left. Urshela's liner was gloved by Bellinger for out number one, and Lindor struck out swinging for the second out. Jackson kept things going with a single up the middle, which moved Almonte to third. Ramirez walked on five pitches to load the bases, but Encarnacion took a called third strike to end the inning with the bases still loaded. After five, it's still Dodgers 2, Indians 1.

Dodgers 6th: Barnes led off against Kluber. Here's Joe Buck with the count one ball and one strike:

"Barnes was of course the victim of that laser-guided throw to the plate by Almonte that saved a run for the Indians back in the second. He's getting the start in Game 1 over the veteran Yasmani Grandal, which some sources say Grandal's not too happy about. Kluber's given up eight hits so far, but his team's still in the game down one......MAKE IT TWO! A DEEP DRIVE TO LEFT FROM BARNES, NO CHANCE FOR AUSTIN JACKSON, AND IT'S 3-1 DODGERS IN THE SIXTH!......I'm sure Dave Roberts is very comfortable with his choice of catcher right now, John."

John Smoltz: "Oh, definitely. Austin Barnes only had eight home runs in the regular season, but he's been a dangerous hitter who can show power when he needs to, and when he does he can hit a ball as far as anyone, What makes this even more impressive are those gusty and unpredictable winds off the lake tonight; to hit a home run in these conditions is really doing something."

Pederson tapped to Encarnacion at first, and Hernandez went down swinging for the second out. Taylor's seeing-eye single to left kept the inning going briefly, but Seager went down swinging to end the inning. The Dodgers add a run on two hits, with the big blow being Barnes' home run. We've played five and a half, and it's Los Angeles 3, Cleveland 1.

Indians 6th: Bruce drew a leadoff walk. After Kipnis flew to center for the first out, Kershaw gave up back-to-back walks to Perez and Almonte, loading the bases. Urshela's fly to left was caught by Hernandez two steps from the warning track for out number two, with Bruce coming home to cut the Dodgers' lead to 3-2. Lindor was frozen by a Kershaw curve for strike three to end the inning, but the Indians have scratched out a run thanks to three walks and a sacrifice fly while leaving runners at the corners. After six, it's Southern California 3, Northeast Ohio 2.

Dodgers 7th: After two out, Puig singled to left center. Forsythe walked, and Barnes blooped a base hot to right, scoring Puig and making it 4-2 Dodgers, with Forsythe moving to third. A wild pitch from Miller chased Forsythe home to make it 5-2, but Pederson flew to left center, ending the inning with Barnes still at second. The visitors have added two runs on two hits, a walk, and a wild pitch, and as we stretch on a blustery night by Lake Erie they lead the Indians 5-2.

Indians 7th: Encarnacion's two-out single to left came to nothing when Bruce flew to right center. The Tribe still trails by three after seven.

Dodgers 8th: With one out, Taylor hit a bouncer to Urshela. Giovanny had trouble getting the ball out of his glove, then dropped it when he finally did for his second error of the game and the Indians' third. It was much ado about nothing, however, as Seager struck out swinging and Turner grounded to short, retiring the side. After seven and a half, the Dodgers still hold a 5-2 lead.

Indians 8th: The Tribe went down one-two-three against Dodgers reliever Tony Watson: Kipnis tapped to first, Perez struck out swinging, and Almonte flew to right center. We head to the ninth with the Dodgers still in front 5-2.

Dodgers 9th: With one out, Puig faced Indians reliever Bryan Shaw. Here's Joe with the count one ball and one strike:

"The Dodgers figure to use (closer) Kenley Jansen in the ninth if they don't score here, but they may stay with Watson if they do score, since Tony only threw eight pitches in the bottom of the eighth. Jansen getting ready just in case, and a one-one count on Puig with one out, Next pitch IS HIT HIGH AND DEEP TO LEFT CENTER! BACK IS KIPNIS, AT THE WALL, IT'S GONE!...…..Jansen stands down, as Puig hits one over the wall in left center to give the Dodgers a four-run lead here in the ninth."

Smoltz: "As we said earlier after Barnes' home run, it takes a lot of power to hit home runs in wind conditions like we're seeing tonight, and no one has ever doubted Yasiel Puig's power. This one is absolutely launched; if this had been a warmer night it would have been an upper-deck shot for sure."

Forsythe went down swinging, and Barnes was retired on a comebacker to the mound to retire the side. Puig's blast has extended the Dodgers' lead to four at 6-2 as we head to the bottom of the ninth.

Indians 9th: Watson retired the Indians in order for the second inning in a row to wrap things up: Urshela lined to Turner at third, Lindor's screamer was gloved by Bellinger at first, and Jackson grounded to second to end the game. Our final: Dodgers 6, Indians 2, and the Dodgers lead the best-of-seven series one game to none.

Puig was named Player of the Game by Fox. He was three for five with a home run, two runs scored, and two runs batted in. Barnes had similar stats, except he only scored once. Also, a tip of the cap to Almonte for throwing out a pair of runners on the bases in a losing cause.

Final totals: Dodgers 6-13-0, Indians 2-6-3.

W- Kershaw (1-0)
L- Kluber (0-1)

HR- LAD: Barnes (1), Puig (1)

Game 2 of this series will be tomorrow night here at Progressive Field. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 8PM Eastern on Fox, Rich Hill will get the start for the Dodgers, while Josh Tomlin gets the call for the Tribe.

Next: We look at Game 2.

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Baseball in the Pythagorean Universe 1871-Present

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