SEASON ON LINE FOR SOX TONIGHT
By Steve Marsi
No more margin for error.
The 2004 campaign that began with Aaron Boone’s walk-off home run last October has reached its first do-or-die moment. Originally scheduled for Friday, Game Three of the A.L. Championship Series at Fenway Park is now set for Saturday evening. Depending on who you ask, Friday night’s rainstorms either gave the Red Sox an extra day to recuperate, or a stay of execution. Trailing 2-0 in the best-of-seven series after two tough setbacks in the House that Ruth Built, a loss Saturday would put Boston in an essentially insurmountable 3-0 hole.
Despite entering the ALCS rematch as the Wild Card winner, the Red Sox were regarded as the favorite by many observers. They enjoyed a stronger second half of the regular season, cutting a 10.5-game lead down to two at several junctures in the A.L. East race. The Sox registered an easier Division Series victory than their New York adversaries, vanquishing Anaheim in three-game sweep while the Yankees needed a pair of impressive comebacks to oust Minnesota in four. The Yankees’ starting pitching was considered shaky at best, whereas Boston’s depth and fearsome lineup had media and fans from both cities believing that, at the very least, the 26-time World Series champs would have their work cut out this time.
How quickly things have changed since Tuesday. Mike Mussina dominated the Red Sox through almost seven innings as the Yankees jumped out to an 8-0 lead in Game One. A pride-saving rally followed, but Mariano Rivera slammed the door and preserved a 10-7 win. The following night in Game Two, the guys in pinstripes took the lead before Boston recorded a single out and rode a stellar outing by Jon Lieber to a 3-1 triumph. Just like that. A couple of supposedly promising matchups turned into relatively easy defeats in the span of 48 hours. Both contests were technically close, with the tying run at the plate in save situations, but there is no question as to which team is superior, at least so far. Nobody was robbed here.
To say things look bleak would be an understatement. Consider the following facts:
- In the first six innings of the two games combined, the Red Sox are hitting .027.
- The team is hitting .224 overall, with just one hit from Johnny Damon and Mark Bellhorn combined. That won’t lead to a lot of RBI chances for Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz.
- Boston has never led in the series, and has only been tied in the top of the first inning of each contest.
- Curt Schilling and Pedro Martinez, the pitching staff’s 1-2 punch, lost successive games for the first time this season. Schilling’s season is in doubt due to a dislocated right ankle tendon.
That’s a lot to stomach, enough for many to write this team off. Clearly, Boston’s back is against the proverbial wall. But the Red Sox are by no means out of this series.
Terry Francona’s squad beat Joe Torre’s in 11 of the teams’ 19 meetings this year, and won a couple of series against the Yankees since the All-Star break. Boston rallied from 2-0 deficits to win the 1999 Division Series against Cleveland and last year’s opening round battle with Oakland. They have three games coming up at Fenway Park, where they hit .304 as a team this year. The rain delay will give the Sox an extra day of rest, and allow them to start Martinez in Game Five (if necessary) in the Fens rather than in the Bronx, where he has been owned.
As we have seen so many times in baseball postseason history, one win can change the entire complexion of a series. A victory in Game Three will rejuvenate a team and bring it back from the brink. The roving gang of hooligans that comprises the 2004 Red Sox roster is not the type of group to be intimidated or distraught by the present situation. If anything, you can bet they are looking forward to the challenge.
Perhaps the torrential rains currently drenching New England will take on baptismal qualities for the Sox. Maybe there is one last magical run in store. As my friend Lucas said earlier today, if any team is capable of beating the Yankees three straight times at home, it’s this one. Lucas added as a side note, however, that he is no longer hoping for a Boston comeback, but praying.
They say that momentum is only as good as the next day’s starting pitcher. Never have those words rang more true. Bronson Arroyo takes the hill in Game Three against Kevin Brown. Tim Wakefield will start Sunday in Game Four for Boston, as the Yankees counter with Orlando Hernandez. What happens after that is anyone’s guess.
Will Boston survive the next three games at Fenway and travel back to the Big Apple on the Fung Wah bus for Game Six? No. The Sox travel in slightly better style than the $20-round-trip Chinatown enterprise.
