Projo Sports Blog

By Jack Curry
The New York Times

ANAHEIM - Jason Bay is not as intimidating or as goofy as Manny Ramirez. Bay is a very good player, while Ramirez is a likely Hall of Famer. Bay is bland, while Ramirez is colorful. But Bay will always be connected to Ramirez because they were involved in the three-team trade that ended Ramirez's stint with the Red Sox and started Bay's career in Boston.

For one night, Bay did what Ramirez used to do for the Red Sox. Bay ripped a two-run homer against John Lackey that helped propel the Red Sox to a 4-1 victory against the Angels in Game 1 of their division series. It was Bay's first postseason homer. Ramirez clubbed his all-time-best 25th playoff homer for the Dodgers at the same time his former teammates were taking batting practice Wednesday.

While Bay was being like Manny, Jon Lester did his best impersonation of Josh Beckett. Lester started the opener because Beckett, one of the best postseason pitchers of this era, has a strained oblique muscle. When manager Terry Francona selected Lester to start, he also nominated Lester as the next Beckett. Francona said the Red Sox were anxious for Lester to "maybe make his time."

On a warm, tense night at Angel Stadium, it was definitely Lester's time. Lester overcame a bases-loaded first inning and a 27-pitch third and did not allow an earned run in seven innings. The start featured Beckett-esque qualities and gave the Red Sox their 10th straight playoff victory against the Angels, which includes a three-game sweep in last season's division series.

The Red Sox' road to a possible repeat as champions started 2,979 miles away from their home at Fenway Park. It started against an Angels' team that won a major-league-best 100 games, that can infuriate opponents and that tamed them eight consecutive times to end this season. It started against a pitcher who has a World Series ring and wanted to nudge the Red Sox aside in pursuit of another. But, most importantly for Boston, it started with a victory.

That was made possible by Lester and Bay. John Lackey had not permitted a run when he faced Bay with two outs and a runner at first in the sixth. At that point, the Red Sox were 0 for 11 with men on base. Lackey had struck out Bay on curveballs in his first two at-bats.

For some reason, Lackey changed his strategy. With an 0-1 count, Lackey threw a high fastball and Bay hit it into the left-field seats. As Bay rounded the bases, Torii Hunter, the Angels' center fielder, might have wanted to retract a comment from Tuesday. That was when Hunter acknowledged that he was happy the Red Sox unloaded Rammrez in a deal that brought them Bay from the Pirates.

"It's just common sense," Hunter said. "You don't want Manny in anybody's lineup. I respect Jason Bay, but I'd rather have Manny out."

The Angels love to dash for extra bases, but, in the eighth, Vladimir Guerrero took a foolish chance with the Angels behind by a run. Guerrero was on first when Hunter hit a pop-up behind the base. After first baseman Kevin Youkilis narrowly missed catching it, Guerrero, who was not even halfway to second, did not look behind him and tried to rush to third. Youkilis easily nabbed him. Jacoby Ellsbury and David Ortiz hit run-scoring singles in the ninth to give the Red Sox a three-run lead.

Before the game, Francona shifted from the bat rack to the dugout steps while discussing various topics. He was especially animated about shortstop Jed Lowrie.
"It's not often you find such a good everyday shortstop," Francona said.

Lowrie has been a superb addition, a rookie who filled in for the injured Julio Lugo and made him irrelevant. Lowrie did not make an error in 49 games at shortstop in the regular season.

But Lowrie made one in his first playoff game. With a runner on first and two outs in the third, Lowrie shifted to his left to corral Guerrero's grounder. Lowrie had it in his glove, but he never controlled and it popped loose. Hunter's soft line drive single to left drove in the game's first run.

Both Lackey and Lester know what it is like to win the clinching game of a World Series. Lester did it last year, while Lackey did it in 2002. When Lackey did it, he became the first rookie to start and win a Game 7 in 93 years. Game 1 was vital Wednesday, but Lester and Lackey have both pitched in bigger games.

Lackey is a bully of a pitcher who throws hard and throws lots of strikes. He did a lot of that as he uncorked first-pitch strikes to the first 12 batters. With fastballs that averaged around 92 miles an hour, Lackey kept attacking the Red Sox and kept stifling them until Bay's shot in the sixth.

After Ellsbury opened the game with a double off the right-center-field fence, the Red Sox looked like the aggressors. But Dustin Pedroia failed with the fundamentals as he grounded out to Lackey and did not advance Ellsbury to third. Lackey then retired Ortiz and Youkilis.

Five innings later, Bay saw a 90-mph fastball and morphed into Manny. Bay did not raise his arms and celebrate or hug everyone in sight, like Manny, but the final result was a good enough impersonation. He homered and the Red Sox prevailed. A title defense has begun.

 Tags  Boston Red Sox Jason Bay Los Angeles Angels Manny Ramirez MLB playoffs

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