Congratulations World Series champion Red Sox

[Run DMC]

I'm always amazed at how early managers take out pitchers who are having success. The Hill example was one of those. I think it all stems from the way pitchers are not allowed to stay in games as long now. It's very hard to imagine a pitcher going 14 innings now like Ruth did in the early days.

In the end though the Sox were just a better team and showed it throughout the season and playoffs. They were so good that they overcame the worst closer that I've seen in MLB.

Good luck next year.

Hill took himself out. Watch the video. Hill is a **** with no heart.

 

[bormio]

Fave Sox teams, post-Babe:

1. 1967
2. 2004
3. 1986
4. 2013
5. 1975
6. 1946
7. 2018
8. 2007
9. 2003
10. 1977
11. 1978
12. 1988

Where is 2011?

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Where is 2011?

kidding, right?

From Wiki:

The 2011 Boston Red Sox season was the 111th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. Before the season, the Red Sox were favored to win the American League East and reach the World Series, with some comparing the team to the 1927 New York Yankees. With a record of 90 wins and 72 losses, the Red Sox finished third in their division, seven games behind the Yankees.

After leading the Tampa Bay Rays by nine games in the AL wild card race on September 3—when their odds of reaching the postseason peaked at 99.6%—the Red Sox lost 18 of their final 24 games. On the last day of the season, September 28, a ninth inning Red Sox blown save loss against the Baltimore Orioles, coupled with an extra inning come from behind victory by the Rays over the Yankees, made the Rays the AL wild card winners, eliminating the Red Sox from postseason contention. It is regarded as one of the biggest collapses and franchise fails in MLB history.


...but, on the positive side, it did introduce us to the pleasurable combination of chicken and beer.

 

[cmasspatsfan]

Where is 2011?

2011 was the September choke job

 

[bormio]

kidding, right?

From Wiki:

The 2011 Boston Red Sox season was the 111th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. Before the season, the Red Sox were favored to win the American League East and reach the World Series, with some comparing the team to the 1927 New York Yankees. With a record of 90 wins and 72 losses, the Red Sox finished third in their division, seven games behind the Yankees.

After leading the Tampa Bay Rays by nine games in the AL wild card race on September 3—when their odds of reaching the postseason peaked at 99.6%—the Red Sox lost 18 of their final 24 games. On the last day of the season, September 28, a ninth inning Red Sox blown save loss against the Baltimore Orioles, coupled with an extra inning come from behind victory by the Rays over the Yankees, made the Rays the AL wild card winners, eliminating the Red Sox from postseason contention. It is regarded as one of the biggest collapses and franchise fails in MLB history.


...but, on the positive side, it did introduce us to the pleasurable combination of chicken and beer.

Chicken, beer AND baseball

 

[Maho Hiyajo]

 

[DaBronxPats14]

I'm a Phillies Phan Since 76 Same Year I Became a Pat's Fan.
I have no horse in this race especially with Sox/Yanks with that said,
Congrats To Red Sox on an Awesome Year, P.O. Run, And to their fans, ENJOY! Cheers!

 

[RedSleevesPinkStripes]

Such an awesome finish, classic.

 

[sb1]

Chicken, beer AND baseball

Yep. Interesting timing on this video being out around the same time.

1:41 Jon Lester
2:08 and 2:13 and 2:41 Beckett and Lackey
2:10 Wakes
2:25 Buchholz
2:33 Beckett

 

[bormio]

I love how Sale sneers and then snorts before the final pitch- “This one is for Petey”.

 

[sb1]

LOL @ A-Rod

 

[The Brandon Five]

Fave Sox teams, post-Babe:

1. 1967
2. 2004
3. 1986
4. 2013
5. 1975
6. 1946
7. 2018
8. 2007
9. 2003
10. 1977
11. 1978
12. 1988

I loved that 2003 team. Grady Gump f'ed it up. Just a shame, but as others have said that set the stage for the everything that happened in 2004.

 

[RedSleevesPinkStripes]

I loved that 2003 team. Grady Gump f'ed it up. Just a shame, but as others have said that set the stage for the everything that happened in 2004.

Without 03, I don't think 04 can happen. 03 was such a gut shot, only an equal or greater response would suffice. Luckily the Sox managed to pull off the biggest gut shot in sports history. Without the pain of 03, I don't think they have the gumption to pull off that comeback. 03 definitely set the stage.

 

[TommyD4207]

Pulling a pitcher who had retired 14 straight in a 5-1 game with only 85 pitches is overmanaging IMO.

Maybe.

Next two pitchers that struck out the side though...maybe not.

 

[TommyD4207]

I’m a Dodgers fan and that was a tough blow. Roberts was the Red Sox MVP. Pulling Rich Hill in game 4 when he had the Red Sox on the ropes was unbelievable. Apparently, there was a lot boos when he walked out to take out Hill. LA times trashed Roberts after that debacle.

Also couldn’t believe how many f***ing times the Sox scored with two outs. Dodgers has their chances but choked. Don’t even get me started on Kershaw.

Hill took himself out.

 

[DarrylS]

Another reason why not to listen to sports talk radio, first they wanted to run Price out of town because he was rude to reporters, how the bullpen would falter in the post season and then the neverending conversation about how dumb Dombrowski is/was for not making this team better..

I do not follow the RS as much as I used to, primarily because of the speed of the game, but this was a team for the ages.. Cora was a great hire, the more I listen to him and watch his moves the more I like him.. Cora is everything that Farrell was not; good with the press, informative, made great in game decisions and seemed to be well liked by his team..

As predicted yesterday AM was listening to sportstalk radio, while they were not leading the charge against Price, they were entertaining half witted callers who wanted to run Price out of town... switched to Pandora, again.

The call screeners can do their job and divert these calls, the callers were nitpicking his "body language" or some twitter comments he made as indicators of some nefarious plot against this team and why we should all hate him... enjoy the World Series Win jackasses.

 

[Simpelton]

Great win for Boston! Why is this city so consistently good at sports?

I keep hearing rumors that the GMs of the various sports teams compare notes from time to time. I'm sure some friendly advice and opinions change hands in those informal discussions.

That means that sooner or later, the GMs of every other Boston sports team in the major circuits swap a few ideas with the Master himself.

Who knows how far Bill Belichick's magic really goes?

 

[Simpelton]

I loved that 2003 team. Grady Gump f'ed it up. Just a shame, but as others have said that set the stage for the everything that happened in 2004.

Without Tito being manager, 2004 doesn't happen. Cora's recent accomplishments aside, Tito is still the very best manager this team has had in the modern era.

 

[Simpelton]

Hill took himself out.

Which I honestly don't blame him for. We're talking about a 38 year old man who'd just done heroic service to his team. You can't leave him out there to die.

Hill had done his share, especially against a deadly Boston lineup. If the Dodgers bullpen (and manager) can't bring it home, that's on them, not on Hill.

This is exactly the kind of reasoning I hate. Because what they tried didn't work they should have clearly tried something else. No. This is not logical. It's a classic example of argument from hindsight. And it absolutely ignores the fact that Hill felt he was done. There is NO guarantee that leaving a pitcher in after he felt he was done would have yielded a different outcome.

Think about it this way -- remember 2003? Remember game 7? How many people here remember that when Pedro felt he was done, he did that point-at-the-sky thing? Well he did that in the 7th. He was announcing that he'd done enough. Gump dragged him back out for the 8th anyway. That did not exactly go as fans might have hoped. But if we'd brought Timlin in in the 8th and he gave up the lead guess what, we'd be making the same argument LA fans are making now about Hill. Should have left him in.

Gump wasn't stupid because of the outcome. He was stupid for forcing his pitcher out there after he'd as much as announced to the world that he was done. As a manager, you absolutely listen to what your starting pitcher is telling you. If he thinks he's done, then for all purposes he IS done, because psychology is an actual thing and neither stamina nor self-confidence, both of the two biggest key assets of a starting pitcher, are infinite.

Also as a manager, you HAVE to count on all your personnel to do their jobs. That includes the bullpen. Roberts counted on the bullpen to bring it home, which is literally their job. They didn't get it done.

Personally I firmly believe Roberts didn't do anything wrong in that game. He was trying to steal a game against a better team and the Red Sox outexecuted his players. Bottom line, I'm honestly not sure what I'd have done differently in Game 4.

 

[Rusty Coupe]

I’m not surprised. I mean, did folks think we’d lose to the team from hooterville or what?

When pigs fly.