"And the little children shall lead them."
Last night - very late last night - the Red Sox got it done in game 3 putting up 10 runs to take a 3-0 lead in the World Series against the Colorado Rockies. Rookies Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia were on base all night, Ellsbury with four hits. They've got rookie Jon Lester, a cancer survivor, pitching tonight and Josh Beckett pitching tomorrow (if necessary). I'd be surprised if Fenway Park sees any more games this year.
Through four innings the lefthanded Lester is pitching very smartly. He's given up a couple of doubles and a couple of walks, but has gotten out of minor trouble twice, and has shut out Colorado to this point. The Sox lead after four, 1-0.
Oh, and the Patriots stayed perfect with a thrashing of the Washington Redskins, 52-7, earlier today.
10/28/07 2240: Now it's 3-0, after a Mike Lowell homer to left. Nine more outs, and Boston Red Sox will have their second title in four years after an 86 year much-celebrated drought, the "Curse of the Bambino."
10/29/07 0630: The Rockies made it close with another home run off of the overused Hideki Okajima, and in the ninth another drive off of closer Jonathan Papelbon fell just short at the wall (darn that humidifier!). But in the end the Red Sox hund on to the lead, winning 4-3, led by series MVP Mike Lowell. Awesome. Lester went 5 2/3 scoreless, and Manny Delcarmen, Mike Timlin, Okajima and Papelbon did just enough in relief. Lowell hit a solo home run and reserve outfielder Bobby Kielty pinch hit one also.
After sweeping St. Louis in '04 they sweep the Rockies in '07, making it eight straight wins in World Series play.
There'll be a little intrigue surrounding Mike Lowell. He's a free agent, and I think the Red Sox are likely to re-sign him, but Alex Rodriguez has opted out of his contract with the NY Yankees, and there are very few teams that can afford him. My bet is that they re-sign Lowell. A-Rod has not been a guy who steps up in the playoffs, and his defense at third is sketchy. Lowell is a gold glove third baseman with a solid bat, who clearly can keep his focus in the playoffs. Rodriguez has unbelievable regular season stats and there werre times during the season that he absolutely carried New York. But the Sox should sign Lowell, and let A-Rod find another home.
