Start spreading the news, that’s right. The Boston Red Sox are heading to their 11th American League Championship Series after defeating the New York Yankees Tuesday in New York, New York. Shoutout to Frank Sinatra for making this series interesting.
If you’re confused, here’s the story of how Sinatra effectively added fuel to fire in the greatest rivalry in sports: after the Yankees beat the Sox 6-2 in Game 2 at Fenway Saturday night, Yankees slugger Aaron Judge blasted Sinatra’s “New York, New York,” outside the Red Sox clubhouse as the teams left the park. It was viewed as a clever, albeit obnoxious showing of confidence as the series shifted to New York tied at 1.
Fast forward to Tuesday night, and shortly after the victorious Red Sox returned to its visitors clubhouse for yet another champagne-soaked celebration in their enemy’s stadium, Sinatra’s famous song came pounding through the speakers yet again. This time, it had a slightly different message behind it.
All in all, the ALDS was an exciting series. But it wasn’t quite as close as expected, or even as close as it would appear from merely reading the box scores. In Game 1, the Sox led 5-0, and then 5-3 before closer Craig Kimbrel gave up a solo blast to Judge. But behind Chris Sale’s dominant start and J.D. Martinez’s three-run shot in the first, it never felt that close. Game 2 was New York’s from the beginning, and while the Sox showed some life late, it resulted in a four-run final score. Game 3 was a laugher: Boston’s 16-1 thrashed the Yankees with the help of the first postseason cycle in baseball history, courtesy of Brock “Brocktober” Holt. In Game 4, the Sox led 4-1 heading into the 9th, before Kimbrel imploded again and barely got away with the lead intact.
So except for a couple rough innings from the Boston bullpen, this series was never truly in question for the Red Sox. And it shouldn’t have been. The Yankees have a similarly dangerous lineup and a far better bullpen, but with strong starts from Sale, Nathan Eovaldi and Rick Porcello, and a strong showing from the offense, the Sox took care of business in four games.
So what did we learn in this series? Here are some key takeaways:
The genius of Sox rookie manager Alex Cora is well-documented. It’s no secret that he’s gotten this coaching thing down pat. But what this series proved was that his team will truly follow him anywhere. Cora made numerous questionable coaching decisions — namely using Porcello, originally the Game 4 starter, as a reliever in Game 1 and calling on Sale in the eighth inning of Game 4, despite the potential for a Game 5 — and they all seemed to work flawlessly. Porcello and Sale threw 15 and 13 pitches, respectively, providing lights-out relief in key spots. Cora also went with Ian Kinsler at second base one day after Holt’s historic night, and Kinsler delivered with an RBI double and a run scored. It seems that Cora can do no wrong.
A lot went right for Boston in the Division Series, but not everything was perfect. In addition to Kimbrel’s two shaky outings, totalling three earned runs in 2.1 innings, starter David Price’s postseason struggles continued. Price lasted just 1.2 innings in Game 2, giving up two homers, three runs and two walks. Price now has a 5.28 career ERA in the playoffs and is 0-9 in his postseason starts, as of Oct. 7. Obviously, this is far from good.
On the bright side, Price’s career as a postseason reliever has been quite a different story. In 15.1 innings, Price has 16 strikeouts while allowing only six runs. Obviously Price’s seeming inability to perform as a starter in the playoffs is worrisome, but should Cora decide to move Price to the bullpen, as the Sox did in 2017, not all hope is lost. As of now, however, Price is slated to start Game 2 of the ALCS. Stay tuned.
After knocking out the Yankees, the Red Sox now turn their attention to the defending world champion Houston Astros. The Astros won 103 games in 2018 and have a lineup and rotation that should scare any opponent. With 2017 AL MVP Jose Altuve, slugger George Springer, rising stars Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman, along with veteran ace Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole and Dallas Keuchel, this team is as much of a threat as it was last season. It’s bound to be a good series, and it remains to be seen who has the edge. The Sox have momentum on their side, but the Astros have an incredibly well-rounded club that should be able to counter each of Boston’s weapons. The series opens Saturday night at Fenway.
But for now, the Sox can revel in the fact that they have not lost a postseason game in New York since Game 2 of the 2004 ALCS. They’ve certainly started spreading the news, but I think there’s a verse in Sinatra’s ballad that’s more fitting for this occasion:
“New York, New York
I want to wake up in a city that never sleeps
And find I’m a number one, top of the list
King of the hill, a number one”
