Red Sox Strong by Kelley Ellert

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RED SOX STRONG

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Red Sox Strong

CONTENTS pg. pg.

A Season of Destiny Takes Shape 2013 Red Sox Season Preview

2013 Red Sox Regular Season

28 pg. 36 pg.

A Tragedy in Boston Regular Season Resumes

2013 MLB Playoffs American League Divisional Playoffs

92 Boston vs Tampa pg. 102 Boston vs Detroit pg. 116 2013 World Series Champions! Boston vs St. Louis pg.

American League Championship Series

Red Sox Strong

FOREWORD It’s hard to imagine a team that’s had a bigger impact on a community than the 2013 Boston Red Sox. It’s also hard to fathom a team more perfectly crafted to win and inspire than this amazing collection of players. Watching them play, you couldn’t help but sense they were assembled to do more than just right the ship after the debacle that was 2012. Through the steady leadership of a general manager that put together not just the right pieces, but the perfect pieces, and the deft touch of a new manager who seemed to push all the right buttons, this Sox team not only went from worst to first, they went from a mess to the best. They were an incredibly likeable, unique, talented, focused and determined collection of long-bearded grinders, with a future Hall of Famer in the middle who was always willing, and able, to literally and figuratively carry the team on his massive shoulders, delivering inspirational words at time that were as timely, productive, and necessary as his hits. The city of Boston has had the pleasure to witness a lot of championship teams in the past dozen years and enjoy a lot of victory parades. But it wasn’t just about winning in 2013. It was about enduring, and healing, and carrying on. This Boston Red Sox provided an incredible emotional boost when they were needed the most, and it’s only fitting that the most important baseball team in 2013 also turned out to be the best. Enjoy this look back at a truly unforgettable season.

Tom Zenner @tomzenner Editor in Chief Rylin Media

Red Sox Strong

RED SOX STRONG

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Red Sox Strong

CONTENTS pg. pg.

A Season of Destiny Takes Shape 2013 Red Sox Season Preview

2013 Red Sox Regular Season

28 pg. 36 pg.

A Tragedy in Boston Regular Season Resumes

2013 MLB Playoffs American League Divisional Playoffs

92 Boston vs Tampa pg. 102 Boston vs Detroit pg. 116 2013 World Series Champions! Boston vs St. Louis pg.

American League Championship Series

Red Sox Strong

FOREWORD Text

Tom Zenner @tomzenner Editor in Chief Rylin Media

Red Sox Strong

2013 Red Sox Season Preview

A Season of

Destiny

Takes Shape 8

Red Sox Strong

he days of tortured fans hoping to see a title before they died ended in 2004 when the Red Sox pulled off the best comeback in baseball history en route to their first World Series Championship in 86 years. Was it a fluke? No way. As the 2007 championship proved, this franchise intended to compete on a yearly basis. The standard was set but not met in subsequent seasons. A tough loss to the Rays in the ALCS followed in 2008 and a quick playoff sweep wiped out any parade dreams in 2009. An embarrassing collapse in 2011 stained the entire operation and resulted in Terry Franconaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ouster. Surely, that disaster was a thing of the past. New GM Ben Cherington would right the ship and return the Red Sox to their rightful spot.

Red Sox Strong

Champs Stats

Key 2013 Additions (2012 Stats)

First Baseman - Mike Napoli: .227 BA, 24 HR, 56 RBI Right Fielder - Shane Victorino: .255 BA, 11 HR, 55 RBI Left Fielder - Jonny Gomes: .262 BA, 18 HR, 47 RBI Shortstop - Stephen Drew: .223 BA, 7 HR, 28 RBI Pitcher - Ryan Dempster: 12-8, 3.38 ERA

Key Returners

Center Fielder - Jacob Ellsbury: .271 BA, 4 HR, 26 RBI Second Baseman - Dustin Pedroia: .290 BA, 15 HR, 65 RBI Designated Hitter - David Ortiz: .318 BA, 23 HR, 60 RBI Pitcher - Jon Lester: 9-14, 4.82 ERA Pitcher - Clay Buchholz: 11-8, 4.56 ERA Pitcher - John Lackey: Did not pitch in 2012

Instead, the 2012 Boston Red Sox finished in last place with 93 losses, the franchise’s worst total since 1965. Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford ate up millions in salary and disappointed on the field. Outspoken manager Bobby Valentine invited controversy but not wins. The Red Sox had two recent championship banners reminding fans of the good times, but the standings were an ever-depressing reminder those days had passed. The task of restoring a championship tradition took on a new urgency. The fans demanded a team they could be proud of, and a team that could win. And Boston set out to do exactly that. Cherington’s first order of business: cleaning house. He cleared hundreds of millions in salary by trading Josh Beckett, Crawford and Gonzalez to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Shortly after the 2012 campaign came to a merciful close, he fired Valentine. The Red Sox got their new man, who not coincidentally, arrived with a championship pedigree. John Farrell had managed the Blue Jays to little success, but he owned an exemplary track record as pitching coach under Francona from 20072010. The soft-spoken Farrell represented a complete 180 from Valentine’s more flamboyant ways. Next on the agenda: reshape the roster. Going for broke with big names – and bigger contracts – had failed miserably. Cherington chose

Red Sox Strong

Champs Facts

• Boston finished the disastrous 2012 season with a record of 69-93. • The 2012 season was the Red Sox worst since 1965. • Bobby Valentine was fired on October 4th 2012, just 10 months after he had been hired to replace Terry Francona.

• On October 21st 2012, the Red Sox announced John Farrell as their new manager. • As part of the deal to acquire John Farrell from the Toronto Blue Jays, the Red Sox sent shortstop Mike Aviles to Toronto in exchange for pitcher David Carpenter.

• John Farrell was Boston’s pitching coach from 2007-2010. • Former Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez was brought in as special assistant to the general manager prior to the 2013 season.

a different path. Passing on big free agents like Josh Hamilton, he picked up middle-of-theroad veterans for fair-market deals that did not tie up the payroll for years to come. They signed Mike Napoli, a power bat used to a winning atmosphere from his years with the Angels and Rangers. Shane Victorino, a key part of the 2008 champion Phillies, joined on a three-year deal. Needing a shortstop, Boston brought aboard slick-fielding Stephen Drew, younger brother to JD Drew of the 2007 Red Sox. Ryan Dempster provided an option for a rotation racked with uncertainty. In the trade market, Cherington acquired closer Joel Hanrahan from the Pirates. Many assumed this was the biggest move the team would make to shore up a struggling bullpen. Not so. On Dec. 6, 2012, the Red Sox made an under-the-radar move by signing veteran set-up man Koji Uehara to a contract worth more than $4 million. It would turn out to the deal of a lifetime, with Uehara eventually establishing himself as perhaps the most dominant closer in the game, but it was a footnote when it was made. Often overlooked in the hot-stove saga are the versatile veterans that make up the benches of championship teams. The Red Sox scored in this arena as well, adding backup catcher David Ross and reserve firstbaseman Mike Carp. They also picked up proven winner Jonny Gomes, whom the team prepared to platoon in left field with Daniel Nava.

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Champs Chat “The roster is filled with talent. Players that come in new, they come from winning teams. They come from playoff experience. I think we’ve got a balanced team. If you just look at our lineup, there’s speed, there’s power, there’s left-right capability. I think our bullpen is a strength. We know that there’s talent in that rotation, yet we have to get guys on track, rebuild some confidence in certain areas.”

- Manager John Farrell

(On the Red Sox roster heading into spring training.)

The acquisitions were met with equal parts derision and boredom. The Red Sox were going to beat powerhouses like the Yankees, Tigers and Rangers with an aging Victorino and streaky hitters like Napoli? The skeptics had their doubts, but the Red Sox banked on improved team chemistry and a solid roster 1-through-25. No more flashy All-Stars with $100 million contracts. The 2013 Red Sox were designed as a team and they would play like one. But what about the holdovers? Only four players – Lester, David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia

and Jacoby Ellsbury – remained from the 2007 postseason roster. Lester, while still a promising topof-the-rotation guy, had regressed. John Lackey was coming off Tommy John surgery after suffering a terrible 2011. Clay Buchholz, who threw a no-hitter in ’07 but did not play in the playoffs, went 11-8 in 2012 with a 4.56 ERA. The starting pitching needed to improve if the Red Sox had any plans of returning to the postseason. As for the hitting, Big Papi was rehabbing an Achilles injury and was expected to miss the

first few weeks of the season. Pedroia, Ellsbury and young third baseman Will Middlebrooks figured to add stability to a new-look lineup, but with so many new additions no one could be sure how the Red Sox would perform at the plate. Most preseason prognostications pegged the remodeled Red Sox as a middling team destined to reside in the bottom half of the AL East. The Yankees always seem a lock for 90-plus wins. The Orioles, stocked with youth and potential after a playoff run in 2012, figured to fight for the division crown. The Blue Jays went for broke with big acquisitions like Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson and R.A. Dickey and were a sexy pick to win the AL East. And you could not count out the Rays. Finishing in last place in the brutal East for a second consecutive season was not out of the question. Being likeable and hard-working while winning 85 games or so would’ve sufficed many in Boston. For a club used to sky-high expectations such pedestrian goals were uncommon. Besides the exceptions of 2004 and 2007, the Red Sox were famous for flopping in the limelight. In 2013, the experts and even some of their own fans counted them out before pitchers and catchers reported to spring training. Sometimes the best things in life – and baseball – come when you least expect them. “Anyone who says it’s no different, believe me, it is different. You’re not facing a pitcher. You’re facing a David Ortiz. You’re facing a Mark Teixeira. You have somebody plugged in to that spot who is a bona-fide middle-of-the-order hitter.”

- Pitcher Ryan Dempster

(On pitching in the AL versus the NL, where he spent the majority of his career.)

Red Sox Strong

Champs Chat “To be able to do everything better than we did last year, we’ve got a lot of new guys. I think a lot of guys are excited. There’s going to be a lot of different things going on. Everybody just has to do what they do.”

- Dustin Pedroia

(On his mindset heading into 2013.)

2013 Regular Season

Special Team. Special City. Special Year.

Red Sox Strong

REGULAR SEASON From worst to first in the AL East. pg. 20 & pg. 36

BOSTON BOMBING Honoring victims and raising spirits for a city. pg. 29

season of renewal and redemption began in an appropriate venue: Yankee Stadium. With only four players from the disastrous 2012 season in the starting lineup, the remodeled Boston Red Sox debuted against their hated rivals, the Yankees. On Opening Day, Boston set out to prove this would be a different season, and they did. Jon Lester outdueled CC Sabathia, Shane Victorino and rookie Jackie Bradley Jr. kickstarted the lineup and the Red Sox rolled to an 8-2 tone-setting victory. They won the second game as well, with new closer Joel Hanrahan earning his first save to lock down a win for Clay Buchholz. Not since 1999 had the Red Sox notched victories in their first two games. They failed to finish a sweep as Ryan Dempster dropped his debut against New York mainstay Andy Pettitte.

20 Red Sox Strong

The road trip continued in Toronto, where the Red Sox extended their solid start by taking two of three from a Blue Jays team many predicted to win the AL East. Boston rolled to a 13-0 blowout in the rubber game by hitting six home runs, three coming off the bat of Will Middlebrooks. Mike Napoli and Daniel Nava also went deep, a preview to what turned out to be great campaigns for both. The Red Sox returned to the comfortable confines of Fenway Park for their home opener on April 8 against the Orioles. Buchholz turned in another brilliant performance, but the game remained scoreless until Nava connected for a 3-run homer in the seventh inning. Unlike previous editions, these Sox were determined not to dig themselves an early hole and were off to their best start in seven years. They dropped the next two but erased the bad feelings with a sweep of the Rays. Boston began the three-game slate with the first of many walk-off victories. Buchholz flirted with a no-hitter in his second home outing and struck out a careerhigh 11 in a 5-0 victory. In the finale on Patriotsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Day morning, Andrew Bailey blew the save but his teammates picked him up in the bottom of the ninth when Mike Napoli drove in the winning run with a hit off the Green Monster. The Fenway faithful were ecstatic only briefly on what turned out to be a tragic day for the city and the country.

22 Red Sox Strong

Champs Chat “Well, I think the players that were targeted to be brought in here, there’s a track record and a history of those individuals to be quality teammates, talented players, so the things we have control over will help us respond to challenges, and that’s how we have one another’s back in this clubhouse. That will be a key for us going forward throughout the entire year.”

- Manager John Farrell

(Discussing the makeup of this years team.)

24 Red Sox Strong

Champs Stats

2013 Record

Overall Home Road Day Night

97-65 53-28 44-37 28-15 69-50

Champs Chat “The resiliency, the playing until there are 27 outs no matter how many runs you’re down. Stick all the way until 27 outs are made or if you go into extras, keep battling. But it’s not enough, just to do what we’ve done so far. We have to keep going. We play every inning, every out like it’s the last, and we focus on that. That’s what’s important.”

- Shane Victorino

(Talking about how this Red Sox team reminds him of some of the best teams he’s ever played on.)

Red Sox Strong

Champs Chat “Opening Day’s the one time that you want to be good to go and be ready for the season, definitely. Not being able to, it’s just a weird feeling.”

- David Ortiz

(On missing his first opening day game since 2003.)

Tragedy

in Boston

While the Red Sox battled the Rays on April 15, the annual Boston Marathon was underway, its finish line at nearby Boylston Street. About two hours after the winner finished, two pressure cooker bombs exploded, killing three people and injuring an estimated 264 others. The three who died in the attack were Krystle Campbell, 29; Lu Lingzi, 23; and Martin Richard, 8. Among the injuries, more than a dozen people lost at least one limb.

28 Red Sox Strong

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Today, we gather as one. And we affirm to ourselves and to each other that we are one -one community, one nation, one world, full of love, full of compassion and full of generosity. Those feelings, powerful all of them, fuel us with passion. To never quit. To persevere. To prevail. We will run another Marathon -- one bigger and better than ever. We are one. We are Boston. We are strong.

We are Boston Strong.â&#x20AC;?

- Executive Vice president Dr. Charles Steinberg

(Statement from ceremony at the April 20th game paying tribute to the victims and honoring the heroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s of the Boston Marathon bombings.)

While the city mourned, the Red Sox swept a three-game set in Cleveland. The team hung a jersey with the number 617 (Boston’s area code) in the dugout with a phrase that grew into a rallying cry for an entire region – Boston Strong. As the Red Sox played with heavy hearts, the effort to find the bombers intensified. Three days after the terrorist attack, the FBI released photos and surveillance of two suspects. A massive manhunt ensued. Just hours after the FBI’s press conference, the suspects allegedly shot and killed a Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer named Sean Collier, 27. Then they were alleged to have carjacked a SUV and engaged in a firefight with police. One of the suspected bombers died from injuries sustained in the clash with authorities. Fifteen officers were hurt in the confrontation. The second suspect escaped. One of the biggest manhunts in the nation’s history reached new levels the early hours of April 19. Residents were warned to stay inside as the entire city hunkered down while SWAT teams in armored vehicle searched door-to-door. Finally, a terrifying day for the state ended when the suspect was apprehended later that night. Bostonians celebrated in the streets with police officers in a wave of relief. The nightmare was over. The Red Sox’s scheduled game against the Royals on April 19th was postponed due to the manhunt. They played

30 Red Sox Strong

“We all personally feel the grief of the horrifying tragedy that struck our community on Patriots’ Day. Our hearts are with our fellow Bostonians and visitors from around the world who were here for one of Boston’s most spectacular and time-honored events. In the coming days, we will join with others to find ways to show the victims of this heartless, cowardly act our sincere support, and to demonstrate to all, our community’s unity, strength and resilience.”

- Red Sox President and CEO Larry Lucchino (Statement on Boston Marathon bombing.)

“Thank you NY Yankees for playing ‘Sweet Caroline’ for the people of Boston. You scored a home run in my heart. With respect, Neil” - Singer Neil Diamond (Sent this tweet about the Yankees playing “Sweet Caroline”)

Champs Facts

• On April 16th, The New York Daily News ran an editorial cartoon depicting a Yankees player with his arm wrapped around a Red Sox player.

• The Red Sox returned to the field on April 16th in Cleveland to begin a three game series

with the Indians. The Cleveland Indians played “Sweet Caroline” just before the first pitch of the game.

• The Yankees played “Sweet Caroline” in the third inning as a way of paying tribute to their rival city.

• The Red Sox took the field with black armbands on their left sleeves. • In the visitors’ dugout in Cleveland, Red Sox players hung a visiting Boston jersey that had the following on the back: “Boston 617 Strong.” The 617 was in reference to Boston’s area code.

32 Red Sox Strong

the next afternoon in one of the most memorable days in Fenway Park history. The team honored the victims of the bombing and celebrated the police officers and elected officials who handled the aftermath. David Ortiz, no stranger to big moments, gave a rousing speech. “This is our f------ city!” Big Papi defiantly said. “And nobody (is) gonna dictate our freedom.” The Red Sox wanted this victory badly, not for their place in the standings but for a city and region still mourning. Ortiz, in his first action of the season, tied the game with an RBI single. Nava hit a goosebumb-inducing three-run homer in the

“I imagine it will be pretty emotional for some people, but at the same time we’re going to go out there and give them a good effort and show them we care and we’re playing for them.”

- Jon Lester

(Following the April 18th game against the Indians as the Red Sox prepared to head back to Boston for their first home game since the Boston Marathon bombings.) eighth inning that proved to be the game winner. The victory was Boston’s sixth in a row, but more importantly, it helped bring a sense of normalcy back to city that needed to feel safe again.

Champs Facts

• The Red Sox home game on April 19th against the Royals was postponed as the city of Boston was placed on lockdown.

• The Boston Bruins also postponed their game scheduled for the night of the 19th. • For the Red Sox first home game since the Boston Marathon bombings on April 20th, David Ortiz returned from injury to play his first game since August 24th, 2012.

• The Red Sox auctioned off the special jerseys, with all proceeds going to the One Fund. • Neil Diamond flew himself to Boston for the April 20th game against the Royals and

surprised the 35,152 in attendance after the top of the eighth inning to sing “Sweet Caroline.”

• The fans at Fenway followed the singing of “Sweet Caroline” with chants of “U-S-A”.

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Champs Chat “All right. All right, Boston, this jersey that we wear today, it doesn’t say Red Sox. It says Boston. We want to thank you Mayor [Tom] Menino, Gov. [Deval] Patrick, the whole police department for the great job they did this past week. This is our f------ city and nobody is going to dictate our freedom. Stay strong.”

- David Ortiz

(Addressing fans at Fenway.) “It just came out, it just came out, man. If I offended anybody, I apologize, but I feel like this town needs to be pumped. Man, this past week, I don’t think there was one human being that wasn’t affected by what we’ve got going on down here. Me, myself, I was very emotional, very angry about the whole situation. I’m just proud and happy to be part of this nation.”

- David Ortiz

(On the expletive he dropped in his speech to fans and his raw emotions.)

The Regular Season Resumes The Royals ended up sweeping a double-header the next day, but the Red Sox responded by taking a series from the visiting Athletics. By the time May rolled around, the Red Sox were 18-8 and in first place in the AL East. They were one win shy of the franchise’s first 19-win April. The season’s second month would not be so kind. The trouble started in Arlington, Texas in a sweep at the hands of the Rangers capped by a dominant 14-strike out effort from Yu Darvish. The one good sign? Ortiz showed no ill effects from his injured right Achilles with an average over .400 and extra-base hits in 11 of his first 12 games. Wins proved elusive in a four-game series against the Twins in Boston and the team lost the top spot in the division for the first time in 2013. They dropped another series to the Jays, but the team did not show any signs of panic. With veteran leaders like Dustin Pedroia and Jonny Gomes, the Red Sox refused to let a slump cloud their judgment. As the cliché goes, the baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint. This sense of teamwork and determination came in handy in Tampa Bay. After opening a key divisional series with a loss, lefty ace Jon Lester quieted the Rays bats and improved to 6-0.

Red Sox Strong

They ended the series in dramatic fashion as third baseman Will Middlebrooks knocked a clutch three-run double in the top of the ninth to put the finishing touches on a common trait of these 2013 Red Sox: comebacks. One night, it’s a Mike Napoli grand slam. The next it’s Stephen Drew. Counting out this group of bearded grinders was a fool’s errand, as the rest of the baseball world would find out with one movie-style rally after another. While the wins piled up, so did the injuries to the bullpen. The closer situation threatened to haunt the team as Joel Hanrahan was shelved for the season after he underwent Tommy John surgery. Setup man Junichi Tazawa stepped up on occasion but Andrew Bailey took over the job. The former Rookie of the Year, also suffering his share of injury woes, picked up eight saves. While the bullpen wavered, the starting rotation solidified. By Memorial Day, Lester and Buchholz had yet to lose a game. John Lackey did not shine as bright in the winloss column, but in his first year back from Tommy John surgery, he consistently gave his team a chance to win. Free agent Ryan Dempster proved serviceable at best as an end-of-the-rotation starter while Felix Doubront solidified his status as an up-and-comer on a veteran pitching staff.

38 Red Sox Strong

Champs Stats Offense

Dustin Pedroia - .301, 193 hits, 91 runs, 84 RBI, 17 stolen bases David Ortiz - .309, 160 hits, 103 RBI, 30 home runs Mike Napoli - .259, 129 hits, 92 RBI, 23 home runs Jacoby Ellsbury - .298, 172 hits, 92 runs, 53 RBI, 52 stolen bases Daniel Nava - .303, 139 hits, 66 RBI, 12 home runs Stephen Drew - .253, 112 hits, 67 RBI, 13 home runs Shane Victorino - .294, 140 hits, 82 runs, 61 RBI, 21 stolen bases Jarrod Saltalamacchia - .273, 116 hits, 65 RBI, 14 home runs Jonny Gomes - .247, 77 hits, 52 RBI, 13 home runs, Will Middlebrooks - .227, 79 hits, 49 RBI, 17 home runs

Red Sox Strong

Champs Stats Pitching

Jon Lester - 15-8, 3.75 ERA, 177 strikeouts John Lackey - 10-13, 3.52 ERA, 161 strikeouts Ryan Dempster - 8-9, 4.57 ERA, 157 strikeouts Felix Doubront - 11-6, 4.32 ERA, 139 strikeouts Clay Buchholz - 12-1, 1.74 ERA, 96 strikeouts Koji Uehara - 4-1, 21 saves, 1.09 ERA, 101 strikeouts

The Red Sox rediscovered their winning ways later in May as a few old friends came to town. Former manager Terry Francona returned to Fenway coaching the Indians. The Red Sox notched two more comefrom-behind wins. In the finale, Boston came up with four runs in the bottom of the ninth to win 6-5. The hero this time was Jacoby Ellsbury. When he wasn’t wreaking havoc running the bases, he was adding walk-off hits to his resume. Then Jonathan Papelbon came to town as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies. Francona and Papelbon were key members on two championship teams well known for their unique personalities. Francona’s 2004 club was affectionately known as the “Idiots” for their carefree attitude. Papelbon was one of the wilder members of a 2007 team that mixed the zaniness of Manny Ramirez with the stoic Josh Beckett. The 2013 edition wanted to create its own identity. Players like Gomes and Napoli grew classic beards and many of their teammates followed to varying degrees of success. These guys might not be clean-cut, but they played their guts out and represented the work ethic of the city. By never giving up a single at bat or a single game, they lived up to their Boston Strong motto. After nabbing two of three at Yankee Stadium to begin June, the Red Sox were back on top in the AL East. They

42 Red Sox Strong

stayed there for a majority of the season. A few days later, Ortiz added to his walk-off home run collection to beat the Rangers. With this team, any night in the Fens could turn into a magical late-inning thriller. And donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think for a second that Red Sox drama only existed in home games. Against the Rays in Tampa, the Red Sox blew a 6-0 lead, a hitby-pitch from Lackey cleared the benches and both squads played late into the night until Boston finally prevailed in 14 innings. Back in New England, the Red Sox enjoyed a gameending home run by Gomes. However, on the same day Buchholz (9-0, MLB-best 1.71 ERA) went on the disabled list with a neck strain. He did not return until September. The loss hurt the Red Sox, but it could not derail them. Not long after Bucholz went down, John Farrell made a decision that proved crucial. The first-year skipper removed Bailey from the closer role and tapped veteran reliever Koji Uehara as the new stopper. With a devastating splitter and a sneaky fastball, Uehara solidified the back end of the bullpen once and for all. Little did Farrell or the Red Sox know at the time, but they had just discovered the best stopper in the league. Despite the pitching upheaval, the Red Sox became the first team in the AL to 50 wins. Three months into the season and Boston had the leagueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best record. It became increasingly clear this team was not a fluke.

Red Sox Strong

Before the All-Star break, Boston faced a 10-game, West Coast road trip. They went 5-5, suffering losses in Anaheim and Oakland. They took another hit in the bullpen when southpaw reliever Andrew Miller hurt his foot against the Angels. He missed the remainder of the season. The break came at a good time for the banged up Red Sox, and especially for Jon Lester. Boston’s ace saw his record drop to 8-6 by mid-July with his ERA around 4.50. Needing some rest, Lester took off 10 days and returned with a revitalized left arm.

Red Sox Strong

Meanwhile, the American League won the Midsummer Classic at Citi Field in New York. If the Red Sox were fortunate enough to make it to the World Series, they’d be assured of home field advantage. Only two Sox, David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia, appeared in the game. Consider the low representation a testament to Boston’s balanced attack. The Red Sox possessed star power, but they did not rely on any one player. From the unheralded Nava, backup catcher David Ross, spot starters like Brandon Workman and dependable relievers like Craig Breslow, the Red Sox results were

Champs Chat “Very similar, the two teams are very similar in that aspect. Everybody’s loose, everybody’s going along together, everybody’s minding their own business at the time they have to. A very, very professional team. That’s what you’re seeing out there. Everyone out there is trying to look as professional as they can, and they’re trying to do it the right way.”

- Former Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez (Comparing this years team with the 2004 Red Sox)

Champs Facts

• In the second home game of the year, the Red Sox’ sellout streak of 794 games in the regular season and 820 including the playoffs officially ended.

• The Red Sox had gone nearly 10 years of consecutive home sellouts before their streak ended in their April 10th game against the Orioles.

• Boston’s streak of 794 regular-season sellouts is the longest in major pro sports history. • The April 23rd game against the Athletics was called due to weather after 7 innings with the Red Sox down 13-0.

48 Red Sox Strong

truly a result of team effort. The second half commenced with the Yankees’ first visit to Fenway Park, and once again the Red Sox won the series. In a fourand-a-half hour marathon that Sunday night, Napoli slammed two homers, the second in the ninth, to lift the boys from Beantown. The Rays came up next, hot on Boston’s heels in the AL East. Tampa Bay claimed two of three thanks in large part to a dominant effort from David Price. The Red Sox’s division lead dwindled to a half-game. As the dog days of August approached, the Red Sox seesawed in and out of first place with the Rays. The Orioles and Yankees weren’t far behind. For a few weeks it seemed a certainty that the division title would come down to the final week. In an effort to shore up the starting rotation, Ben Cherington acquired former Cy Young winner Jake Peavy from the Chicago White Sox in a threeteam deal. Boston shipped out promising young shortstop Jose Iglesias but in return added a veteran arm to help out Lester and Lackey while Buchholz worked his way back. Boston began the month with an amazing six-run rally in the

Champs Chat

“It’s fun. we’ve played well the first half -- not just the three guys that are here, but everybody, we’ve done it as a team. It’s great to represent the Red Sox. Hopefully our first half, the way we played, continues on to the second half and we keep winning a lot of ballgames.”

- Dustin Pedroia

(At All-Star media day discussing the Red Sox season.)

Red Sox Strong

ninth against the Mariners in the biggest comeback since the famed Mother’s Day Miracle of 2007. The thriller also gave the Sox a one-game lead in the East. These late-inning heroics kept coming and coming, and they never got old. Drew added to the tally in Houston against the league-worst Astros. However, series losses to the Royals, Blue Jays and Yankees sucked the winds from their sails and ensured the divisional standings stayed tight as ever. In a Sunday night loss to the Yankees, Ryan Dempster drilled Alex Rodriguez. This woke up the Yankees and their embattled slugger, who promptly avenged himself with a home run as part of a New York victory. The beaning earned Dempster a suspension. The Red Sox had no time to lick their wounds as they traveled cross-country on a road trip that served as a turning point for the season. The defending champion San Francisco Giants honored the victims of the marathon bombing and wore Boston Strong patches, emblematic of a league-wide show of solidarity. The Sox won four of six games in San Francisco and Los Angeles. On the one-year anniversary of the mega-trade with the Dodgers, Jake Peavy tossed a complete game to help the club leap back into first. Mark this as the moment the Red Sox began to distance themselves from the AL East pack. While the Rays fell into a bad slump, Boston took care of business against the likes of the Orioles, White Sox and Tigers. The

52 Red Sox Strong

“I was just trying to pitch inside.”

- Ryan Dempster

(On the pitch that hit A-Rod.)

Champs Chat â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whether you like me or hate, that was wrong. That was unprofessional and silly. It was kind of a silly way to get someone hurt on your team as well.â&#x20AC;?

- Alex Rodriguez

(After being drilled by Ryan Dempster upon return to Fenway)

Red Sox Strong

Champs Chat “That’s how you get yourself closer to the playoffs, winning series, winning series, winning series.”

- David Ortiz

(Following the Red Sox 3-0 win over the Yankees on June 2nd.)

matchup with the AL champion Tigers at Fenway represented a chance to measure their worth. A key game pitted Lester against Detroit’s dominating ace Max Scherzer. Boston pulled out a 2-1 win and followed it up with a 20-4 romp that featured a franchise record-tying eight home runs. The highest-scoring team in Major League Baseball was not done humiliating opposing pitching staffs. The Red Sox put on a show in Yankee Stadium by plating at least nine runs in three straight games in the Bronx, a feat not achieved since 1912. In a four-game stretch including the blow out of Detroit, Boston’s offensive stats were mindboggling: 54 runs, 17 home runs and 64 hits. The fireworks came from the usual suspects (Ortiz and Napoli) and from newer faces like Middlebrooks and star prospect Xander Bogaerts. The present – and the future – looked mighty good and a formerly nipand-tuck division battle became a boat race. As if they needed any help, Buchholz returned to the mound

Red Sox Strong

58 Red Sox Strong

Champs Chat “This is a really special place, they do things here like no other place -- that’s probably the only way I can say it. And I mean that in a complimentary way. Baseball is so important to people here. I think it was Mike Barnicle that said baseball is not a religion, but the Red Sox are. So when you’re the manager here, it creates a headache sometimes. You can’t have all that passion and interest without having a couple headaches. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a [heck] of a place.”

- Former manager Terry Francona

(Reminiscing about his time with the Red Sox on his return to Fenway as manager of the Indians.)

and beat David Price and the Rays in Tampa to begin what turned into a critical series that effectively iced the division. Mike Carp played the hero role for a night by crushing a pinchhit grand slam that ballooned their East lead to 9 ½ games. They also had the pleasure of eliminating the Yankees from the race themselves with a sweep at Fenway. In the finale they paid tribute to Yankees’ closer Mariano Rivera, who planned to retire at the end of the year. For one season at least, the Bronx Bombers played second fiddle to their rivals from the Hub. With the Yankees out and the Rays far behind, the only question was when, not if, the Red Sox would clinch. They wrapped up a playoff spot on September 19 against the Orioles riding a Lackey 2-hitter. Did they bring out the bubbly? Not a chance. They only wanted one thing: the divisional crown. The next night it was theirs. Jon Lester, redeemed from the chicken-and-beer fiasco from 2011 and the lastplace catastrophe of 2012, appropriately earned the win. Their all-world closer Uehara recorded the final out to set off the raucous celebration. Only a few days before his amazing streak of 37 straight batters retired and 27 straight scoreless innings came to an end. In a season of impressive stats, perhaps no one topped the Red Sox’s third option at closer. He posted a 1.09 ERA with 101 strikeout in 74 1/3 innings. His WHIP of 0.57 (walks and hits per innings pitched) set an all-time record for pitchers with at least 50 innings to their credit. Fittingly, they celebrated their return to the playoffs in front of their fans. Boston Strong was no

Red Sox Strong

longer just a motto; it was a way of life. It was a driving force for a baseball team and city as connected to each other as any in the country. The Red Sox ended the season with 97 wins and the top seed in the AL. Yes; you could say this team was quite strong. Just like their city.

Bring on October.

Champs Chat

“It helps us out a ton, especially with the wild card scenario, you don’t know who you’re going to play. Those guys are going to use more pitchers, play more games, things like that. We can get guys some rest. If guys have nagging injuries, something like that, they can try to heal them up and be healthy for the rest of the way.”

- Dustin Pedroia

(On clinching home field throughout the playoffs.)

Red Sox Strong

Champs Chat “A woman asked me to sign her child, I was like, ‘I’m not signing your child.’ The kid was like 2 years old. I was like, ‘I really don’t feel comfortable signing your child.’”

- Will Middlebrooks

(On the passion and support of Red Sox Fans.)

Champs Chat “You’re angry, you’re going all over the place, your mind is processing some [stuff], it’s not good, that’s why you’ve got your manager and your teammates holding ground, you know, trying to get you calm but that’s what it is, man -- that’s what it is.”

- David Ortiz

(After being ejected and then smashing a phone in the Red Sox dugout in the July 27th game against Baltimore.)

Red Sox Strong

Champs Facts

• Jacoby Ellsbury established a Red Sox record with 11 stolen bases in the month of April. • The Red Sox played a tribute video for former manager Terry Francona during the first inning of the Red Sox May 23rd home game against the Cleveland Indians.

• With a 5th-place finish in 2012, the Red Sox went worst to first for the 1st time in franchise history.

• Jacoby Ellsbury set a Red Sox single-game record with 5 stolen bases in the Red Sox May 30th game against Philadelphia.

Red Sox Strong

68 Red Sox Strong

Champs Chat “This is someone who’s been a very successful pitcher before he came to us, whether it’s been a starter or a closer in Japan, or his entire career here in the States. He might be more effective now for a longer period of time, but this is someone who has had a lot of success throughout his career.”

- Manager John Farrell

(On feeling confident Koji Uehara will keep up his dominating performance.)

Champs Chat

“This is a fun time of the year -- especially when you’re playing good baseball. There’s a lot of guys in this clubhouse who have been here before in this situation, which is a good thing. We never get too high, we never get too low. We worry about that day and try to win that day.”

- Mike Napoli

(As the Red Sox geared up for the final month of the season.)

Red Sox Strong

“This is what every player, when the season starts, you hope you’re doing, playing in a race, come September. You’re going out there and trying to get the ultimate goal, and that’s to get to a World Series. We’re just enjoying every minute. Me personally, I love this and that’s why I came here.”

- Ryan Dempster

(On being excited to enter the final month of the regular season.)

Champs Facts

• Jarrod Saltalamacchia caught both games of the Red Sox doubleheader against the Rays on

June 19th, making him the first Red Sox player to catch both games of a doubleheader since John Marzano in 1992.

• David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, and Clay Buchholz were all named 2013 American League All-Stars. Ortiz was elected as the AL’s starting Designated Hitter through fan balloting while Buchholz and Pedroia were elected by the player ballot.

• The American League defeated the National League 3-0 in the All-Star game to secure home field advantage for the World Series for the American League.

• The Red Sox played a Major League high 97 games before the All-Star break and a league-low 65 games after the break.

Red Sox Strong

“I just want to make sure I’m playing my last game here. That’s important. It’s the only thing I know. I love putting on the Red Sox uniform every day. Every game is important to me and my teammates. It’s pretty special.”

- Dustin Pedroia

(On signing a new contract that will keep him with the Red Sox through at least 2021.)

Red Sox Strong

“He’s going to be the first 100 percent Hall of Famer. I think they could change the rule for him and put him in the Hall of Fame next year. They don’t have to wait five years. He’s that remarkable of a person and a pitcher.”

- Jonny Gomes

(On Mariano Rivera.)

“He’s a role model, and I mean that in the greatest sense that I can say it. Everyone should look up to him, the way he lives his life.”

- Manager John Farrell (On Mariano Rivera.)

Champs Facts • The Red Sox held a special pre game ceremony to honor Yankees closer Mariano Rivera before the Red Sox and Yankees game on September 15th.

• For the ceremony honoring Yankee closer Mariano Rivera - Dustin Pedroia presented

Rivera with the green “42” placard that has hung on the Green Monster for each of Rivera’s appearances at Fenway Park, signed by the entire 2013 Red Sox roster. In addition to the “42” placard, Jon Lester unveiled a blue 1934 Fenway Park seat with the No. 42 on it, and Boston closer Koji Uehara offered Rivera the pitching rubber from the visiting bullpen with an inscribed plaque.

Red Sox Strong

Champs Chat “I would say, thank you for the support. Even when they come here to boo us, we don’t expect anything better than that. We come here to play the game that we love and we come to play hard. The respect that I have gotten, that’s what you appreciate.”

- Yankees Closer Mariano Rivera

(On the Red Sox holding a special pre game ceremony for the Yankees closer in his final trip to Fenway Park.)

Red Sox Strong

Champs Chat

“We have a good group of guys this season. We all get along real well. Everyone is pulling for each other. Next thing you know, they come in and they’re ready to go. This team could do some special things.”

- David Ortiz

(Talking about the Red Sox team chemistry.)

Champs Chat “To many of us here, when you think of the Boston Red Sox, the first thing you think of is winning. We wanted to re-establish that. We did everything in our power to chase it on a daily basis. And that hasn’t changed. There are a lot of good players here. And [general manager Ben Cherington] did a great job of adding to the core guys that returned. And we saw what hard work and a team concept can produce.”

- Manager John Farrell (On clinching the A.L. East.)

“We were 25 baseball junkies just playing ball the right way. I know the core guys here, Pedey, Ells and Big Papi, they were not going to allow last year to happen again. I knew that from the outside looking in. That being said, I definitely wanted to be a part of that.”

- Jonny Gomes

(On the Red Sox turnaround and clinching the A.L. East.) “Part one, this is the baby step right here, we have to keep on working hard. The best part of everything is coming up now and we’ll be ready.”

- David Ortiz

(On clinching the A.L. East being a step to bigger things.)

80 Red Sox Strong

Champs Facts • David Ortiz wrapped up his seventh season with 30 or more home runs and 100 or more RBIs, joining Ted Williams as the only other Red Sox player with seven 30-100 seasons.

• John Farrell became the second Red Sox manager to lead the team to at least a share of the best Major League record in his first year as manager.

• Boston won 28 more games than in 2012, marking the club’s second largest increase in wins. • The Red Sox led the majors with 853 runs and a 5.3 runs per game average.

82 Red Sox Strong

Champs Facts

• After failing to spend a single day in 1st place in 2012, the Red Sox spent 158 days in the top spot during the 2013 season.

• The Red Sox record of 97-65 tied the St. Louis Cardinals for the best record and most wins in the Majors.

• Boston led the Majors with 33 series victories. • The Red Sox joined the 1903 club as the only two teams in franchise history to never go on a losing streak longer than 3 games.

• The Red Sox led MLB with an 86.6% stolen base percentage, the best stolen base percentage in American League history.

84 Red Sox Strong

Champs Stats

Red Sox Regular Season Team Rankings Runs - 1st (853) Batting Average - 2nd (.277) On Base Percentage - 1st (.349) Slugging Percentage - 1st (.446)

86 Red Sox Strong

88 Red Sox Strong

Champs Chat

“You know, I think everybody in our organization is proud of the team that’s been assembled here, the way they’ve represented not only Boston, but certainly the Red Sox. There’s been a lot of individual moments inside this season, but the characteristic of this team is one that’s relentless. They don’t give anything away. It’s been a very fun bunch to be with.”

- Manager John Farrell

(On the completion of the regular season)

2013

Boston Red Sox

Regular Season Results 4/1 4/3 4/4 4/5 4/6 4/7 4/8 4/10 4/11 4/12 4/13 4/14 4/15 4/16 4/17 4/18 4/19 4/20 4/21 4/21 4/22 4/23 4/24 4/25 4/26 4/27 4/28 4/30 5/1 5/2 5/3 5/4 5/5 5/6 5/7 5/8 5/9 5/10

at Yankees at Yankees at Yankees at Blue Jays at Blue Jays at Blue Jays Orioles Orioles Orioles Rays Rays Rays Rays at Indians at Indians at Indians Royals Royals Royals Royals Athletics Athletics Athletics Astros Astros Astros Astros at Blue Jays at Blue Jays at Blue Jays at Rangers at Rangers at Rangers Twins Twins Twins Twins Blue Jays

Red Sox Strong

W 8-2 W 7-4 L 2-4 W 6-4 L 0-5 W 13-0 W 3-1 L 5-8 L 2-3 Postponed W 2-1 W 5-0 W 3-2 W 7-2 W 6-3 W 6-3 Postponed W 4-3 L 2-4 L 4-5 W 9-6 L 0-13 W 6-5 W 7-2 W 7-3 W 8-4 W 6-1 L 7-9 W 10-1 W 3-1 L 0-7 L 1-5 L 3-4 W 6-5 L 1-6 L 8-15 L 3-5 W 5-0

5/11 5/12 5/14 5/15 5/16 5/17 5/18 5/19 5/20 5/21 5/22 5/23 5/24 5/25 5/26 5/27 5/28 5/29 5/30 5/31 6/1 6/2 6/4 6/5 6/6 6/7 6/8 6/8 6/9 6/10 6/11 6/12 6/13 6/14 6/15 6/16 6/18 6/18 6/19 6/20 6/21 6/22 6/23 6/25

Blue Jays Blue Jays at Rays at Rays at Rays at Twins at Twins at Twins at White Sox at White Sox at White Sox Indians Indians Indians Indians Phillies Phillies at Phillies at Phillies at Yankees at Yankees at Yankees Rangers Rangers Rangers Angels Angels Angels Angels at Rays at Rays at Rays at Orioles at Orioles at Orioles at Orioles Rays Rays Rays at Tigers at Tigers at Tigers at Tigers Rockies

L 2-3 L 4-12 L 3-5 W 9-2 W 4-3 W 3-2 W 12-5 W 5-1 L 4-6 L 1-3 W 6-2 L 3-12 W 8-1 W 7-4 W 6-5 W 9-3 L 1-3 L 3-4 W 9-2 L 1-4 W 11-1 W 3-0 W 17-5 L 2-3 W 6-3 Postponed L 5-9 W 7-2 W 10-5 W 10-8 L 3-8 W 2-1 L 4-5 L 0-2 W 5-4 L 3-6 W 5-1 W 3-1 L 2-6 L 3-4 W 10-6 L 3-10 L 5-7 W 11-4

6/26 6/27 6/28 6/29 6/30 7/2 7/3 7/4 7/5 7/6 7/7 7/8 7/9 7/10 7/11 7/12 7/13 7/14 7/19 7/20 7/21 7/22 7/23 7/24 7/25 7/26 7/27 7/28 7/29 7/30 7/31 8/1 8/2 8/3 8/4 8/5 8/6 8/7 8/8 8/9 8/10 8/11 8/13 8/14

Rockies Blue Jays Blue Jays Blue Jays Blue Jays Padres Padres Padres at Angels at Angels at Angels at Mariners at Mariners at Mariners at Mariners at Athletics at Athletics at Athletics Yankees Yankees Yankees Rays Rays Rays Rays at Orioles at Orioles at Orioles Rays Mariners Mariners Mariners D-backs D-backs D-backs at Astros at Astros at Astros at Royals at Royals at Royals at Royals at Blue Jays at Blue Jays

W 5-3 W 7-4 W 7-5 L 2-6 W 5-4 W 4-1 W 2-1 W 8-2 W 6-2 L 7-9 L 0-3 L 4-11 W 11-8 W 11-4 W 8-7 W 4-2 L 0-3 L 2-3 W 4-2 L 2-5 W 8-7 L 0-3 W 6-2 L 1-5 Postponed L 0-6 W 7-3 W 5-0 L 1-2 W 8-2 W 5-4 W 8-7 L 6-7 W 5-2 W 4-0 L 0-2 W 15-10 W 7-5 L 1-5 L 6-9 W 5-3 L 3-4 W 4-2 L 3-4

8/15 8/16 8/17 8/18 8/19 8/20 8/21 8/23 8/24 8/25 8/27 8/28 8/29 8/30 8/31 9/1 9/2 9/3 9/4 9/5 9/6 9/7 9/8 9/10 9/11 9/12 9/13 9/14 9/15 9/17 9/18 9/19 9/20 9/21 9/22 9/24 9/25 9/27 9/28 9/29

at Blue Jays Yankees Yankees Yankees at Giants at Giants at Giants at Dodgers at Dodgers at Dodgers Orioles Orioles Orioles White Sox White Sox White Sox Tigers Tigers Tigers at Yankees at Yankees at Yankees at Yankees at Rays at Rays at Rays Yankees Yankees Yankees Orioles Orioles Orioles Blue Jays Blue Jays Blue Jays at Rockies at Rockies at Orioles at Orioles at Orioles

L L W L W L W L W W W W L W W W L W W W W W L W W L W W W L L W W L W L W W L L

1-2 3-10 6-1 6-9 7-0 2-3 12-1 0-2 4-2 8-1 13-2 4-3 2-3 4-3 7-2 7-6 0-3 2-1 20-4 9-8 12-8 13-9 3-4 2-0 7-3 3-4 8-4 5-1 9-2 2-3 3-5 3-1 6-3 2-4 5-2 3-8 15-5 12-3 5-6 6-7

97 wins, 65 losses 91

2013 MLB Playoffs

American League

Divisional Playoffs

Boston vs Tampa

Red Sox Strong

GAME 1 Off and Running! Sox rout Rays 12-2. pg. 94

GAME 2 Sox dominant again in 7-4 win. pg. 96

GAME 3 Ray of Hope for Tampa in 5-4 thriller. pg. 98

GAME 4 Sox 3-1 win clinches the series. pg. 100

Game 1 vs Tampa Bay Rays Playoff baseball returned to Fenway Park after a three-year absence as the Red Sox faced the Rays. Tampa Bay entered the Division Series with tons of momentum having won three straight win-or-gohome games. The momentum of Tampa had to be a concern for the Sox, though you couldn’t tell in this game. The Red Sox got off to slow start. A pair of Tampa Bay solo home runs put Boston in an early hole. The Red Sox climbed out in the fourth inning thanks in

large part to a big mistake by Tampa rookie Wil Myers. The young outfielder let a David Ortiz fly out drop for a double, opening the flood gates. Jonny Gomes followed with a Green Monster double that tied the game. It only got better from there. Gomes scored from second on an infield hit from Stephen Drew to give Boston a lead it would never relinquish. By the end, every starter had a hit and RBI. Jarrod Saltalamacchia led the way with 3 RBI in support of starter Jon Lester, who earned the win. “You see nine hitters, and we all work together. The inning we scored, right before me, [Mike] Napoli didn’t get it done, but I think he saw seven or eight pitches. I was able to see eight pitches from the ondeck circle and it allowed me to jump on the first two. We continue to apply pressure.”

- Jonny Gomes

(On all nine starters getting at least a hit and a run.)

Champs Facts

• The Red Sox held a pregame ceremony to honor the victims and first responders of the Boston Marathon bombings.

• The Red Sox mowed a giant “B Strong” logo in the outfield grass. • A giant US flag was draped over the Green Monster for the national anthem. • Carlos Arredondo and former New England Patriot Joe Andruzzi shouted the traditional “Play Ball!” following the national anthem.

• All 9 Red Sox starters had at least a hit and a run in the game. • The game marked just the third time in postseason history that a team had all nine starters record at least a hit and a run.

44 94

Red Sox Strong

October 4, 2013 TAMPA: 2 BOSTON: 12

Champs Chat “Maybe our place in this market, this city, is we take those things to heart. And in some ways this game and what we do here at Fenway is a vehicle to acknowledge others.”

- Manager John Farrell

(On the pregame ceremony for the victims and first-responders of the Boston Marathon bombings.)

Champs Stats

Winning Pitcher: Jon Lester – 7 2/3 innings, 3 hits, 3 walks, 2 earned runs, 7 strikeouts Shane Victorino: 3 Hits, 2 RBI, 1 Run Jarrod Saltalamacchia: 2 Hits, 3 RBI, 1 Run

Obviously, as I’ve said, we’ve done that all year long. We’ve been a good offense; we’ve been a good team. We’ve scored a lot of runs. That’s the kind of stuff -- it’s a testament to what we do every day. We grind out at-bats. We play 27 outs.”

- Shane Victorino

(On the series opening victory.)

Dustin Pedroia: 2 Hits, 2 Runs Jacoby Ellsbury: 2 hits, 1 RBI, 1 Run

Game 2 vs Tampa Bay Rays October is David Ortiz’s time of year and he showed why in Game 2. The Boston slugger, famous for his history of postseason heroics, came through again to help the Red Sox gain a formidable 2-0 lead in the ALDS. Big Papi slammed two home runs off David Price as the Red Sox battered the Rays ace for seven runs and nine hits. Jacoby Ellsbury tallied three hits and scored just as many runs. Dustin Pedroia chipped in with three RBI as every Boston starter reached base.

Starting pitcher John Lackey wasn’t sharp, but he didn’t have to be. Lackey allowed four runs in 5 1/3 innings and the bullpen protected the lead the rest of the way. Craig Breslow and Junichi Tazawa bridged the gap to the ninth inning where Koji Uehara blazed through the helpless Rays. Boston’s nearly unhittable closer threw all 11 of his pitches for strikes in a ruthlessly effective save that sent the AL East champs to Tampa one victory from the ALCS.

Champs Facts • Teams that have taken a 2-0 lead in the ALDS are 38-5 in clinching the series. • The was the first time David Ortiz had multiple home runs in a playoff game. • David Ortiz extended his team record to 14 career postseason home runs. • David Ortiz was homerless in 37 at-bats against David Price before taking the Tampa Bay ace deep twice in the victory.

• The Red Sox outscored the Rays 19-6 through the first two games. • The Red Sox are now 14-7 against the Rays this season. • Boston has hit .352 as a team in the first two games of the series.

44 96

Red Sox Strong

October 5, 2013 TAMPA: 4 BOSTON: 7

“He was born to hit.” - Shane Victorino

(On David Ortiz.)

Champs Chat

“It’s been fun all year, we’ve had it since day one. It’s one thing to do it a couple of weeks at a stretch, but guys with their approach, that’s been since day one of the season and they just grind out at-bats. In the playoffs, we’ll just keep doing what we’ve been doing all year.”

- Red Sox Hitting Coach Greg Colbrunn (On the Red Sox timely hitting.)

Champs Stats

Like I tell you guys, we’ve faced Price many times, so you’ve got to make up your mind. You can’t let a pitcher change your mind, and I stuck with the plan and it worked.”

- David Ortiz

(On beating Rays pitcher David Price.)

Winning Pitcher - John Lackey: 5 1/3 innings pitched, 7 hits, 4 earned runs, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts Save - Koji Uehara: 1 inning pitched, 0 hits, 2 strikeouts Jacoby Ellsbury: 3 hits, 1 RBI, 3 Runs, 1 Stolen Base David Ortiz: 2 hits, 2 runs, 2 RBI (2 Home Runs) Dustin Pedroia: 1 hit, 3 RBI

Game 3 vs Tampa Bay Rays Looking to sweep the Rays out of the playoffs, the Red Sox started quickly in Tampa Bay. Thanks to some sloppy defense by the home team, Boston held a 3-0 lead against Tampa starter Alex Cobb. Jacoby Ellsbury, a constant presence on the bases, accounted for two runs. Then things took a turn for the worse in the bottom of the fifth. Evan Longoria, the Rays’ All-Star third basemen, blasted a game-tying, three-run shot off Boston starter Clay Buchholz to send a sold out

crowd into a frenzy. The bullpens battled to a stalemate until pinch-hitter Delmon Young staked the Rays to a 4-3 lead in the eighth, but the resilient Red Sox tied it back up against closer Fernando Rodney thanks to an RBI grounder from Dustin Pedroia. Extra innings looked like a certainty with Koji Uehara on the mound in the ninth. He retired the first two Rays easily, but Jose Lobaton slammed the walk-off homer to stun the Red Sox and force a Game 4.

Champs Facts

• The Rays won on a walk off home run by catcher Jose Lobaton. • Jose Lobaton’s game winning home run ended up in the 10,000 gallon fish tank in right center field after deflecting off a fan.

• The walk off home run by Lobaton was the first given up by Red Sox closer Koji Uehara since June 30th.

• The game winning home run was the first earned run allowed by Koji Uehara in his past 40 1/3 innings of work.

• Tampa was playing in a win or go home situation for the fourth time in 9 days. • Tampa Bay’s Evan Longoria has 5 home runs in 10 postseason games against the Red Sox. • Jose Lobaton is the 1st Rays player to register a postseason walk-off hit. • The Red Sox left runners in scoring position in 4 of the 9 innings.

44 98

Red Sox Strong

October 7, 2013 BOSTON: 4 TAMPA: 5

Champs Chat

“We haven’t allowed that to take effect all year long, so why start now? We’re going to go home, forget about this one and come back tomorrow and play like we’ve done all year. Like I said, tonight was a good game. We made a couple of mistakes and they played a great game. We were still able to stay in there and almost win that one. We’re pretty confident.”

- Jarrod Saltalamacchia

(On the game 3 loss not effecting the team.) “Tomorrow night we’ll be here ready to go, 8:30 [p.m. ET] game time, our guys have a very strong ability to put this one behind us. We knew coming in this was going to be a hard-fought series.”

- Manager John Farrell

(On the Red Sox being ready for game 4.)

Champs Stats Jacoby Ellsbury: 3 Hits, 2 Runs Shane Victorino: 1 Hit, 1 run David Ortiz: 1 Hit, 1 RBI

“We’re coming back hungry, just like we did today, we know this isn’t over. We’ve got to come and play, make pitches, score runs. We’ve got to do whatever it takes to win the game.”

- David Ortiz

(On the team being ready for game 4.)

Game 4 vs Tampa Bay Rays The Red Sox closed out the Rays on the road, but it did not come easy. When the gritty Sox knocked out Tampa Bay starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson after only one inning, most fans could be forgiven if they anticipated a breezy victory. Instead, Joe Maddon successfully mixed and matched his pitchers by using nine to keep the game close. Boston’s staff held their own, as Jake Peavy tossed shutout ball through 5 2/3 innings before handing the ball to lefty Craig Breslow, who notched the victory with a great effort out of the

bullpen. Runs were hard to come by, but the Red Sox managed enough. Trailing 1-0 in the sixth, Xander Bogaerts worked a walk and scored the tying run on a wild pitch. Shane Victorino hustled out an infield hit to score Jacoby Ellsbury and put Boston ahead. Dustin Pedroia added an insurance run with a sacrifice fly. Uehara, off his stunning loss the previous day, got four outs to earn the save and send the giddy Sox into the clubhouse for a champagne celebration.

Champs Facts

• The Red Sox were caught stealing for the first time following 45 consecutive stolen bases. • Shane Victorino has been hit by a pitch 4 times in the series, including twice in game 4. • Former Major Leaguer Rocco Baldelli, a Rhode Island native who played for both the Rays and Red Sox, threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

• Boston is headed to the ALCS for the first time since 2008. • Jake Peavy made his third career postseason appearance in the game and first in 7 years and 5 days.

• The Red Sox outscored the Ray 25-12 in the series.

100 Red Sox Strong

October 8, 2013 BOSTON: 3 TAMPA: 1

Champs Chat

“Victorino really adds a different dimension to that group, and you saw that again tonight. He just drips with intangibles.”

- Rays Manager Joe Maddon (On Shane Victorino.)

“That’s what our team is built on, we’re going to find a way to beat you a thousand different ways. Tonight it was a wild pitch and an infield hit and [Shane Victorino] is flying down the line.”

- Dustin Pedroia

(On the series clinching win.)

Champs Stats Winning Pitcher - Craig Breslow: 1 1/3Innings Pitched, 1 Hit, 0 Earned Runs, 4 strike outs Save - Koji Uehara: 1.1 Innings Pitched, 0 hits, 2 strikeouts Jacoby Ellsbury: 1 Hit, 1 Run, 1 Stolen Base Shane Victorino: 1 Hit, 1 RBI Dustin Pedroia: 1 Hit, 1 RBI

101

2013 MLB Playoffs

American League

CHAMPIONSHIP

SERIES Boston vs Detroit

102 Red Sox Strong

GAME 1 Boston bats silenced in 1-0 loss. pg. 104

GAME 2

Big Papiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s blast keys 6-5 win. pg. 106

GAME 3 Lackey pitches a gem in 1-0 win. pg. 108

GAME 4 Tigers even the series in 7-3 win. pg. 110

GAME 5 Momentum back with Boston after 4-3 win. pg. 112

GAME 6 The Sox win the pennant in 5-2 clincher. pg. 114

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Game 1 vs Detroit Tigers They say that good pitching beats good hitting, and in Game 1 of the ALCS this old baseball adage certainly proved true. Detroit starter Anibal Sanchez was pulled after six innings of no-hit ball, and from there, three Tigers relievers took the no-hitter to within two outs of completion against a Red Sox team that put up more runs than any other team in baseball during the season Daniel Nava ended the no-hit bid with a one-out single to center in the ninth, which, for all of Detroit’s pitching dominance, actually brought the winning run to the plate for Boston. Eventually, the tying run

moved into scoring position, but Stephen Drew and Xander Boegarts were retired to end the game and put Detroit up 1-0 in the best-of-seven series. Detroit’s combined pitching gem (17 combined strikeouts) completely overshadowed a terrific outing from Boston ace Jon Lester, who scattered six hits and surrendered just the one run in 6 1/3 innings of work. It was the first time in 95 years that the Red Sox had been shutout at Fenway in a playoff game, and to make matters worse, Detroit had Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander waiting.

Champs Facts

• The Red Sox trailed in a game for the first time this postseason. • Daniel Nava broke up a potential Tigers no-hitter with a one out single in the ninth. • The Red Sox struck out 17 times in the game, tying a postseason record. • The last no-hitter against the Red Sox was April 22nd 1993 against the Seattle Mariners Chris Bosio.

• The last no-hitter broken up in the ninth inning of a playoff game was back in the 1947 World Series.

• Anibal Sanchez is the first starter in postseason history to go at least 6 innings and be pulled with a no-hitter intact.

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October 12, 2013 DETROIT: 1 BOSTON: 0

Champs Chat

“I wasn’t thinking anything about the nohitter at that point. It was still a 1-0 game. We had been battling all night and we hadn’t gotten anything to fall. Fortunately, I got that one to fall.”

- Daniel Nava

(On breaking up the no-hitter.)

“I think we’ll be ready to go tomorrow night. We have the ability to put tonight behind us and we’ll be ready to go.”

“You give up one run and you like your chances. It was a great game. That was playoff baseball.”

(On the Red Sox ability to bounce back in game 2.)

(On giving up one run and taking the loss.)

- Manager John Farrell

- Jon Lester

Champs Stats

Jon Lester: 6 1/3 innings, 6 hits, 1 earned run, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts Daniel Nava: 1 hit

105

Game 2 vs Detroit Tigers Never in baseball history had a team taken two no-hitters into at least the sixth inning of consecutive playoff games, but the Tigers had now done it three straight times. First it was Justin Verlander in Game 5 of the LDS vs. Oakland, then there was Sanchez’s Game 1 masterpiece, and now, in Game 2 of the ALCS, Max Scherzer had no-hit Boston through 5 2/3 innings. Not only that, but Detroit had also gotten to the Red Sox for five runs. The Fenway crowd was lifeless. All hope seemed lost. But then, with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, everything changed with one swing of the bat.

Now trailing 5-1, the Red Sox loaded the bases against three different relievers, prompting Tigers skipper Jim Leyland to bring in his closer, Joaquin Benoit, to face David Ortiz. Further cementing his place as one of the most clutch postseason performers in baseball history, Big Papi sent the first pitch sailing into the bullpen in right-center for a game-tying grand slam that brought the entire city of Boston out of a funk, and into delerium. One inning later, Jarrod Saltalamacchia sent a hard grounder past a drawn-in infield to plate Jonny Gomes with the winning run, and just like that, the series was tied 1-1. It was without question the turning point of a championship run.

Champs Facts

• The Red Sox were held to just one hit through the first 14 innings of this series. • David Ortiz 8th inning Grand Slam was the latest game-tying Grand Slam in postseason history.

• Tigers Pitcher Max Scherzer carried a no-hitter against the Red Sox into the fifth inning before Boston struck for their first hit with two outs in the inning.

• David Ortiz registered his first career postseason Grand Slam. • The Red Sox became the first team in postseason history to be no-hit through 5 innings in back-to-back postseason games.

• Dave Roberts, whose stolen base sparked Boston’s comeback in the 2004 ALCS against the New York Yankees, threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

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October 13, 2013 BOSTON: 6 DETROIT: 5

Champs Chat “I knew I put a good swing on it. I got my boy Torii chasing everything out there, nine-time Gold Glove, you never know, he almost caught that ball. But thank God it went in the bullpen.”

- David Ortiz

(On his game-tying grand slam.) “It was like a movie, that was the coolest thing I’ve ever been a part of. I want to see how I jumped when I hit home plate. I want to go back and see that because I felt like a little kid again.”

- Will Middlebrooks

(On the game-tying Grand Slam by David Ortiz.)

Champs Stats

Winning Pitcher: Koji Uehara - 1 inning, 0 hits, 1 strikeout Dustin Pedroia: 2 Hits, 1 RBI, 1 Run David Ortiz: 1 Hit, 4 RBI, 1 run (1 Home Run) Shane Victorino: 1 Hit, 1 Run Jarrod Saltalamacchia: 1 Hit, 1 RBI

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Game 3 vs Detroit Tigers This one was all about John Lackey. Boston’s bats continued to struggle mightily, but Lackey -- who was hardly mentioned in all the pregame talk that focused on Tigers starter Justin Verlander -- threw 6 2/3 innings of shutout ball, allowing just four hits while striking out eight and walking nobody. Boston had struggled to give Lackey much run support all season, but Mike Napoli, who was 0-for-6 with six strikeouts to that point in the series, provided just enough offense with a 400-foot home run to left-

center off Verlander in the seventh. From there, Boston’s bullpen shut the door. With the winning run on base, Junichi Tazawa blew away Miguel Cabrera with a fastball and sent the Red Sox to a 2-1 lead in the ALCS. Still, the series was far from over. Every game was coming down to one pitch, one swing of the bat, the tiniest turn deciding the outcome. This series had become an absolute dogfight. After three games, nobody could’ve predicted how it would play out.

Champs Facts

• There have been a total of 46 postseason games that have finished with a 1-0 score. • This marked the 11th time in postseason history that a 1-0 game was won on a solo home run.

• The game was delayed 17 minutes in the second inning because lights on the stadium towers went out.

• This marked the second 1-0 final score in this series between the top two offensive teams during the regular season.

• The Tigers now trail 2-1 in the series, despite their starting pitchers combing to allow just 2 runs and six hits with 35 strikeouts through the first 3 games.

• The game marked the 4th 1-0 finish in the 2013 postseason.

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October 15, 2013 BOSTON: 1 DETROIT: 0

Champs Chat “I’m telling you -- this game will wear you out. You have to be on top of your toes at every single second.”

- David Ortiz

(On the intensity of this series.)

Champs Stats

Winning Pitcher - John Lackey: 6 2/3 innings, 4 hits, 0 earned runs, 8 strikeouts Save - Koji Uehara: 1 1/3 Innings, 1 Hit, 2 Strikeouts Mike Napoli: 1 Hit, 1 RBI, 1 Run (1 home run) Jacoby Ellsbury:1 hit Jonny Gomes: 1 hit

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Game 4 vs Detroit Tigers Finally, some offense … just not enough for the Red Sox. It wasn’t a terrible performance by the Boston lineup. In fact, compared to the first three games, Boston’s 12-hit showing was, as ESPN’s Jerry Crasnic wrote, an offensive “extravaganza.” But those hits didn’t come at the right time. The Red Sox stranded runners all night long, and in the end, three runs weren’t nearly enough. Jake Peavy never had his good stuff, or really even close to his good stuff. The Boston starters lasted

just three innings, giving up seven runs, as opposed to Detroit starter Doug Fister, who allowed just one run through his six innings. Through the first four games of the ALCS, the Red Sox had managed to score just three runs off Tigers starters, and they’d struck out an incredible 42 times. Still, the series was tied. Given the offensive woes, the Red Sox couldn’t have asked for much more than that. No matter what happened in Game 5, the ALCS was heading back to Fenway for a Game 6.

Champs Facts • The Red Sox bullpen held the Tigers scoreless through five innings. • Jake Peavy gave up 7 earned runs in fewer than 5 innings for the second time this postseason.

• Through the first four games of the series the Red Sox have scored 10 runs, with 4 coming on the game 2 grand slam by David Ortiz.

• The Red Sox left 10 men on base and went 2 for 16 with runners in scoring position. • Boston out hit the Tigers for the first time in this series.

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October 16, 2013 BOSTON: 3 DETROIT: 7

Champs Chat “We had 12 hits tonight, and you leave 10 men on base. The one thing when we’ve been in stretches like this, we continually do a very good job of creating opportunities. We did that tonight. We haven’t done it so much in the first three games, but that’s a tip of the hat to the pitching that we’ve been facing.”

- Manager John Farrell

Champs Stats

Jacoby Ellsbury: 4 hits, 1 RBI, 1 Run Mike Napoli: 2 hits, 1 Run Jarrod Saltalamacchia: 2 hits, 1 RBI

(On the Red Sox performance.)

“We will hit. We led the American League in runs this year. We’re swinging the bat. It’s gonna happen.”

- Dustin Pedroia

(On the Red Sox confidence that their offense will start clicking.)

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Game 5 vs Detroit Tigers It’s no guarantee, not even close in a series like this, but when a series is tied 2-2, it’s hard to overstate the importance of winning that pivotal Game 5, especially if you’re the team going home for Games 6 and possibly 7, as was the case for Boston. Needless to say, this was a monster victory. Again, it was a Mike Napoli homer run that opened up the scoring for the Sox, this time a 460-foot moon shot to dead center that opened up a threerun second inning. David Ross followed with an RBI

double, and Jacoby Ellsbury, who’d been the only real consistent hitter for the Sox in the ALCS, plated another with an infield single. The Tigers had a chance to jump out the early lead, but Jonny Gomes threw a strike off a single to left to nail Miguel Cabrera at the plate, and that set the tone. Sox reliever Craig Breslow retired Prince Fielder in a crucial spot in the seventh, and Koji Uehara recorded a five-out save to put the Red Sox within one game of the World Series.

Champs Facts • At 21 years, 16 days old, Xander Bogaerts became the youngest Red Sox player to start a postseason game. (The previous record holder was Babe Ruth.)

• A misty rain fell at times during the game but play was never delayed. • The Tigers are 0-10 (including a loss this postseason) in games in which Anibal Sanchez allows at least 4 runs.

• This is the fourth game in the series to be decided by one run. • Boston led in only four of 36 innings in the first four games. • Ending a streak of 13 1/3 innings of scoreless work, the Red Sox bullpen gave up a run in the seventh inning of the game.

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October 17, 2013 BOSTON: 4 DETROIT: 3

Champs Chat “There’s probably a reason I don’t have any hair. It’s stressful.”

- Dustin Pedroia

“It really doesn’t matter to me, it can go in the first row for all I care. But, yeah, I was in a hitter’s count. I was looking for a fastball, and I got a pitch I could handle.”

- Mike Napoli

(On his 460 foot home run.) “I just think that’s playoff baseball, especially the Sox and Tigers. That’s about as even as it gets right there.”

- Jonny Gomes

(On the four games decided by one run.)

Champs Stats

Winning Pitcher - Jon Lester: 5 1/3 innings, 7 hits, 2 earned runs, 3 walks, 3 strikeouts Save - Koji Uehara: 1.2 innings, 0 hits, 2 strikeouts Mike Napoli: 3 hits, 1 RBI, 2 runs (1 home run) Jacoby Ellsbury: 1 hit, 1 RBI Dustin Pedroia: 2 hits

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Game 6 vs Detroit Tigers Following David Ortiz’s lead from Game 2, Shane Victorino sent the Red Sox to the World Series with a dramatic, seventh-inning grand slam over the Green Monster. And really, that’s all there is to say about this game. That is the moment everyone will forever remember. Sure, starter Clay Buchholz was solid, and Koji Uehara picked up his third save of the series. But Shane Victorino, the free agent many felt Boston overpaid to get, jumping up and down in pure ecstasy as he rounded the bases, with the Fenway crowd in an uproar, is the indelible image.

The Red Sox became the first American League team in history to hit two grand slams in the same LCS, and the first team in baseball history to hit a pair of gametying/go-ahead grand slams in the seventh inning or later in the same postseason. The Red Sox also became the seventh team since 1990 to reach the World Series after finishing in last place the previous season. In a rematch of the 2004 World Series, a date with the Cardinals was set, and with two very evenly matched teams, this Fall Classic was sure to be one to remember.

Champs Facts

• The Red Sox move on to the World Series to face the Cardinals in a matchup between the two teams with the best regular season records in each league.

• Jacoby Ellsbury had successfully stolen 18 bases in a row in the regular season and playoffs before being thrown out in the fifth inning.

• The Dropkick Murphys sang the national anthem before the game wearing Red Sox jerseys that said “Boston Strong” and the number 617.

• Shane Victorino was hit by a pitch to lead off the sixth, his sixth of the playoffs, extending his record and setting a major league record with the 10th postseason hit by pitch of his career.

• The Red Sox became the 7th team since 1990 to reach the World Series following a season in which they finished in last place.

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Red Sox Strong

Champs Chat “All I can say is that I’m extremely, extremely happy right now.”

- Koji Uehara

(On saving the game and clinching the ALCS MVP Award.)

October 19, 2013 BOSTON: 5 DETROIT: 2

“Since the first day of spring training there wasn’t one person more important than the next, we’re all pulling in the same direction.” “This series had a little bit of every- Jonny Gomes (On the Red Sox team mentality.) thing, comeback wins, unbelievable starting pitching, particularly on their part, tonight we finally broke through on [Max] Scherzer, who’s been so dominant against us. You couldn’t have asked for a better series. It tested everything we had, and we just want to congratulate [the Tigers] on a great year.”

- John Farrell

(On his impressions of the series.)

Champs Stats Save - Koji Uehara: 1 inning, 1 Hit, 2 Strikeouts Shane Victorino: 1 Hit, 4 RBI, 1 Run (1 Home Run) Jonny Gomes: 1 Hit, 1 Run Jacoby Ellsbury: 1 hit, 1 RBI, 1 Run

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2013

WORLD SERIES Boston vs St. Louis

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Red Sox Strong

GAME 1 Sox offense sets the tone in 8-1 smackdown. pg. 118

GAME 2

Cards table Sox hopes of a sweep in 4-2 win. pg. 122

GAME 3 Obstruction destruction! Sox now trail after 5-4 loss. pg. 126

GAME 4 Jonny Gomes saves the day in 4-2 win. pg. 130

GAME 5 Great team effort means 3-1 win and title in sight. pg. 134

GAME 6 TBD

pg. 138

117

Game 1 vs St. Louis Cardinals The Fall Classic returned to Fenway Park with a rematch of the 2004 World Series, where the Red Sox ended their 86-year title drought. These Cardinals, champions in 2006 and 2011, boasted a balanced, young lineup and a stacked pitching staff that won 97 games. Surprisingly, Game 1 turned into a rout for the Sox in front of a delirious crowd. When the umpiring crew reversed a blown call at second base, the Red Sox took full advantage. Mike Napoli found a gap for a bases-clearing double and

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Boston was up 3-0 before Cardinalsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; starter Adam Wainwright could blink. St. Louis committed three errors and the Red Sox were more than happy to take advantage. David Ortiz had a grand slam taken from him by Carlos Beltran, but he earned a bit of vengeance with a homer in the seventh. Jon Lester did not give the NL champs a chance to come back, blanking the Cards through 7 2/3 and whiffing eight. The win was Bostonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ninth straight in the World Series. It could not have been a better start to a series.

October 23, 2013 ST. LOUIS: 1 BOSTON: 8

Champs Stats

Winning Pitcher - Jon Lester: 7 2/3 innings, 5 hits, 0 earned runs, 8 strikeouts Dustin Pedroia: 2 hits, 2 runs, 1 RBI David Ortiz: 2 hits, 2 runs, 3 RBI, 1 home run Mike Napoli: 1 hit, 3 RBI

45 119

Champs Facts

• The 7-run victory margin was the Red Sox 3rd largest in a World Series win. • Boston is 9-0 when scoring 7 or more runs in a World Series game. • This marks the Red Sox 12th appearance in the World Series. • The Red Sox have won 5 straight opening World Series games. • Since 1993, every home team to win Game 1 has gone on to win the World Series. • Boston has won a club-record 9 straight World Series games since a Game 7 loss to the Mets •

in 1986. The Red Sox swept their previous two World Series trips in 2004 and 2007.

• John Farrell is the first manager to reach the World Series in his first season at the helm since Terry Francona did it with Boston in 2004.

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Champs Chat “Yeah, watching that flyover today, their team, our team on the line, we know what’s at stake. We know what’s at hand; we know it’s the big stage. That’s why the Major League Baseball season is so long. You need all those games to build an identity, and we just kept it rolling today.”

“David lives for these moments, I saw it all year long from this guy. Being here for the first time, watching him play -- I’ve always been a fan from the other side, but finally getting a chance to watch him from this side, be his teammate -- he’s a special player. He’s amazing. He’s great. It doesn’t shock me what he did tonight. It shouldn’t shock any of us how good this guy is in the postseason, especially in these kinds of moments.”

(On the Red Sox being prepared for game one.)

(On the amazing performance by David Ortiz)

- Jonny Gomes

- Shane Victorino

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Game 2 vs St. Louis Cardinals Going up 2-0 would be huge for Boston, but rookie sensation Michael Wacha stood in their way. Unfazed by the pressure of pitching in Fenway on a world stage, the young Cardinalsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; phenom continued his dominant postseason. The Red Sox could not do much and trailed 1-0 heading into the sixth. Then Big Papi struck. Again. He drove a 2-run homer into the first row of the Monster seats to push Boston into the lead. Red Sox fans could smell another World Series win, but the next inning was a disaster.

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John Lackey did his best to keep Boston in the game, but he was pulled after putting two runners on base. John Farrell went to Craig Breslow to get out of the jam. The move backfired. Breslow issued a walk before yielding a sac-fly. Jarrod Saltalamacchia mishandled the throw and Breslow, backing up behind home plate, overthrew third base and allowed another run to score. The Red Sox could not mount any rallies against the Cardinals bullpen faced a long flight to St. Louis for three games with the World Series knotted 1-1.

October 24, 2013 ST. LOUIS: 4 BOSTON: 2

Champs Stats

David Ortiz: 2 hits, 1 run, 2 RBI (1 home run) Dustin Pedroia: 1 hit, 1 run Jacoby Ellsbury: 1 hit

123

Champs Facts

• The World Series loss marked the Red Sox first since Game 7 of the 1986 World Series. • Victims of the Boston Marathon bombings were honored during the seventh-inning stretch as singer James Taylor led the crowd in “America the Beautiful.”

• David Ortiz became the 11th player and 1st Red Sox player to homer in the first two games of a World Series.

• The Cardinals beat the Red Sox for the first time in the last 6 World Series games against Boston.

• The loss marked the first time the Red Sox have lost a postseason game with Jonny Gomes in the starting lineup.

124 Red Sox Strong

Champs Chat “That’s part of the game. Nobody can dictate that you’re going to win four straight games every time you go out there for a World Series. This is baseball. You’re playing the best team in the National League, so this is expected.”

- David Ortiz

(On the series now being tied at 1-1.)

“At this point, it’s not about me, who really cares who gets the win or loss next to their name? We’re trying to win four games, trying to win a ring.”

- John Lackey

(On the bullpen giving up a 2-1 lead after he left the game.)

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Game 3 vs St. Louis Cardinals This one will go down as perhaps the strangest ending to a World Series game weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve ever seen, with the Cardinalsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Allen Craig being awarded home plate on an obstruction call for the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth. For the second time in the game, the Cardinals had erased a two-run deficit to tie the score, plating a pair of runs in a dramatic eighth inning to make it 4-4, where the score remained heading into the bottom of the ninth. With one out, Yadier Molina singled to right off Brandon Workman, and Craig immediately followed with a pinch-hit double. Boston pulled in the infield, and Dustin Pedroia

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made a sensational diving play on a Jon Jay ground ball, popping to his feet and throwing out Molina at the plate to momentarily save the Sox. But as Craig went to advance to third, Jarrod Saltalamacchiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s throw went wide and down the left field line. Third baseman Will Middlebrooks dove for the throw, and when Craig popped up to try to score, he tripped over Middlebrooks. Obstruction. Craig is awarded home plate. Game over. It was a stunning way to lose a game, let alone Game 3 of the World Series, but there was no time to dwell on the past. Game 4 was coming up, and now trailing 2-1 in the Series, Boston had no choice but to answer back.

October 26, 2013 BOSTON: 4 ST. LOUIS: 5

Champs Stats

Jacoby Ellsbury: 2 hits, 1 run Daniel Nava: 1 hit, 2 RBI Xander Bogaerts: 2 hits, 1 RBI, 1 run

127

“The makeup of this team is that we’re going to forget about this one and go get them tomorrow. There’s nothing you can do. I think we’ve been in rough spots before, calls that haven’t gone our way that almost have ended games, too. Fortunately, we’ve been here, too.”

- Daniel Nava

(On the Red Sox getting past the obstruction call that ended the game.)

Champs Facts

• At 21 years old, Xander Bogaerts became the third-youngest player to hit a triple in a World Series. (Ty Cobb and Mickey Mantle did it at 20-years old.)

• The family of late umpire Wally Bell was in the stands. Bell died at 48 this month, and the six-man crew was wearing patches to honor him. Bell’s first plate job in the World Series was at Busch Stadium in 2006.

• The Cardinals are 7-0 when scoring first this postseason. • The rule applied to the final play of Game 3 can be found in the Official Rules of Major

League Baseball, Section 2.00, Definition of Terms is as follows: “Obstruction is the act of a fielder who, while not in possession of the ball and not in the act of fielding the ball, impedes the progress of any runner.”

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Champs Chat “I had to dive for that ball. There’s really nowhere for me to go. I go to get up. He’s on top of me. There’s really nowhere for me to go there. I don’t know. That’s a tough one. I was going to push myself up. They said it doesn’t matter. He ran into me. I still haven’t processed it all. I don’t know. I don’t agree with it.”

- Will Middlebrooks

(On the obstruction call on him that ended the game.)

“Tough way to have a game end, particularly of this significance, when Will is trying to dive inside to stop the throw. I don’t know how he gets out of the way when he’s lying on the ground. And when Craig trips over him, I guess by the letter of the rule, you could say it’s obstruction. Like I said, that’s a tough pill to swallow.”

- Manager John Farrell

(On the obstruction call that ended the game.)

129

Game 4 vs St. Louis Cardinals With the score tied 1-1 in the sixth, Jonny Gomes hit what Boston fans will long remember as the shot that swung the World Series – a three-run blast to leftcenter off Seth Maness to stun Busch Stadium. Gomes, who was a late addition to the lineup after John Farrell opted to sit the ailing Shane Victorino at the last minute, was greeted at the plate by Dustin Pedroia, who’d gotten the two-out rally started with a double, and David Ortiz, who was, probably wisely, walked by St Louis. Big Papi was swinging a historically hot bat at this point, collecting another three hits in Game 4 to up his Series average to .727. Ortiz had also reached base eight consecutive times, which was one shy of tying

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the all-time World Series record. Starter Clay Buchholz, who was battling a rumored case of “dead arm” and clearly was not himself, pitched his guts out to give up just one run through four innings. From there, Felix Doubront and the Boston bullpen, which included a shutout eighth inning from John Lackey, got the ball to Koji Uehara in the ninth. With two outs and Carlos Beltran at the plate representing the tying run, Uehara look to be in a bit of a jam until he turned and fired to first base to pick off pinch runner Kolten Wong to end the game. It was another bizarre ending, but this time it went in the Red Sox’s favor as the Series was once again tied at two games apiece.

October 27, 2013 BOSTON: 4 ST. LOUIS: 2

Champs Stats

Winning Pitcher - Felix Doubront: 2 2/3 innings pitched, 1 hit, 1 earned run, 3 strikeouts Save - Koji Uehara: 1 inning, 0 hits David Ortiz: 3 hits, 2 runs Jonny Gomes: 1 hit, 3 RBI, 1 run (1 home run) Dustin Pedroia: 1 hit, 1 run

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Champs Chat “Just the game, the game talks, man. I know we have better hitters than what we have shown. I just feel like I saw a lot of faces kind of looking in the wrong direction. Every team has that guy, and I think I’m the guy here.”

- David Ortiz

(On pulling the team together in the dugout during the game to give them a pep talk.)

Champs Facts

• The Cardinals lost for the first time this postseason when scoring first. • Jonny Gomes was 0-for-9 during the World Series before his three-run home run in the

sixth inning. Gomes entered Game 4 with a .125 career average in the postseason, the lowest of any active player with at least 40 at-bats.

• David Ortiz now has 5 multi-hit games in the World Series, one shy of the most by a Red Sox. Duffy Lewis has 6.

• John Lackey pitched a scoreless inning out of relief, his first appearance out of the bullpen since 2004.

• Koji Uehara had only two career pickoffs before his pickoff of Kolten Wong ended game 4.

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“I found out about halfway through my batting practice. When I get to the ballpark, I have to prepare myself to play every single day. Obviously a different routine when you are playing than when you aren’t playing. One thing I’ve fought for since I signed up for this game, that’s the opportunity -- whether that’s to pinch-hit, whether that’s a uniform, whether that’s a start. When my number is called, I’ve got to be ready.”

- Jonny Gomes

(On finding out during batting practice that he would replace Shane Victorino.)

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Game 5 vs St. Louis Cardinals Whatever talk there was about Jon Lester having some kind of foreign substance in his glove in Game 1 was put to rest after Game 5, as Lester was once again lights out in putting Boston one game from the title. Lester gave up just one run, on a Matt Holliday solo shot to center in the fourth, over 7 1/3 innings to once again outduel Cards ace Adam Wainwright. St. Louis mustered just four hits, and David Ortiz continued to pepper everything he saw. Big Papi tied a World Series record by reaching base for the ninth straight at-bat with a first-inning double to plate Dustin Pedroia, but he would not get

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the record. Catcher David Ross broke the 1-1 tie with a ground-rule double to score Xander Bogaerts in the seventh, and Jacoby Ellsbury followed that with a twoout RBI single to plate an insurance run. With the NL rules putting Mike Napoli on the bench, the Red Sox faced an uphill challenge coming into St. Louis. But they had answered the bell. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d pitched out of jams, gotten timely hitting, and battled through a pair of crazy endings to take two of three and come out with a 3-2 Series leaded heading back to Fenway. What more could you ask for? How about a clincher in Fenway for the first time in almost 100 years? It was on deck.

October 28, 2013 ST. LOUIS: 1 BOSTON: 3

Champs Stats

Jon Lester: 7 2/3 innings, 4 hits, 1 earned run, 7 strikeouts Save - Koji Uehara: 1 1/3 innings, 0 hits, 2 strikeouts David Ortiz: 3 hits, 1 RBI Dustin Pedroia: 1 hit, 1 run David Ross: 2 hits, 1 RBI Xander Bogaerts: 2 hits, 1 run

135

“The fact is we’re going home, going back to a place that our guys love to play in, in front of our fans. This atmosphere here, these three games, has been phenomenal. We know it’s going to be equal to that, if not better. And we’re excited about going home in the position we are.”

- Manager John Farrell

(On the Red Sox heading back to Boston up 3 games to 2.)

Champs Facts

• David Ortiz has 11 of the Red Sox 33 World Series hits. • The Red Sox struck out 14 times, raising their total to a postseason-record 156. • Adam Wainwright is the first pitcher with 10 strikeouts in a World Series loss since Josh Beckett in 2003.

• The Red Sox will look to clinch a World Series Championship at Fenway for the first time since 1918.

• David Ortiz lined out in the sixth inning, ending his streak of reaching base in a record tying nine consecutive plate appearances.

• Koji Uehara tied the record for most saves in a single postseason as he collected his seventh.

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Champs Chat

“He was unbelievable attacking the zone. That’s why he’s our ace, man. Big-game pitcher. Getting us back home.”

- Dustin Pedroia

(on Jon Lester’s performance.)

“I think the biggest thing is me and Rossy have had a good rhythm. Early on, we just went back to our game plan from Game 1 and just fell back on that and really just tried to make them swing the bats early, and we were able to do that.”

- Jon Lester

(On his success against the Cardinals in the game.)

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Game 6 vs St. Louis Cardinals For the first time since 1918, the Red Sox clinched the World Series in front of their home fans at Fenway, and oh what a sweet night it was. For all the tension of a Series that had been defined by tight, whiteknuckle games, Boston jumped in front early on a Shane Victorino three-run double in the third inning. And from there, the Sox were never really threatened -- though the lead probably never felt quite as comfortable as it was as the energy, edge and tension of a World Series clinching game is always palpable. Staked to the early cushion, starting pitcher John Lackey wiggled out of a few early jams and was brilliant through 6 2/3 innings, allowing just one run before leaving to a standing ovation. Stephen Drew, a defensive anchor who’d been maligned for his offense

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throughout the postseason, connected for a solo homer in the fourth to extend the lead to 4-0. Mike Napoli and Victorino followed with run-scoring singles to push the lead to 6-0, and at that point the pre-party was in full effect. After the clock had wound down on the Red Sox’s third World Series title in ten years, David Ortiz, who reached base an incredible 19 times in 25 at-bats against the Cards, held his MVP trophy in the air and addressed his city that had been through so much with one final poignant tribute. “Boston, this is for you. You guys deserve this.” It would be impossible to phrase it any better than that.

October 30, 2013 ST. LOUIS: 1 BOSTON: 6

Champs Stats

John Lackey: 6 2/3 innings, 9 hits, 1 walk, 1 earned run, 5 strikeouts Jacoby Ellsbury: 2 hits, 2 runs Stephen Drew: 2 hits, 1 run, 1 RBI (1 home run) Shane Victorino: 2 hits, 4 RBI

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“We’re going to have some fun tonight. It was an awesome atmosphere here tonight. The guys on the team are so awesome. I’m really proud to just be a part of this. It’s pretty cool.”

- Jon Lackey

Champs Facts

(On the joy of playing on such a special team.)

• David Ortiz was named the World Series Most Valuable Player. • The Red Sox clinched the championship at Fenway for the first time since 1918. • David Ortiz got on base 19 times, a record for a 6 game World Series. • Koji Uehara is the first Japanese-born pitcher to get the final out of a World Series clincher. • The last 2 managers to win the World Series in their 1st season with a team were both Red Sox Managers. (John Farrell, Terry Francona)

• Shane Victorino had his 3rd career bases-loaded hit in the World Series (also in 2008), tying him for the most in MLB history.

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Champs Chat

“Our goal from day one was to be the best team we could possibly be, then we knew we’d end up here. That was our goal. We worked hard every single day. We’re world champs. Can’t believe it.”

- Shane Victorino

(On the excitement of being World Series champions.)

“Special. We got together in spring training and everybody cared about one another so much. The whole ride all year, the stuff that happened to this city, we wanted to do something special and make everybody happy and proud of their team in the toughest of times. And hopefully we did that.”

- Dustin Pedroia

(On the unique closeness the team shared all season.)

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“I’m a believer in as soon as we went to [Ft. Myers, Fla., for Spring Training], the movie’s already been written. All we had to do was press play, and this is what happened,”

- Jonny Gomes

(On the destiny fulfilled by the Red Sox.)

Champs Facts

• Cardinals Pitcher Michael Wacha is the first starter to allow six or more runs in the deciding game of a World Series since 1967.

• Red Sox legends Luis Tiant and Carlton Fisk threw out the ceremonial first pitch. • In tribute to the Red Sox players beards, Carlton Fisk wore a fake beard as he took the field for the ceremonial first pitch.

• Tickets in the secondary market for game 6 were being sold for more than $10,000 on the day of the game with the cheapest ticket being sold for around $1,000.

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Champs Chat

“It’s an amazing feeling. I feel blessed to be along for the ride, we had an amazing group of people in our clubhouse. They decided in spring training they wanted to write a different story, and sure enough, they did. It’s just fun to be along for the ride.”

- General Manager Ben Cherington

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Champs Chat

“I want to thank the best fans in baseball, without you guys’ support, I don’t think we would be what we are right now. You guys are the greatest of all time. So proud to play for this city. I want to thank my teammates -- the best teammates ever. You guys are legit. Nobody can ever hold us down. That’s why we’re here right now, winning the World Series.”

- David Ortiz

(Addressing the crowd after winning the MVP award.)

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