Wow! What a great season the Red Sox had in 2009.
They came out of the gate running, sweeping Tampa Bay after rain pushed Opening Day back to April 7. Boston takes four out of six on a trip to Oakland and L.A. Jason Bay is pounding the ball. Beckett rules. Sox win two of three against the Yanks, losing the middle of a three-game set when C.C. Sabathia throws a gem at Fenway.
The Red Sox stumble a bit in mid May in classic style. They get swept by the Blue Jays during a 1-9 skid. Wakefield sucks. Varitek is hitting .215. Pedroia and Youk are starting to heat up. Sox stay neck-in-neck with New York atop the AL East with both teams kicking ass. A-Rod comes back with a bang. J.D. Drew feels tightness in his back. New York sweeps Boston in Fenway but the Sox storm back, kicking ass in Interleague Play against Florida, Washington and Atlanta.
Brad Penny goes on the DL and Dice-K struggles to pitch deep into ballgames. Clay Buccholz takes Penny’s spot in the rotation, pitching well as the Sox lead New York by one game going into the All-Star Break. Beckett, Papelbon, Pedoria and Youkilis represent the Sox in St. Louis. Russel Martin scores the winning run as the National League wins 6-5.
Sox stumble out of the break. Fall behind New York by four games while losing to the Baltimores, Torontos and Oaklands of the world. Roy Halladay gets traded to the Dodgers, who are edging neck and neck with the Cubs and Mets in the National League, three days after shutting out the Sox. Bang! Jason Bay blows out his knee sliding into second. Sox acquire Matt Holliday from Oakland for Buccholz, Manny Delcarmen and two low-lever prospects. John Smoltz comes off the DL. Sox start rolling again.
Bullpen is on fire. Smoltz, Palelbon, Saito and Masterson are so decent! Holliday loves hitting in Fenway. Youkilis is putting up MVP type numbers. Sox roll. Beat New York when it counts. Get timely hits in big situations and solid pitching performances night in and night out. Sox win AL East by three games and sweep Chicago in the ALDS. Yankees have no problem with the Angels, because, when was the last time anyone had a problem with the Angels in the playoffs?
Sabathia beats Beckett in Game 1. Jed Lowrie homers twice off Wang as Sox take Game 2. Boston wins Game 3 in New York behind a quality 7-inning effort from Dice-K. A-Rod, Teixeira and company do their thing as Yanks win Games 4 and 5. David Ortiz hits a late homer to life Sox in Game 6, setting up showdown, Game 7 in Fenway for all the marbles.
Jon Lester tosses six solid innings. Sox lead 4-2 after 7. Jeter ties the game in the 8th with a RBI single off John Smoltz. Holliday comes back with a go-ahead, 2-run homeer following a Youkilis single in the bottom of the 8th and Papelbon celebrates after fanning Posada to send the Sox to the World Series against the Dodgers.
Manny hype is in full force. He homers as the Dodgers take Game 1 behind a solid effort from Roy Halladay. Jon Lester pitches a gem in Game 2 as the Sox head back to Fenway witha 1-1 series split. Manny homers in both games 3 and 4 but Boston jumps all over L.A. weak back-of-the-order pitchers and take a 3-1 lead. Dodgers take Game 5, shelling Tim Wakefield, who always seems to get one big playoff start. Boston flies back to L.A. Beckett on the hill for Game 6. He’s the man. Manny hits a solo shot in the fourth, but its the only run Beckett allows as Boston takes a 4-1 lead into the ninth. Papelbon does what he does, striking out the side as Boston celebrates another World Series Championship on the road.
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