RED SOX STRATEGY RIGHT ON TARGET
Daisuke Matsuzaka didn’t pitch a gem for the ages, but he did exactly what Boston paid him the big bucks for, win in the postseason. He held the Rockies in check and improved to 2-1 in four postseason starts. He also won Game 7 of the American League Championship Series.
Boston manager Terry Francona said, “That was the best life on his fastball he’s had for some time. (And) he threw some good changeups. I thought he pitched really well.”
Matsuzaka also delivered a two-run single, becoming the first pitcher to get a hit in the World Series since Jeff Suppan of St. Louis recorded a hit in the third inning of Game 3 of the 2004 World Series.
“I’m a confident hitter and I love hitting,” Matsuzaka said.
He’s the first Red Sox pitcher to get a hit in the World Series since Bill Lee in Game 7 of the 1975 World Series.
“That was a swing of the bat that provided some discomfort for us,” Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said.
How about comptroller?. Francona on right fielder J.D. Drew, who, after signing a five-year, $70 million contract, has been a frequent target for the Boston boo-birds in his first season with the Red Sox.
“His relationship with the people in Boston, he’s not running for mayor. We want him to help us win. It was a little bit inconsistent at times, and the production wasn’t always there. There’s a lot of different reasons for that. You try to plug in before the year how you think your team’s numbers are going to end up. But it’s not fantasy baseball and there are people involved in health and emotions and children, and that’s just the way the game is.”
Drew did have one of Boston’s biggest postseason hits, a grand slam against Cleveland in the first inning of Game 6 of the American League Championship Series. During the regular season, he hit .270 with 11 homers and 64 RBIs. Although he didn’t talk about it much during the season, Drew played while helping care for a sick child at home.
Belated recognition. Red Sox bench coach Brad Mills might have been mentioned more in the aftermath of Matt Holliday getting picked off first base in the eighth inning of the Rockies’ 2-1 Game 2 loss than he had been throughout the entire season. Mills, who managed the Rockies’ Triple-A club in Colorado Springs from 1993-96, is responsible for giving catcher Jason Varitek the signal to have pitchers throw over.
“I don’t want to give away the farm in the scouting report, but he does a lot,” Francona said. “He does all the signs from our dugout going to the field, from the pitchers to the catchers to the infielders. I think I’m stating the obvious when I say there’s a lot of faith on my part.”
Footnotes. The teams set a Series record by using 12 pitchers in a nine-inning game. Boston has 16 three-run innings this postseason. With 25 runs, Boston has matched the second-highest run total in the first three games of the World Series. Philadelphia scored 25 runs in 1911. The New York Yankees hold the record with 30 runs in the first three games of the 1960 Series.
