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Daisuke Domination
October 11, 2008
10.11.
08, 3:19 AM
ALCS Game 1: Red Sox 2, Rays 0
Daisuke Domination
Matsuzaka Flirts With No-Hitter In Gem
Red Sox Take Important Game 1
By: Jared Carrabis
If I had told you five years ago in 2003 that the Red Sox were going to win the World Series twice within the next five years and in order to win their third title in that five year span they would have to go through the (then) Tampa Bay Devil Rays to get there, what kind of reaction do you think you would give me? Would you laugh? Would you shake your head and walk away because you would have be under the impression that I have absolutely no idea what I’m talking about? Well, lets fast-forward to 2008. The Red Sox have won the World Series twice since 2003 and in order to capture a third title, they must go through the team formerly known as the automatic win, Tampa Bay Devil Rays. This team is no joke any longer and over the course of the 2008 season have opened not only the eyes of Red Sox Nation but rather of the entire baseball world.
The rest of the baseball world once viewed the Red Sox as the lovable underdogs in the American League that always came so close but could never succeed. Since winning the World Series in 2004, 2007 and making a strong run in 2008, people’s views have changed. They see the Red Sox not as the little engine that almost could, they now see the Red Sox as the powerhouse in the American League; the closest to perfect you can get as an all around baseball organization. The 2008 season saw the emergence of a new underdog for America to love and root for in the postseason after their home teams had been knocked out and this year it was not the Boston Red Sox, it was the Tampa Bay Rays. From worst to first they charged to the top of the American League East to capture home field advantage throughout the postseason in their very first appearance in a meaningful game in October.
With both the Red Sox and the Rays handling their Division Series opponents in four games, the two teams were in position to have one of their top of the rotation guys ready to roll in game one of the best of seven American League Championship Series. For Boston, it was the 18-3 native of Japan, Daisuke Matsuzaka. Countering the Japanese phenom, Rays manager Joe Maddon sent the man they call “Big Game James”, James Shields to the mound. Shields was the very same pitcher that pegged Coco Crisp at Fenway Park to initiate the “brawl that started it all”, if you will.
The two teams took the field, ready to do battle in the oversized circus tent known as “Tropicana Field”. Both James Shields and Daisuke Matsuzaka struggled in the first inning and between the two starters almost sixty pitches were thrown in just the first inning alone. When Daisuke Matsuzaka takes the mound you can almost expect anywhere from 3-5 walks in the outing with very few of them if any at all touching home plate. I had projected before the game started that Daisuke would walk five batters and even I thought that was a little high. After the first inning, I was beginning to think maybe I didn’t project the walk total high enough.
Matsuzaka struggled with his command in the bottom of the first inning walking the bases loaded with two outs. In true Daisuke Matsuzaka fashion, he was at his best with runners on base. Weaving his way out of jams that he put himself in, Matsuzaka never shied away from using all of his pitches when he had runners on base or was behind in a count. From his cutter, to his two-seam fastball, his four-seam fastball, his changeup, his curveball, his slider and his splitter, Daisuke Matsuzaka used all of his pitches to dissect the Tampa Bay Rays lineup almost four times through.
In fact, Matsuzaka carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning before giving up back-to-back hits to Carl Crawford and Cliff Floyd. The no-hitter was bound to end sooner or later. TBS is no NESN to say the least, thanks to the unbiased commentary and the verbal reference to there being a no-hitter carried late into the game every five seconds, it was only a matter of time before the TBS announcers jinxed it. “Matsuzaka a no-hitter through five…still no hits for the Rays…let us remind you that the Rays still do not have a hit…Daisuke Matsuzaka currently is no-hitting the Tampa Bay Rays through six…” Okay, we get it; you want someone to get it hit. The right-hander did not let the departure of his no-hit bid effect his performance as he retired the next three batters consecutively to end the first and third with no outs threat in the bottom of the seventh inning.
James Shields pitched extremely well against the Boston Red Sox in game one but unfortunately for him, he caught Daisuke Matsuzaka on a career night. Shields pitched well enough to win this game but was simply out dueled by Matsuzaka. The Red Sox didn’t need much offense in this one thanks in part to the domination clinic that Daisuke was putting on for the cowbell crew down in St. Petersburg. The Red Sox did however get their offense started in the top of the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Jed Lowrie to drive in Mark Kotsay who had doubled to left in the at bat before him.
The Red Sox would later pick up a huge run in the top of the eighth inning when Dustin Pedroia singled to back up the middle and with David Ortiz at the plate, the Boston second baseman stole his respective bag to put a man in scoring position. David Ortiz followed the stolen base with a walk after not seeing a good pitch to hit with first base open. The cleanup hitter, Kevin Youkilis, came to the plate against J.P. Howell and after falling behind in the count 0-2 faster than Jacoby can steal a base, Kevin Youkilis fouled off pitch after pitch until he got one he could handle. On the sixth pitch of the at bat, Youkilis drove a sinking line drive out to left field that put Carl Crawford into a slide that may have hindered Crawford’s sizing up of the line drive. The ball tipped off of the glove of Crawford and skipped further back towards the left field corner.
So on a catch that a player like Carl Crawford makes 99 out of 100 times, the Red Sox fortunately got that one time and Kevin Youkilis had himself an RBI to give Boston a big insurance run with the score now 2-0. Youkilis is now hitting .531 career in the American League Championship Series. Daisuke Matsuzaka did come out for the eighth inning but failed to retire a batter giving up a leadoff single to Akinori Iwamura and an infield single to BJ Upton on a grounder that was too hot for Kevin Youkilis to handle down in the hot corner. Matsuzaka departed in the eight inning having thrown seven complete shutout innings against the AL East Division champions giving up four hits, four walks and setting a postseason career high with nine strikeouts. The bullpen gate opened for fellow countryman of Japan, Hideki Okajima. The left-handed reliever would be asked to shut down the Rays offense that was showing signs of life in the bottom of the eighth inning.
On a 3-0 count, Carlos Pena had the green light and swung at an 88 MPH fastball that JD Drew ran down for a shoe top catch for the out. Hideki Okajima got the job done retiring the power-hitting lefty and gave way to Justin Masterson, a sinkerball pitcher in a much needed double play situation. Masterson came on to face the American League Rookie of the Year to be, Evan Longoria, and Masterson won the battle getting Longoria to ground into the inning ending 6-4-3 double play. The book was closed on Matsuzaka and if the 2-0 lead held up, Daisuke would remain unbeaten on the road in 2008.
The Tampa Bay Rays had failed to capitalize on key situations with runners in scoring position and stranded seven runners on base throughout the game. If they were going to have any opportunities to score runs, they weren’t going to come against Jonathan Papelbon in the postseason. Papelbon came on for the bottom of the ninth and this game was over before Papelbon even threw a pitch. The camera in the dugout of the Rays showed a team that was beat even before the last out was made. Hanging heads, long faces and looks of frustration and disappointment filled the faces of the Rays and not one cowbell made a peep with Jonathan Papelbon on the mound.
The Boston closer needed just four pitches to blow Carl Crawford away on 96 MPH heat to open the inning. He made just as quick of work against Cliff Floyd for the second out of the inning and sat the Rays down in order to capture Game 1 of the series by striking out Dioner Navarro to put Boston on top in this best of seven series. The 2-0 victory for Boston was the lowest scoring game in ALCS history and was just the second time the Tampa Bay Rays have been shut out at home all season long. Papelbon’s perfect ninth inning of work moved him into the record books as his twenty and two thirds scoreless innings in the postseason have moved him ahead of Phil Niekro for most all time.
The Red Sox have to be feeling good about themselves having won the first game of this series with Josh Beckett set to go in Game 2 and Jon Lester waiting to take the ball in Game 3. If what’s expected to happen in these next two games actually happen, the Tampa Bay Rays are looking at a 3-0 deficit in this series with no chance of this series making it back to Tampa Bay, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It has been said that Game 4 of a best of seven is the biggest game of the series but for me, I believe that Game 2 in this particular series is the most important game. If the Red Sox can find a way to win Game 2 with Josh Beckett on the mound, it’s going to be extremely difficult for Tampa Bay to win two out of three or better at Fenway Park in October.
Josh Beckett is no stranger to the Tampa Bay lineup having faced the Rays in five starts in 2008. Josh Beckett was 2-1 with a 2.06 ERA against the Rays in 2008 but in his career at Tropicana Field the Boston ace has a remarkable 1.93 ERA in four starts. Opposing Josh Beckett will be Scott Kazmir. The left-handed pitcher struggled mightily in his last outing against the Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field. Kazmir was only able to give his team three innings and those three innings were abysmal. A total of nine earned runs came off of Kazmir on six hits including four home runs. With Josh Beckett on the mound, the Sox won’t need a blowout but the offense could certainly use one to build confidence for the remainder of the series.
-Jared Carrabis
-Jared Carrabis
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