We're No Angels

This set of ramblings was never going to be a daily chronicle of Red Sox games.  There are dozens of those out there that do a good job of Sox won/Sox lost/Sox was robbed. But for the ALDS I thought I'd do a round up, largely for my own benefit. Pretty soon they'll be embroiled in the ALCS with Tampa Bay and I'll forget.

Over the past few days the Sox and the Angels played four amazing and at times inept games, with the Sox taking both in Anaheim when I and most everyone else would have settled for a split and returning to Fenway to try to sweep them again.

Game 1

Because if the silly West Coast start times, I could simply leave work early on Thursday to get to see the whole game. Jon Lester's solid seven innings and Jason Bay's 2-run homer in his first ever playoff game led to a Sox 4-1 win.

Game 2

Saturday afternoon and Jason Bay did it again to start game 2 with a three run shot and the Sox had a 5-1 lead by the fourth. Then they dozed off and the Angels chipped away to tie at 5-5 in the 8^th. Ruh-oh.

Then JD Drew, who might not have been playing in this series, took their ace closer deep for two and Pap got the save.

Game 3

So back to Fenway for the sweep which was not to be. With Ted on an Awayday from North Carolina, Cyn, Kelly and Tru representing, the Angels won in extras courtesy on an awful fielding error which gave the Sox an undeserved lead, and some terrible umpiring calls which, eventually, gave the Angels the win in the twelfth. A long, tense, scratchy loss.

Following last year's play off superstition, I took a couple of days off and headed for the skifields for some snow and to watch the game away from home. Didn't get to see much snow (the top of Ruapehu was covered in cloud the whole time). I watched the game in a motel room in a town called Ohakune which exists for skiers and snowboarders and, apparently, for carrots.

Game 4

Picture from The Sydney Morning Herald

With the weather closing in again I decided the mojo wasn't working and headed home in time for the agony and the ecstasy of game 4 on Tuesday at 1:30. This was the twelfth Sox win in 13 postseason games against the Angels in their various guises. How could we have doubted them?

Lester demonstrated again that he's the ace of this team, pitching seven miserly innings and leaving with a 2-0 lead. No W though as the Angels pulled two back off Masterson who seemed overawed by the occasion.

Then AL MVP in waiting Dustin Pedroia got his first hit of the series and Jed Lowrie drove home the walk-off run scored by who else but Jay Bay. Can you say ALDS MVP?


Memorable play of the game: Tek chasing Willits back to third after a failed squeeze attempt.

Onward to Tampa. I've just been working the schedule into NZ summer time and I get civilized games on Saturday and Sunday but after that I may have to conjure up plausible reasons for working from home for Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, with two starts around 1:30 and one at 9:30 a.m.