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| (FenwayNation Photo) |
If you need any further evidence of the special nature of the 2013
Carmine Hose, take a look at the statistics in the ALCS. As a team, Boston hit .202 and struck out 73 times. And they won the series, 4 games to 2. The Red Sox literally picked their spots for the big hits at the big moments. Obviously, the
Shane Victorino and
David Ortiz grand slams and the
Mike Napoli HRs will be remembered forever, but there were a lot of smaller key hits that were nearly as important. Just in Game Six,
Jacoby Ellsbury's two-out rocket to right field scoring the first run off
Max Scherzer was
huge. Later,
Jonny Gomes' lead-off double (which just missed going out) in the seventh inning was the catalyst for the four-run outburst that eventually clinched the pennant. And, don't forget the "far-beyond-his-years" patience of rookie
Xander Bogaerts who teased a walk out of the Cy Young winner to keep the line moving in that same seventh inning (after his two-out double ahead of Ellsbury in the fifth). And—with a few exceptions—Boston's pitching was almost as good as Detroit's. Our bullpen—again with notable exceptions—was lights out. This series was filled with little moments—amid the general offensive funk—that decided the championship. May they continue to pick their spots in the World Series.
