So how come it already feels like the Red Sox are going to the World Series?
It just does. There's a swagger and confidence about this bunch. They do the right thing. They let the other guys make the mistakes.
It all started four years ago in the hours after the 19-8, Game 3 humiliation against the Yankees. Since that night, the Red Sox, for the most part, have been October gold.
"You just have to do the little things to help your team win," said Kevin Youkilis, who was there way back in '04. "You don't have to hit a grand slam. You just have to play defense, run the bases well, and grind out at-bats."
And that's what they do. The Rays had plenty of opportunities last night but failed to capitalize. The Red Sox always seem to come through when it counts. Ask the Angels. Ask the Colorado Rockies. Ask the Cleveland Indians, the St. Louis Cardinals, or the New York Yankees.
Including their historic ALCS comeback in 2004, the Sox are 23-7 in their last 30 postseason games. Toss out the 2005 Division Series sweep at the hands of the White Sox and Boston is 23-4 in tournament play since the embarrassing loss to the Yankees.
We have come to expect that good things will happen when it matters most. When the Sox get runners on first and third with no outs, a kid like Jed Lowrie will hit a sacrifice fly to make it 1-0. When Youkilis falls behind, 1 and 2, he's able to keep hitting foul balls until he gets a pitch he can handle, and then he doubles to left for a 2-0 lead. When the Rays get first and third with no outs, they fail to score. This is the way it's been for quite some time, and that's why it already feels like the Red Sox are going to the World Series.
Daisuke Matsuzaka (only the Dice Man could require 3 hours 25 minutes for a 2-0 victory) beat James Shields in Game 1. Boston's third best beat Tampa's best. The Sox have a game in the bank and now they have Josh Beckett and white-hot Jon Lester ready for Games 2 and 3. Could this be working out any better? No.
