- 2007 Boston Red Sox season
MLB yearly infobox
name =Boston Red Sox
season = 2007
misc = "World Series Champions" "American League Champions" American League East Champions
current league =American League
y1 = 1901
division =East Division
y2 = 1969
Uniform
ballpark =Fenway Park
y4 = 1912
city = Boston,Massachusetts
y5 = 1901
owners = John HenryTom Werner Larry Lucchino
managers =Terry Francona
television =New England Sports Network
radio =WRKO WEEI WROL (Spanish)|The Boston Red Sox' 2007 season began with the Boston,Massachusetts -basedMajor League Baseball team trying to rebound after a disappointing 2006 season, in which they finished third in theAmerican League East behind theNew York Yankees and theToronto Blue Jays , and missed the postseason for the first time since by|2002. They rebounded from the disappointment of 2006 by posting the best record in the league, winning theAmerican League East division with a lead they never relinquished sinceApril 18 , and winning theAmerican League Pennant. Advancing to the World Series, the Red Sox beat the Rockies in four straight games, winning their second Championship in four years.Off-season
On
November 14 ,2006 , Major League Baseball announced that the Red Sox had competed for the rights to negotiate a contract with Japanesepitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka . Boston won with a bid of $51.1 million and had 30 days to complete a deal. OnDecember 13 ,2006 , the day before the deadline, Matsuzaka signed a six-year contract worth $52 million.It was initially announced that closer
Jonathan Papelbon would become a starter in by|2007, partially to protect his arm from the injury that sidelined him for the final month of his rookie season. [ [http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2006/12/07/epstein_working_to_save_the_season/?page=2 Epstein working to save the season] ] With Papelbon planned to be a starter andKeith Foulke declining arbitration and leaving the team, the Red Sox began building up their bullpen in search of a new closer. Left-handed pitchersHideki Okajima andJ.C. Romero and right-handed pitcherJoel Piñeiro were signed as free agents.Brendan Donnelly was acquired from the Los Angeles Angels in a trade for pitcherPhil Seibel .However, there was no clear candidate for the closer role. Papelbon wanted to re-fill that spot, and team officials believed he had rehabilitated himself so well in the offseason that his health of this shoulder was no longer a concern, and allowed him to return to the bullpen. [ [http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2007/03/23/papelbon_takes_closing_argument Papelbon takes closing argument] ]
The Red Sox lost free agent Álex González to the
Cincinnati Reds (leading the Red Sox to signJulio Lugo ) andMark Loretta to theHouston Astros (allowingDustin Pedroia to become the team's starting second baseman).Trot Nixon , also a free agent, signed with theCleveland Indians , creating the need for a right fielder. The Red Sox pursuedJ.D. Drew , who had recently opted out of the remainder of his contract with theLos Angeles Dodgers to become a free agent. However, the Red Sox medical staff had concerns about Drew's previously injured shoulder. OnJanuary 25 ,2007 , the Red Sox and Drew agreed to a 5-year deal worth $70 million.Outfielder Gabe Kapler , age 31, announced his retirement to fulfill his life long dream of becoming a coach. The Red Sox named him manager of their single-A affiliate, theGreenville Drive .At the end of spring training of 2007, the Red Sox traded minor league veteran catcher Alberto Castillo for
Baltimore Orioles outfielderCory Keylor .Regular season
Honoring a Boston legend
A bright green, with "Red Sox" in white letters outlined in red across the front was worn on
April 20 ,2007 to honor formerBoston Celtics coach, general manager and presidentRed Auerbach , who passed away during the previous off-season.Opening Day Lineup
=World Series vs.Colorado Rockies =* Boston wins series 4-0
Other batters
* Statistics listed are only for games started.Relief pitchers
-World SeriesDivision Series
The Red Sox not only won the AL East Division for the first time in 12 years, but clinched the best record in the American League—and all of baseball. While their 96-66 record was the same as that of the
Cleveland Indians , the Red Sox held the season series tiebreaker for American League home-field advantage, having bested the Tribe 5 games to 2. Thus, the wild cardNew York Yankees were sent to Cleveland while the Sox would host theLos Angeles Angels of Anaheim .Josh Beckett started the series with a complete-game shutout in Game 1, resuming his dominance of the postseason after a three-season absence. AlthoughKevin Youkilis would hit a solohome run in the first inning that would prove to be all the offense Beckett needed,David Ortiz would provide additional support with a two-run homer in the third to cap off a 4-0 Game 1 victory. Game 2 was much closer, withDaisuke Matsuzaka andKelvim Escobar each surrendering three runs by the time the fifth inning was done. In the bottom of the ninth, after aJulio Lugo single and David Ortiz's playoff record-tying fourth walk of the night (this time, intentional),Manny Ramírez ended the game with a towering home run that leftFenway Park over theGreen Monster . With a 6-3 Game 2 win, the Red Sox would go toAngel Stadium of Anaheim with a 2-0 series lead.In Game 3,
Curt Schilling brought back the dominant pitching, scattering six hits and striking out four in seven innings of shutout work. He had plenty of run support as well, with Ortiz and Ramírez hitting back-to-back solo home runs in the fourth, and a progression of hits that scored seven more in the eighth inning.Eric Gagné gave up the only run, giving up a ground-rule double toMaicer Izturis in the bottom of the ninth, then advancing Izturis to third on a wild pitch before giving up a sacrifice fly toHowie Kendrick that scored Izturis. After that, a strikeout and a flyout ended the game with a 9-1 Red Sox victory to clinch a series sweep.The Red Sox sweep was one of three Division Series sweeps in the 2007 post-season. Only one series would go more than three—the Indians beat the Yankees in four games.
League Championship Series
In Game 1,
Travis Hafner got the first run on Josh Beckett with a solo home run in the first inning. Manny Ramírez answered back, driving in Kevin Youkilis with a single in the bottom of the first. After that, Beckett would settle in, while Indians starterC.C. Sabathia would fall apart. In the bottom of the third, he would give up a ground-rule double toJulio Lugo , then after a bunt groundout forDustin Pedroia , he walked Kevin Youkilis, hit David Ortiz, and walked Manny Ramírez to give up the lead. Then he gave up a double toMike Lowell that scored Youkilis and Ortiz. AfterBobby Kielty was walked,Jason Varitek hit a groundout that could not be turned into a double-play, scoring Ramírez. The Sox would tack five more on, and win Game 1, 10-3.Game 2 was a slugfest, with
Curt Schilling andFausto Carmona both failing to make it out of the fifth inning, and a 6-6 tie after six innings. The game drew into extra frames, but the Red Sox bullpen got hammered in the top of the eleventh, with Eric Gagné,Javier Lopez andJon Lester giving up seven runs. The Red Sox failed to answer back, and lost Game 2, 13-6. The series was even headed to Cleveland.In Game 3, Daisuke Matsuzaka gave up 4 runs, and Jason Varitek provided the only Red Sox offense with a two-run homer in the seventh, as the Indians took the
Jacobs Field opener, 4-2, for a 2-1 series lead. Game 4 did not start much better for the Red Sox, with a seven-run fifth inning that sawManny Delcarmen allow four runs (two charged to starterTim Wakefield ). In the top of the sixth, the Sox showed some life with back-to-back-to-back solo home runs by Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz and Manny Ramírez. That would be all the Sox offense, as they fell, 7-3, to end up in a 3-1 ALCS hole once again.Once more, the Red Sox faced ALCS elimination. But one person who was not panicking was Manny Ramírez. In his typical "Manny Being Manny" attitude, Ramirez told reporters that if the Red Sox were eliminated, it wouldn't be "the end of the world." His comments seemed "laissez faire" at the time, as many members of the Boston media chose to interpret them as meaning that Manny would not put forth his best effort in the games to come and would thus disrupt his team's ability to compete. Fate would prove them wrong though. With Josh Beckett on the mound again for Game 5, the Red Sox dominated, with Kevin Youkilis driving in three and David Ortiz driving in two to power a 7-1 Red Sox victory to force the ALCS back to
Fenway Park .The Red Sox were hardly finished. In Game 6, Curt Schilling redeemed himself, giving up two runs in seven innings, while
J.D. Drew hammered a grand slam in the first inning, and the Sox tacked on six more in the third, leading to a 12-2 victory. Eric Gagné finished the game by pitching a perfect 9th inning. Game 7 gave Daisuke Matsuzaka his chance at redemption, and he did not disappoint, giving up 2 runs in five innings, whileHideki Okajima andJonathan Papelbon each pitched two scoreless innings. The Sox hammered out a run in each of the first three innings, then exploded with a Dustin Pedroia two-run homer in the seventh, and six more runs—including another two-run homer by Kevin Youkilis—in the eighth. With an 11-2 Game 7 victory, the Red Sox came back once again from elimination, bringing them to their second World Series in four years.2007 World Series
At first, the World Series would seem like a tough task. After going the distance with the Indians, the Red Sox had to face the red-hot
Colorado Rockies , who had just finished a 21-of-22 run that included forcing and winning a Wild Card one-game playoff with theSan Diego Padres , then sweeping thePhiladelphia Phillies in the NLDS and theArizona Diamondbacks in the NLCS. The Red Sox were counting on their historically-dominant postseason pitching and the possibility that 8 days off would leave the Rox rusty.Game 1 proved, once more, to be a domination. Josh Beckett gave up just one run in seven innings of work while striking out nine, while Rockies starter
Jeff Francis gave up a home run on his second pitch to Dustin Pedroia in the bottom of the first, and a total of six runs in four innings. It got worse from there, as the Red Sox hammered relieverFranklin Morales for seven runs in the fifth inning. The Red Sox took Game 1, 13-1.In Game 2, Curt Schilling gave up one run in 5 1/3 innings, and Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon finished the game flawlessly. This time, the dominance was necessary, as the Red Sox scored two times, with Jason Varitek driving in Mike Lowell in the fourth, then Lowell driving in Manny Ramírez in the fifth for their only offense of the game. With a 2-1 Game 2 win, the Red Sox went to
Coors Field in Denver with the advantage, hoping the rarefied air would not affect them too much.Game 3 would begin with another dominating offensive performance. Boston struck first, with six runs in the third inning that would knock out Rox starter
Josh Fogg . Mike Lowell and pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka each had two RBIs, and Manny Ramírez was called out at home on a controversial, but ultimately correct, tagout call. The Rockies would try to come back, bringing in five runs, including aMatt Holliday home run. But the Sox would put it away, with rookies Dustin Pedroia andJacoby Ellsbury combining to drive in three in the eighth inning, and Mike Lowell scoring the final Sox run in the ninth to seal a 10-5 win that put the Red Sox one game away from their second World Series Championship in four years.Game 4 gave
Jon Lester his shot at redemption, with a back injury toTim Wakefield giving him the start. He was scoreless in 5 2/3 innings, with Mike Lowell scoring two runs and Jacoby Ellsbury scoring one in support. In the eighth inning, Bobby Kielty hit a pinch-hit home run to put an end to the Sox's scoring. Hideki Okajima almost gave the game up, allowing two runs in the eighth before Jonathan Papelbon came in to save the game in 1 2/3 innings. The Red Sox celebrated a 4-3 win and a four-game World Series sweep at Coors Field. Mike Lowell, with his .400 average and six runs scored, was named the MVP of the World Series.Two days later, on
October 30 , the Red Sox were the guests of honor in a Rolling Rally through Boston, after which the team began to lay their plans for the 2008 season.Red Sox Rookies
During the course of the 2007 season, the Red Sox were helped out and sometimes carried by rookies. Three rookies stick out in particular.
Dustin Pedroia ,Jacoby Ellsbury , andClay Buchholz all had their moments and left their mark of this season in Red Sox history.Dustin Pedroia began the season as the Red Sox starting second baseman. Pedroia, 24, struggled in April only batting .182, with 10 hits in 55 at-bats. Although he struggled in the first month, Pedroia heated up batting an outstanding .415 in the month of May. Pedroia was honored as American League Rookie of the Month for the month of May. Pedroia continued this hot hitting for the remainder of the season. Pedroia also excelled his play in the postseason by 2 HR and driving in 10 runs in 14 games to help the Red Sox win the World Series. Pedroia ended batting .317 which ranked 10th among all American League players. Pedroia also finished with 8 home runs and 50 runs batted in. Pedroia won the American LeagueRookie of the Year award.Pedroia was not the only rookie position player to make an impact this season.Jacoby Ellsbury , 24, made his MLB debut onJune 30 . Instantly Ellsbury succeeded. In only 33 games and 116 at-bats, Ellsbury hit .353, had 3 home runs, and had 41 hits. Jacoby also showed off his versatility by stealing 9 bases without getting caught. Ellsbury also had a terrific postseason. Ellsbury replaced center fielderCoco Crisp in Game 6 of the ALCS against the Indians. He did not heat up until Game 3 of the World Series where had 4 hits and 2 doubles. Ellsbury batting an amazing .438 in the 4-game sweep of theColorado Rockies .The Boston Red Sox also had one incredible rookie pitcher named
Clay Buchholz . Buchholz, 23, made his MLB debut onAugust 17 . In his first start against theLos Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Fenway Park, Buchholz pitched 6 innings, allowing 3 earned runs, while striking out 5 batters. However, it was not until his second Major League start before Clay Buchholz became a household name throughout Red Sox Nation. OnSeptember 1 against theBaltimore Orioles atFenway Park , Buchholz pitched a no-hitter. He struck out 9 Orioles including Oriole right fielderNick Markakis on a curveball to complete this outstanding feat. Buchholz became the second rookie in Major League history to pitch a no-hitter. Buchholz pitched in 4 games with the Red Sox. He was 3-1 with a 1.59 ERA and 22 strikeouts. Despite his success in the regular season, Buchholz was left off the Red Sox postseason roster due to what Red Sox management determined was a fatigued arm. He is expected to be a big part of the future of the Red Sox.eason Milestones
The season got off to a wonderful start in April. On
April 22 ,2007 , in a game against theNew York Yankees , the Red Sox hit four consecutivehome run s for the first time in franchise history (and the fifth time in major league history), [ [http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070422&content_id=1925045&vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos. Sox tie mark with four straight homers] - accessedApril 23 ,2007 ] whenManny Ramírez ,J.D. Drew ,Mike Lowell , andJason Varitek all hit home runs off Yankees pitcherChase Wright . Drew also hit the second of four consecutive home runs the last time this happened, when theLos Angeles Dodgers did it against theSan Diego Padres onSeptember 18 ,2006 . That series was also the first series since the 1990 season that the Red Sox swept the Yankees in a three-game series at Fenway. [ [http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20070422&content_id=1924886&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos Boston's five homers sink Yankees] - accessedApril 23 ,2007 ]Six members of the Red Sox were chosen to play in the season's all-star game.
David Ortiz was elected to start at first base by the fans, third basemen Mike Lowell and outfielder Manny Ramírez were chosen by their fellow players as reserves. PitchersJosh Beckett andJonathan Papelbon made the initial team, and relieverHideki Okajima was voted in by the fans as the winner of the 32nd-man internet vote. It was the first time the Red Sox had more than two pitchers make the all-star team. [ [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/baseball/mlb/07/05/final.vote.okajima.ap/index.html AP press release on Hideki Okajima] found on SI.com] Josh Beckett was credited with the win for the American League.On
September 1 ,2007 , against theBaltimore Orioles , rookie pitcherClay Buchholz threw ano hitter on his second major league start. He was the first rookie in Red Sox history to throw a no hitter, as well as the 17th pitcher in Red Sox history to throw one. He got ninestrikeout s and gave up three walks and hit one batter.Julio Lugo andCoco Crisp became the first pair of Red Sox players to have at least 25 stolen bases sinceTris Speaker andHal Janvrin in 1914. [Sports Illustrated,September 24 ,2007 , p. 24]Farm system * Class AAA:
Pawtucket Red Sox (International League ; Ron Johnson, manager)
* Class AA:Portland Sea Dogs (Eastern League;Arnie Beyeler , manager)
* Class A:Lancaster JetHawks (California League ; Chad Epperson, manager)
* Class A:Greenville Drive (South Atlantic League ;Gabe Kapler , manager)
* Class SS-A:Lowell Spinners (New York-Penn League ;Gary DiSarcina , manager)
* Rookie:GCL Red Sox (Gulf Coast League ;Dave Tomlin , manager)References
*Game Logs::1st Half: [http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/teams/schedule?team=bos&season=2007&seasonType=2&half=1 Boston Red Sox Game Log] on ESPN.com:2nd Half: [http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/teams/schedule?team=bos&season=2007&seasonType=2&half=2 Boston Red Sox Game Log] on ESPN.com
*Batting Statistics: [http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/teams/stats?team=bos Boston Red Sox stats] on ESPN.com
*Pitching Statistics: [http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/teams/pitching?team=bos Boston Red Sox pitching stats] on ESPN.comsuccession box
title = AL East Championship Season
years = 2007
before =New York Yankees
2006
after = Tampa Bay Rays
2008succession box
title = American League champion
years = 2007
before = Detroit Tigers
2006
after = currentsuccession box
title = World Series champion
years = 2007
before = St. Louis Cardinals
2006
after = current
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