And that is why I'm glad that Maddon made the pitching switch to Shields for Game 6.
Kazmir pitched well, and the bullpen let him down big time. If that had happened to Shields tonight, I don't think Kazmir could have handled the pressure in a game 6. Shields should be able to.
Edit to add: I didn't say that it wouldn't go 6, just 7.
But while I don't feel that the Sox will be able to keep it up and make it to the W.S., I also have to remind myself that I felt this very same way in '04 and again in '07.
It's too bad that the Sox couldn't have gotten back their "thing" a few games ago (or even just one game ago) because the Rays are just too powerful and the Sox's "thing" can easily be extinguished by these Rays. I mean, sure the Sox lost something like 19-8 to the Yankees in '04, but that game was just bad management and one SUPER ego on the mound...and sure, in '07, the Sox were down 3 games to 1, but the Indiands were never as overpowering as the Rays. The games that the Sox lost this round were just plain losses...big time losses and that's what makes me nervous.
But considering what they accomplished last night, you have to wonder if the Sox are going to pull off yet another mind blowing come back. They just seem to thrive when their backs are too the wall. But it's going to be an insurmountable task, being that they'll have to beat the Rays at home TWICE! It'll definitely be interesting to watch.
The one thing I'll have to say about the Rays is, they have a great manager. Maddon is very calm and collective after these losses. They just don't seem to phase him. That's definitely got to make a positive impact on his team.
Especially with the talented group of YOUNG players that make-up the Rays. Maddon better be Manager of the Year.
He definitely seems to have taken a page from the Torre/Francona model. Maddon's challenge was to use it effectively with young talented players as opposed to a mix of young with high-paid veteran ballplayers. He seems to have wildly succeeded.
I'm not sure who I want to see the Phillies play in the WS. The Red Sox will have a huge momentum boost if they come back to win the ALCS, just like last season. And the Rays are a scary team, especially at the Trop, with all that firepower, and having to compete not only in a tough division, but in a tougher league.
Ya know, Joe...I've been thinking about this situation quite a lot since last night's unbelievable win for the Sox:
It's kind of eerie. On the one hand, I rationally think like you do that the Rays still have a huge advantage at this point in the series...being up 3-2 and heading home. But last night's win (in consort with all the media hype about how the Sox won in '04 & '07) HAS to be in the heads of the Rays team.
And you know the old adage about how anything can happen in a game 7. And THAT sentiment is what now might shift a lot of the pressure TO Shields in game six. No matter how good he is...a couple of early runs could allow things to get into his head, too. And there is still Beckett & Lester in the mix.
Like Mark says, us Red Sox fans know quite a lot about "hope." Intellectually I know the Rays are a force to be reckoned with...but us Sox fans never count our team out.
That's why, when Chip Caray announced after the Rays scored those two runs in the top of the seventh that many of the Sox faithful were heading to the exits, I turned to my wife and said, "there's still three innings to play! That's a full third of a game! What are those people going to think if the Sox are able to come back?"
Crazy.
One other note about last night's game. I thought Francona did a pretty nice "managing" job. It, of course, looks like genius now because of the outcome. But he wasn't afraid to do what needed doing: bringing Papelbon in early, pinch-hitting for Varitek (finally!), etc.
Mike, I totally feel your frustration about the so-called "Fenway Faithful" - The unfortunate thing about these "fans" that go to play off game is, a lot of them aren't what I'd consider the "True Red Sox" fans. Sure there are a lot of die hards, but most of them are people who only get excited around playoff time. I guarantee you that all of the people who left the game early, are the same people who only casually watched the Sox during the season, so it's truly unfair to say that the Fenway Faithful were deserting the Sox.
In fact, I would LOVE to have some way of tagging these people (as they left the stadium) so that they are NEVER allowed to purchase another ticket in the future. Hell, the Sox could be losing 20-0 in the 6th and I'd still wait until the very last pitch before every thinking about getting up. Those fans do NOT represent Red Sox Nation!!
Getting back to Game 6; I agree with Mike - The key to the Rays success is not letting this defeat get into their heads...and definitely not let the thoughts of a Game 7 get in the way of their performance in Game 6.
It's definitely going to be interesting to see how this inexperienced (in the playoffs) team handles this type of loss. It was clear that the hype of game 1 got to them, so this loss could also get to them. They are lucky they are back in Tampa where the crowd will help them try to shrug off the Sox momentum and clear out the cobwebs.
If they let two games slip out of their hands, it will be very hard to overcome (emotionally) for such a young/inexperienced team. It will definitely be interesting to see how they handle all of this. I have a feeling that the outcome will be major either way it goes. Either they'll dominate like in Games 3 & 4 or they'll collapse.
The only Rays players that should have had trouble sleeping after game 5 were the pitchers. The game was lost by the bullpen. The offense and defense (other than the fly Upton couldn't quite chase down and the errant throw by Longoria) did their jobs well. Fortunately pitchers tend to have the shortest memories of any baseball players. The Rays have shown their ability to win tight games, including must-wins all year and in the ALCS game 2.
I would expect them to play with the same mentality they did in the previous games.
And Maddon's mistake in game 5 was not going with Howell in the top of the 7th. Yeah, he gave up the game winner in the 9th, but I don't think the Rays would have been in that situation if he'd worked the 7th and 8th.
The Red Sox radio broadcast team has just announced that they are having longer than usual breaks during innings--something to do with the lack of TV coverage.
They said something about a power outage at Turner Broadcasting in Atlanta. :rolleyes
I take back everything I wrote about what I expected for this game. I admit I was wrong (and the game isn't even 2/3 over yet).
I still stand by the starting pitching change that Maddon made. I think things would have been worse tonight with Kazmir out there (and starting pitching had nothing to do with what happened in game 5 anyway).