2013 World Series recap - Glory for the Red Sox

BOSTON, MA – OCTOBER 30: A fan holds a sign after the Boston Red Sox defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 6-1 in Game Six of the 2013 World Series at Fenway Park on October 30, 2013 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

The Major League Baseball season came to a close yesterday, with the Boston Red Sox lifting the Commissioner’s Trophy after a 6-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals gave them an unassailable 4-2 lead in the best-of-7 series. Many of the closely fought games came down to the wire, in a much tighter affair than the 2012 sweep of the Detroit Tigers by the San Francisco Giants. Most of that tension was released fairly early on in the evening, to be replaced with jubilation, as the Red Sox scored 3 runs in the 3^rd and 4^th innings to take a 6-0 lead they never looked like surrendering.

The series itself was a back-and-forth contest, which started with an comfortable 8-1 cruise at home for the Red Sox, on the back of great pitching from ace Jon Lester who gave up no runs in nearly 8 innings. The 2011 champion Cardinals were no pushovers, however. Desperate to match the Giants’ feat of 2 trophies in 3 years (2010-2012), they won the 2^nd game in Boston 4-2, to take the finely balanced Series back to St. Louis.

The 3^rd game ended in a somewhat controversial manner, as the winning run in a 5-4 Cardinals victory was scored on a ruling that a fielder interfered with a base runner. Regardless of the manner, the win gave the Cardinals their first lead in the series. It didn’t last long, however, as the Sox narrowly edged a 4-2 win, which ended with the tying run at the plate for the Cardinals.

With the series again tied, both sides sent their aces to the mound for a crucial game 5. The Red Sox’ Lester was again superlative, giving up just one run as he outdueled Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals. Lester’s performance put the Red Sox back ahead, 3-2, setting up the final game on Wednesday night.

As good as the pitching was, however, the World Series MVP award was given to the Red Sox 1^st baseman/designated hitter David Ortiz, who safely reached base on 19 of 24 trips to the plate, for an incredible .760 On Base Percentage (OBP). For reference, the 2^nd best OBP on either side was .400 from Carlos Beltran of the Cardinals.

Drafted originally by the Minnesota Twins, ‘Big Papi’ Ortiz has become a cult hero in Boston, where he has now been a part of 3 World Series wins, including the 2004 win, which broke the 86-year-old ‘curse of the Bambino’. This win was probably even more special, however, as the first win on home soil since 1918, has a special significance, described in much better detail here, by Matt Vincent.

The Cardinals, meanwhile, will be left to once again think about what could have been. After winning it all in 2011, they looked set return to the World Series last year, after taking a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-7 National League Championship Series. They were unable to seal the deal, though, and that 4-3 loss to the Giants must be in their thoughts again, after they failed to capitalise on a 2-1 lead this year, with 2 home games left to play.

While the Cardinals were considered strong contenders for the crown right from the start, the Red Sox road to the top was much less expected. On their way to finishing last in the American League East division in 2012, the Red Sox unloaded several of their biggest named players in a blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Red Sox received very little in return, other than the removal of well over $100 million of salary. The move at the time was seen as a white-flag from a team who didn’t feel able to compete at the highest level.

But the Sox came back in the offseason, re-distributing the money more wisely, and bringing in free agents like catcher Mike Napoli and outfielder Shane Victorino, who hit the ground running. Combing well with established Red Sox retuning from injury or poor form, such as pitcher John Lackey 2^nd Baseman Dustin Pedroia and outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, along with the aforementioned Ortiz and Lester, they dominated the competition all season long, with the best winning % (59.9) in the league, while playing in the toughest division.

On paper, their path to the World Series looked tough: facing first the Tampa Bay Rays, who pushed them close for the AL East title all year and then the 2012 runners up, the Detroit Tigers. The Red Sox handled them both with games to spare, however. That set up the dream matchup for neutrals, against the Cardinals, who had tied them at 97-65 for the best record in baseball.

Their next task will be much simpler: planning a parade route to share their glory with the fans who’ve followed them all the way.