Boston Red Sox: 3 takeaways from the ALDS
The Boston Red Sox are headed to the ALCS!
If the first three games of the ALDS between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays hadn’t been dramatic enough, the Sox winning Game 4 in walk-off fashion was the icing on the cake. This series had it all. A grand slam. Two five-run innings. A game that required 13 innings to finish. With just a swing of the bat, it was over and on to the ALCS for Boston.
I think the Red Sox learned a lot about their team during this series. As incredible as the season was, the previous four games were something else. Boston was able to fall behind and come back swinging punch for punch. When others wanted to call the series a wrap after Game 1, the Red Sox were just warming up. They won the series with a tough bullpen and power behind the bats.
Since the Game 1 loss, there was no quit in the Boston lineup. Every inning was exciting to watch them bat, even when they had two outs against them. Sure, there was a hiccup from time to time, but the entire pitching staff made Tampa Bay fight for every run that was scored. Here are my three main takeaways from the ALDS.
Alex Cora is perfect for the Red Sox
As a lover of MLB baseball, I’ll admit it. When it was announced that Alex Cora would be suspended for a year for his involvement in what happened in Houston, I was all for the Red Sox replacing him immediately. I didn’t even care who would have filled the spot. I did not want Boston to be associated with a cheater.
The city of Boston is known as a city of great character. It is a place where legends belong. The last thing many Sox fans wanted was a manager who might tarnish that reputation. The team needed a skipper they could be proud to stand behind, someone they were willing to follow into battle. Cora ended up being the perfect man for the job.
Following the Game 4 win, Cora was on the field with emotions on full display. I can’t remember the last time I saw an MLB manager with tears on his cheeks after winning the ALDS. That’s something you save for winning the World Series, maybe the Championship series at the earliest. Cora didn’t care. His heart belongs to the Red Sox and the Boston faithful.
Cora had complete faith and trust in his team when no one else knew if they were even going to be a .500 ball club. After the disaster that was 2020, he was screaming, “don’t count us out,” as the 2021 season got underway.
After watching what he has built this season and then seeing how he responded to his team’s postseason performance, this is where he belongs. I know that this season is far from over, but I hope he is the man in Boston for years to come.
Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez had a strong comeback
After a rough go of it in his Game 1 start for the Red Sox, Eduardo Rodriguez was strong on the mound in Game 4. During Game 1 last Thursday, Rodriguez was unable to make it out of the second inning. He allowed two runs on just as many hits with just one strikeout.
In Game 4, Rodriguez was on the mound through five innings. He gave up two runs on three hits, sending six batters back to the dugout on strikes. It was the bounce-back performance he needed heading into the ALCS.
It has been a roller coaster of a season for the lefty, to say the least. There have been moments when he has looked like one of the better pitchers in the majors. But, at other times, you’ve had to question what he was doing in Boston’s starting rotation.
Rodriguez started 31 games during the regular season, pitching 157.2 innings. He allowed 83 earned runs off of 172 hits with 185 strikeouts. He carried a 13-8 record through the regular season with a 4.74 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP.
Rodriguez will be a free agent after the season ends. I’ll admit it. After his Game 1 performance, I thought it was safe to say this would be his last season in Boston. Regardless of how this year ends, there will be plenty of expectations for the Sox in 2022. There have been too many instances when he looked like the weakest link in the starting rotation for the Red Sox.
That being said, postseason heroics go a long way, especially with a franchise like Boston. If Rodriguez can put another couple of starts together looking as sharp as he did in Game 4, he might be right back starting home games at Fenway next year. Regardless of where he ends up playing next season, this was a solid bounce back.
Red Sox are playing with something to prove
It just seems like Boston started the ALDS still needing to prove themselves to the world. After winning the Wild Card game against the Yankees, the Red Sox still needed to prove they deserved to be in the postseason. This became even more of a reality after getting shut out 5-0 in Game 1.
Even during their 14-6 blowout victory in Game 2, it was still just a two-run game after the sixth inning. The Red Sox had to prove that they could win a game that was close two-thirds of the way through. In Game 3, the Red Sox needed 13 innings to show that the previous game in Tampa Bay wasn’t a fluke.
Maybe I’m looking into this too hard, but the Red Sox have been on the outside looking in since the season began. There has been something to prove since the opening pitch of the season. The doubters have been lurking behind every corner, waiting for Boston to slip so they could scream, “I told you so.”
Yes, the Red Sox belong in the ALCS. They have proven it.
Next. Red Sox clinch ALDS with consecutive walk-offs. dark