Beckett Dominant in Red Sox Win: Josh Beckett Struck Out Seven in Six Innings, and Mike Lowell and M

Oct 13, 04:43 AM

Current Headlines: By Clark Spencer, The Miami Herald

Oct. 13--BOSTON -- Josh Beckett performed a bit of housekeeping when he took the mound for Game 1 of the American League Championship Series at Fenway Park. He kicked the resin bag with his spikes, sending it tumbling down the incline, several feet beyond the rubber, and kicked it once more to make sure it would not interfere with his work.

Nothing got in Beckett's way Friday. Not the resin bag, and definitely not the Cleveland Indians, who were paralyzed by Beckett's venom the way the Chicago Cubs were in the 2003 NLCS, the New York Yankees were in that year's World Series, and the Los Angeles Angels were in the opening round of these playoffs.

Beckett worked his October magic once again, adding to his legend of the fall with Boston's 10-3 win, a whipping in which the ace of the Red Sox outshined his counterpart, the Indians' C.C. Sabathia, in a showdown of the league's top two starting pitchers.

"You don't like to say it's like there's no tomorrow," Beckett said. "That's not how you approach the games. But you try to win every one that you can."

Sabathia might wind up with the individual hardware when the Cy Young Award is announced next month. The votes were cast before the playoffs. But Beckett and the Red Sox could be hoisting the World Series trophy if they continue performing the way they did in sweeping the Angels in the division series and snatching the first game of the ALCS -- with so much ease.

Beckett didn't do it alone.

The Red Sox 2-3-4 hitters -- Kevin Youkilis David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez -- combined to reach base in 13 of their 15 plate appearances. Ramirez reached base in each of his five trips to the plate, as did Ortiz.

"They were on base 10 times," Francona said of Ramirez and Ortiz. "That's kind of the extreme."

Ramirez also made two noteworthy defensive plays, catching one line drive behind his head and another at the top of the grass blades. Former Marlin Mike Lowell also had a hand in the victory, driving in three runs.

But the story was Beckett.

Beckett blanked the Los Angeles Angels on a two-hitter in the division series, which left him one shutout shy of equaling Christy Mathewson's postseason record. But Travis Hafner quickly ended any chance of that occurring Friday, when his towering fly ball settled into the right-field seats for a solo home run to give the Indians a first-inning lead.

Hafner's blast caused no lasting harm, though. Beckett struck out the other three hitters in the first, and the home run was the only hit given up by the pitcher until Kenny Lofton doubled with two outs in the fifth.

"I think it's important to get your guys back in the dugout, particularly on a cold night," Beckett said of his quick work.

Cleveland's 1-0 lead didn't hold up for long, as the Red Sox went on the attack in the bottom of the first, stinging three consecutive singles up the middle, the latter by Ramirez scoring Youkilis to make it 1-1.

Sabathia's evening quickly unraveled in the third, when the Red Sox scored four runs, and it became apparent Sabathia would not be around for the conclusion when the winners shook hands on the field.

Despite batting around in the third, the Red Sox managed only two hits. But Sabathia contributed greatly to his own demise by hitting Ortiz with a pitch and walking three batters, one of them intentionally.

Though he got the win, Sabathia, walked six New York Yankees in only five innings of his division series outing, a troubling concern for the Indians, whose pitching staff issued the fewest walks in the majors during the regular season.

"He didn't have it tonight," Indians manager Eric Wedge said. "I don't think fatigue's a factor. I think sometimes C.C.'s heart gets in the way, he tries to do a little bit too much."

Sabathia didn't survive the fifth and left with an ugly pitching line: eight earned runs on seven hits, five walks and a hit batsman.

If the Red Sox can get past Fausto Carmona in Game 2, it could be curtains for Cleveland before the best-of-7 series has a chance to return to Boston.

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