Pedroia Powers Sox Into Series

Smash Cleveland 10-3 to take 1-0 ALCS lead

(NEWSER) - Game 1 of the ALCS did not prove to be the pitching duel between Cy Young candidates that many had expected, as the Red Sox battered Cleveland starter C.C. Sabathia en-route to a 10-3 victory, the Providence Journal reports. Sabathia was rocked for eight runs in four and a third innings, while Josh Beckett coasted through six, giving up two runs on four hits. More»

Rays' talent rises to occasion, avoids epic collapse in beating Boston to seal Series trip

(NEWSER) - The improbable has happened. The Tampa Bay Rays have ousted the defending champion Red Sox. Sportswriters, start your fawning:

• The Rays won this thing with “talent, talent, talent,” which trumps experience every time, writes Bob Ryan in the Boston Globe. “The best team in the American League is going to the World Series.”
• Besides, the Rays played like grizzled veterans, writes George Vecsey of the New York Times, thanks to a “lineup full of heroes doing the big things and the small things.”

(NEWSER) - The worst-to-first Tampa Bay Rays completed a stunning run to their first World Series, holding off the defending champion Boston Red Sox, 3-1, last night behind Matt Garza's masterful pitching in Game 7 of the ALCS. "It's unbelievable," center fielder BJ Upton said. "We battled a lot of adversity this year. We stuck together as a team." More»

Comeback kings 'played like it was their last game'

(AP) - The Boston Red Sox, playing like the defending champs they are, came out swinging and beat Tampa Bay 4-2 last night to force a seventh game in an American League championship series that the Rays had all but wrapped up two days ago. "We went out there and played like it was our last game,” said Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis. “It was awesome." More»

(NEWSER) - The Red Sox stayed alive tonight with a stunning 8-run rally over the last 3 innings, the Globe reports. Boston trailed Tampa 7-0 after 6 innings but scored 4 in the 7th and 3 in the 8th to tie the game. In the bottom of the 9th, a base hit by JD Drew brought home Kevin Youkilis with the winning run as the Fenway faithful erupted. The 8-7 win marks the biggest postseason comeback since 1929. Tampa still leads the ALCS series 3-2 with Game 6 on Saturday. More»