Home Run Derby

Game 1 of the Red Sox vs. Angels series showcases a couple of proven big game pitchers.

Angels starter John Lackey capped off his 2002 rookie campaign with a solid postseason finalized by a win in Game 7 of the World Series.

The next year, Josh Beckett, starting tonight for the Sox, led the Florida Marlins to a World Series win which he capped off with a complete game win in the decisive Game 6 at Yankee Stadium. These two pitchers proved that this past success is no fluke, with Lackey finishing tied for second in the big leagues with 19 wins this season and Beckett leading the Majors as the only 20-game winner.

This might sound like a surefire pitcher’s duel, but a quick look at both pitchers’ numbers at Fenway and against their series opponents tells a different story.

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100 days ago today, authorities found the body of “The Shooter,” Rod Beck.  He had passed away at his home in Arizona at the age of 38. 

He played with passion and was not above talking to fans after the game or outside the trailer he lived in while playing in the minor leagues.

Since Rod Beck played for two 2007 MLB Playoff teams (the Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox) and he played for a team that almost made the playoffs (the San Diego Padres) …

Please take a moment with Home Run Derby to remove your caps and observe a moment of silence for The Shooter. 

The following video retrospective is from the fabulous June 25 tribute and moment of silence at the June 25th game between the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park in San Francisco …

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It’s The Late Show with Major League Baseball! 

Starring the Chicago Cubs and the Arizona Diamondbacks!

The 2007 Diamondbacks are a rarity - a winning team that was outscored during the regular season.  For reference, the 1987 Minnesota Twins are the only team to win a World Series after having been outscored in the regular season.

The D-Backs got in this position due to a great stretch run by Brandon Webb (42 consecutive scoreless innings in July-August), an overacheiving bullpen, and stud closer Jose Valverde (who could give Zambrano a run for his money in crazy) which has often shut down the competition. 

But besides the bat of pitcher Micah Owings (.333 with 4 HR in 60 AB), there’s not much else to crow about in the D-Backs starting rotation.

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The 2007 MLB Playoffs start off with a matchup of two teams who have been on fire during the latter half of September. 

Not to mention a matchup of the 2006 National League MVP (Ryan Howard) against the likely 2007 NL MVP (Matt Holliday).

This matchup looks to be the most fun of the four Divisional series from an offensive standpoint.  

• The Colorado Rockies, who fought against elimination seemingly every night for the last week of the season by finishing 14-1 (including Monday night’s dramatic 13-inning victory that was a 163rd game) to clinch the NL Wild Card berth.
• The Philadelphia Phillies, who came back from 6 1/2 games down with two weeks to go by finishing 13-4 to steal the NL East Championship.  Special thanks go the the Mets (without their collapse, none of this would have been possible).

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