Lester dominates Angels as Bay, Ellsbury shine in Game 1

Jacoby Ellsbury reacts after making a diving catch in the eighth, helping the Red Sox hold on for a 4-1 win

As of October 1st, the 100 wins that the Anaheim Angels obtained during the regular season didn’t matter. What mattered was who they were facing. What the experts who picked the Angels in this series against the Red Sox don’t know is that Boston is not only the defending champs, but they own the Angels when it comes to October baseball. They showed why they are the defending champions, and why they clobber Anaheim in the playoffs with a gutsy 4-1 win. Jon Lester took over the reigns as their ace, baffling the Angels over seven sharp innings. He allowed just one unearned run on six hits while striking out seven Angels, and enjoyed an offensive clinic put on by Jason Bay and Jacoby Ellsbury.

Jason Bay made his playoffs’ debut, and didn’t disappoint. Bay was facing Anaheim starter John Lackey for the first time in his career, and struggled with his offspeed pitches, striking out during his first two at-bats. In Bay’s third at-bat, Lackey started him off with a curveball for a strike, but then went to a high fastball, a pitch that doesn’t often fool Bay. He hammered it to left field for a two-run home run, putting Boston in front. It was an odd pitch selection for Lackey on a 0-1 count mainly because he doesn’t have an overpowering fastball, and was seemingly playing with fire throwing it to a spot where Bay does the most of his damage.

The two-out home run energized Boston, and it had the looks of a lead the Sox would not relinquish. Jacoby Ellsbury, who finished the last month of the season strong (he had a 18-game hitting streak during September), continued his tremendous, yet short, career in the postseason. During last years’ playoff run, Ellsbury was their sparkplug, and almost won the World Series MVP. His start to 2008’s October baseball was none different, as he collected three hits (he was on base five times, if a force-out counts), while scoring a run and driving in another. But perhaps more important than his offense in this game, was his defense. Justin Masterson, relieving Lester, came in to face the heart of Anaheim’s order. Mark Teixeira, to lead off the inning, lifted a pop-up into shallow center field. It looked as if it would drop between Ellsbury and second baseman Dustin Pedroia for a single, but no. Ellsbury came flying in to make a awkward sliding catch for the first out. He hesitated once the ball was first hit, but his closing speed was the difference. This snag was the most important play of the game, up to that point. It was huge because, in a one-run game, allowing the lead-off man to reach base means trouble.

Masterson, making his playoff debut found a way to get into trouble anyways. Vladimir Guerrero stepped up to the plate, and ripped a one-out single to left field. Next, came the unusual. Masterson made a good pitch to jam Torri Hunter, but Hunter fisted it off the glove of Kevin Youkilis in shallow right field, near the foul line. Guerrero, while the ball was in the air, had already strayed too far from first, so if Youkilis caught the ball, he would have easily been doubled up at first. But once the ball glanced off the glove of Youkilis, Guerrero, who had paused at second base to see what had transpired, decided not to stay there, and instead greedily ran for third. What Guerrero didn’t know, as his back what to the play, is that Youkilis came up with the ball quickly, which allowed the converted third baseman hop up, and gun him out by 15 feet at third. It was a bizzare play, to say the least, considering that Guerrero was already in scoring position at second base, and ignored the stop sign by the third base coach. This boneheaded play allowed Masterson to breathe a sigh of relief, as he faced Howie Kendrick, not with runners on first and second with one-out, but with Hunter at first with two-out. He retired Kendrick, after a lengthy at-bat, but if not for Guerero’s blunder, the Angels would have been in business.

Boston made Anaheim pay for their mistake in the eighth inning by garnering two insurance runs in the ninth. Jed Lowrie picked up his first playoff hit, a single to start the inning, and was moved over to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jason Varitek. Ellsbury strode to the plate, and, on the seventh pitch of his at-bat, knocked in Lowrie from second with a single. Dustin Pedroia, next up, watched Ellsbury steal his second base of the game, and advanced him over to third with a groundout. The Red Sox took advantage of Ellsbury’s baserunning, as David Ortiz, Senor Octubre, drove a single through the shift, scoring Boston’s fourth run.

The bottom of the Angels order was due up to face Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon. What made things worse was that the 15 position players on their ALDS roster were a combined 1-38 against Papelbon in their respective careers comng into the last of the ninth. Though Papelbon allowed his second hit against these Angels (now 2-42), he closed the door on a huge Red Sox win.