What a Relief
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by Deang929
This article originally appeared on The Fung Wah Sports Connection
The Red Sox are going to win the World Series this year because they have what won them the World Series in 2004. A bullpen. Yes there was Papi's magical late inning heroics, and Schilling's bloody sock. But what made those moments possible, the nuts and bolts of that astounding 8-game-winning streak that started down 0-3 in the ALCS and ended with champagne showers in St. Louis--Keith Foulke and the Boston bullpen.
Lets take a trip down memory lane:
Game 4 (ALCS): The Red Sox bullpen gave up just one run in 6.2 IP, but more importantly shut out the Yankees from the seventh inning through the 12th inning.
Game 5 (ALCS): The showcase game for the bullpen, pitching eight shutout innings in which a single Yankee run in any of those eight frames would have spelled an end to the season.
Game 6 (ALCS): The pen was handed a 4-1 lead in the 8th inning and held on for the 4-2 lead.
Game 7 (ALCS): The offense took care of this one although the bullpen didn't give up a run (not counting the 7th inning in which Francona went with Pedro out the pen. Martinez gave up two runs, but managed to pitch his way out of the inning. )
In the World Series it was Keith Foulke getting the win in Game 1 with 1.2 scoreless innings of relief. In games three and four, Foulke came away with a pair of saves and his teammates in the bullpen were able to get him on the mound with a chance to close out both games.
Foulke spearheaded a bullpen that played out of it's mind for that playoff run. In 2004, Foulke pitched 14 playoffs innings and gave up only one run, had a record of 1-0 and was 3 for 3 in save opportunities.
It was a shame he feel apart in 2005 and was booed out of town (in the boo birds defense, his attitude, at least in interviews, was absolutely atrocious), because what he did in October of 2004 is the stuff legends are made of.
Flash forward to 2007. The Red Sox have the best bullpen in the American League, a gun slinging 25-year-old closer with a razor thin ERA, and a Japanese import who was the best setup man in the majors for the first half of the 2007 season and also found himself on the all-star roster. Its not often a team sends two relief pitchers to the All-Star game, but this year the Red Sox deserved to.
So far this season Boston bullpen has an ERA of 2.77, the Mariners and Twins are tied for second with bullpen ERA's of 3.42. But Okajima and Papelbon aren't the only reason why the Red Sox relievers best the field by over half a run. The Red Sox pen is deep. Manny Delcarmen has come up from AAA and posted a 1.32 ERA in 13.2 IP. Left-hander Javier Lopez has a 2.96 ERA in 24.1 IP, while Kyle Snyder has been strong in long relief with a 3.21 ERA in 33.2 innings.
It's incredible that this is the same team who ranked dead last in bullpen ERA in 2005 (5.15) and in 2006 had a overall bullpen ERA of 4.51, good for 9th out of 14 AL teams, despite Papelbon's 0.93 ERA.
It's been a complete turnaround in two years. With a starting pitching staff that can put the Red Sox in front and now, finally, a complete bullpen to close the deal, the Red Sox will be a formidable foe for any team come October. Well....as long as the offense wakes up.
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Papelbon has yet to pitch a full season and is only in his second "full" one...no legit playoff experience...
Okajima is the same...except he does have decent experience from Japan...I don't know enough about it to give you a respectable opinion, but...
Timlin is old...he really hasn't been the same in 5 years, but is an adequate pen arm...just adequate
Lopez is a nice arm and a solid lefty...he will be valuable
Delcarmen has looked good in his few appearences this year...then again, he also has a career 4.14 ERA...which is just okay
and of course...Joel Pineiro...lets just pretend he doesn't exist because come the playoffs Taverez will be in the pen and Pineiro will just be there to collect a paycheck...
It ain't all peachy, but it looks pretty good...