ANAHEIM, Calif. – The Red Sox paid John Lackey top-of-the-rotation money this offseason. Now, it appears that he is ready to earn it.
That point was underscored on Tuesday in Angel Stadium, where he made his home for eight seasons during a Halos career in which he went 102-71 in the regular season and forged numerous big moments in the postseason, including a victory in the 2002 World Series clincher.
Entering the game, it seemed that Lackey had every reason to excel. He was returning to the mound with which he is most familiar. The “Big A” unquestionably is a comfortable setting for him, as he is stilled referred to as “Big John” by numerous park employees.
But when he emerged from the Sox clubhouse prior to the game, it became clear that Lackey would be challenged in unique fashion. He was booed as he headed to the bullpen and booed when introduced over the P.A. system. He was chided once more when he took the mound in the bottom of the first inning, and as he walked off the mound in the eighth, the fans again shouted their disapproval of him.
None of that mattered. Lackey said that he didn’t need or receive any added motivation from the crowd’s reaction. Some of his teammates, however, felt that he rode an adrenaline surge to help him against his former club.
“That’s what happens man. Good players always go to the top of their game when they are facing their ex-team,” said David Ortiz. “Lackey, man, he was on. It was on.”
Regardless of the cause, Lackey continued his tremendous second-half stretch, logging 7 1/3 innings and allowing two runs against his former team. He allowed seven hits, walked one and struck out four to earn the victory in Boston’s 4-2 win over the Angels. (Recap.)
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That continued the pitcher’s most impressive run since coming to the Sox. In each of his last three outings, he has pitched at least seven innings and allowed two or fewer runs, the fourth time in his career (and first as a member of the Sox) that he’s had such a run. He has a 1.59 ERA in that time.
A pitcher who had been offering his club quality starts is now delivering dominant ones. He is showing command of four pitches (fastball, change, curve, slider), dotting i’s at will, to unbalance opposing lineups.
The Sox appreciated what Lackey was doing in the first half. Even though opposing hitters were taking some strong hacks against him, he still managed to keep his team in contests more often than not. Still, he is clearly pitching at a different level than was the case in the first half.
“I just think the sharpness of his pitches is really good,” said Sox manager Terry Francona. “All along, we’ve said that regardless of what he has, he’s going to get you deep into a game and you’ll have a chance to win. But I also think he has the ability to run off some games like he is.”
Lackey suggests that he is ready to continue riding his hot streak.
“I feel really strong at this point of the year,” said Lackey. “I’ve been repeating my delivery and executing pitches pretty well.”
He has been strong from start to finish in his outings. On Tuesday, he matched a season-high by throwing 124 pitches, and until the very end, there was little evidence of a toll taken by the workload.
But there was more than dominance and more than just strength in Lackey’s outing on Tuesday. There was something that the Sox had not yet seen from him: an edge. The right-hander made no secret of his displeasure at the reaction he received in his longtime baseball home.
He expected some note of appreciation for his many accomplishments. He received the opposite. Amidst the catcalls, Lackey proved unflappable. Afterwards, there was defiance in the way he answered questions about his outing and his reception.
“Definitely heard a lot of [the boos]. … That won’t be forgotten, for sure,” said Lackey. “Nobody wants to get booed like that. Scoreboard talks the loudest.”
Such statements were common for Lackey in his eight years with the Angels, but had rarely been offered as a member of the Sox. It was as if the return to his former ballpark had freed Lackey to once again be himself, both on the mound and off.
And so, perhaps it was no coincidence that the right-hander once again delivered the sort of game on which he built his reputation as a member of the Angels. In the process, he offered a reminder about his stature in the game.
Lackey (10-5) reached 10 wins for the eighth straight year, making him one of three pitchers (along with Derek Lowe and CC Sabathia) to achieve double digits in victories in every year since 2003.
Over the years, he has been one of the best and most consistent pitchers in the American League. Now, he is starting once again to resemble someone with those sorts of credentials. For the Sox, the development is a welcome one.
“He felt good coming out of spring training. He didn’t get overused. Now, it seems like there’s a lot more coming out of the tank, which is good,” said Francona. “We’ve got a long way to go.”