For the first time since 2003, the World Series is competitive.
It has been six years since the Series went at least six games. The storylines in recent years have been given little time to develop.
Recent Octobers have been dominated by tradition-rich franchises claiming their first titles in ages, starting with the Red Sox in ’04 (ending an 86-year drought), and followed by the White Sox (88 years), Cardinals (24 years), Red Sox and Phillies (28 years).
But the great and memorable tension of the season’s most important games was missing. The series proved too lopsided to make the details truly engrossing.
Now, for the first time since Josh Beckett, then with the Marlins, took the Yankee Stadium mound on three days' rest in Game 6 of the 2003 World Series and shoved the ball down the Yankees’ throats, this year’s World Series is offering the sort of drama to engage every baseball fan, regardless of his or her allegiance.
The Yankees’ decision to use their starters on three days of rest could either be viewed as a stroke of genius or folly. The Phillies’ bullpen shuffle — closer Brad Lidge, who allowed three ninth-inning runs in Game 4 on Sunday, went unused in the ninth-inning of Philadelphia’s win on Monday, replaced by Ryan Madson — also will be scrutinized. Those topics represent the mere tip of the iceberg for a series that is becoming increasingly interesting to follow.
As such, it comes as little surprise that there has been no shortage of Red Sox-themed subtexts unfolding over the course of this year’s World Series. Here are five of the most compelling:
5) ‘MIKE LOWELL SURGERY’ MAY BE A REQUIREMENT FOR WORLD SERIES MVPS
Until roughly a year ago, the idea of surgery to repair a torn hip labrum was completely unfamiliar to the baseball world. But Mike Lowell — the Most Valuable Player of the 2007 World Series — set something of a precedent, undergoing precisely such a procedure last October.
In the months that followed, other players followed Lowell’s path, including the most significant members of both the Yankees and Phillies lineups.
Alex Rodriguez, who had surgery on his torn hip labrum in spring training, is hitting .360 (BA)/.484 (OBP)/.820 (SLG)/1.304 (OPS) with six homers and 18 RBI this postseason. In the World Series, he is leading the Yankees with six runs batted in.
Chase Utley, who underwent hip labrum surgery last November, went deep Monday night for the fifth time in the World Series, tying the record for most homers in a single Fall Classic. He is hitting .314/.435/.686/1.121 in October.
Their performances, coupled with Lowell’s meaningful contributions to the Sox this year, suggest that the surgery will become increasingly common going forward.
4) CLIFF LEE: WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN
This has been a common lament for every team in the postseason, aside from the Phillies. The Dodgers talked with the Indians about acquiring Lee at the trade deadline, as did the Angels. Everyone contender had reason to jump in the market on a pitcher whose talent and affordable contract would make him a powerful addition for both 2009 and 2010. The Sox were no different.
When Lee was being shopped by the Indians in July, the Sox believed they had a realistic chance to acquire both Lee and Victor Martinez, thus acquiring both a No. 1 pitcher and a middle-of-the-order hitter.
Had the Sox pulled off such a deal — which would have required a massive package of prospects in return, including pitcher Clay Buchholz — it would have represented arguably the largest mid-year addition in baseball history: a reigning Cy Young winner and an All-Star catcher/first baseman.
Instead, the Indians decided to make separate deals involving Lee and Martinez, and their seven-prospect haul from those two deals may well have been more significant than what they would have gotten from the Sox in a combined deal.
Moreover, Lee might not have been able to make a difference for the Sox against the Angels, considering that the Sox were at their most competitive in the Division Series in the game started by Buchholz.
All the same, one cannot help but wonder what kind of position the Sox might have been in not just this autumn, but also in 2010, had they acquired
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