2014 Season - World Series Game 4 - bayers3's Dynasty

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2014 Season - World Series Game 4

Posted on June 17, 2014 at 09:14 PM.

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THE BOSTON GLOBE (RED SOX DYNASTY REPORT)

BOSTON, MA - Tonight the Dodgers would face elimination, and Don Mattingly did the only thing left to do; start Clayton Kershaw. The Dodgers would have a Kershaw-Greinke gauntlet for Boston to run if they were going to get this series back to LA, but John Farrell had Lester waiting for a Game 5 showdown. jake Peavy, the battle tested veteran, would start for Boston tonight.

After an inning and a half the Red Sox were the first to get on the scoreboard. A Mike Napoli solo-HR over the Green Monster would make it 1-0 and put the Dodgers up against the wall early. The heart of LA's order came up again in the 4th, and they were not impressed with Peavy and his 3 shutout innings. Adrian Gonzalez struck back with a solo-HR, and then Yasiel Puig did the same for a 2-0 lead.

Nobody could have predicted Kershaw would struggle again

What followed in the bottom of the 4th was unbelievable and heartbreaking for Boston. Dustin Pedroia hit a line drive off the Green Monster and tried to stretch it into a double, but he was called out at second. After a long shouting match between Farrell and the umpires Mike Napoli hit a triple that should have driven in Pedroia. Mill Middlebrooks came up next and hit a ducksnort just over Alex Guerrero, that he probably would have caught the night before, and Napoli scored to make it 2-2. Kershaw was starting to have Deja Vu when singles from Victorino and Ross loaded the bases, he was in danger of melting down like in Game 1. Luckily for Kershaw Grady Sizemore and Jackie Bradley Jr. swung like crazy and struck out to end the inning.

Gonzalez strikes back

Things went smoothly again until the 6th when Peavy put himself, and Boston's chances, in series danger. A single by Adrian Gonzalez was followed by walking three consecutive batters and giving LA a 3-2 lead. The Red Sox managed to salvage the inning with a 4-6-3 double play, but they would have needed a triple play to prevent Puig from coming in from 3rd and falling behind 4-2.

Boston got right back to putting Kershaw in trouble in the bottom of the 6th. Middlebrooks hit a line drive that bounded over the low RF wall for a ground rule double that scored Napoli and made it 4-3. Bradley Jr. turned the tables on LA with a 2RBI double that drove in Sizemore and Ross to make it 5-4 Boston. Mattingly came out, practically before Sizemore had crossed home plate, and sat Kershaw for Brian Wilson. Wilson pitched two innings and gave up a solo-HR to David Ross in the 8th to go down 6-4 and basically seal the victory for Boston.

Unfortunately for Boston, the Dodgers weren't comfortable leaving it there. Koji Uehara, normally quite reliable, just completely fell apart in the top of the 9th. A walk and a hit into the inning and Matt Kemp had two men on and one out, and he hit a stunning 3R inside-the-park HR thanks to Victorino missing a fly ball and running into the RF wall just under Pesky's Pole. 6-4 was now 7-6, and Boston was clearly shaken. Uehara managed to finish off the inning, but the damage was done.

In an odd twist of fate, Mattingly sent out the former Twins closer Glen Perkins to shut the door on Boston. Why Mattingly would send out the left handed Perkins over the right handed Jansen would be a mystery, especially with the right handed gauntlet of Bogaerts-Pedroia-Napoli-Middlebrooks coming up. He would almost immediately regret the decision, as Bogaerts would absolutely crush a fastball over Lansdowne and probably onto the Mass Turnpile. With the score now 7-7 Pedroia would single, and Napoli would strike out to bring up Middlebrooks. Joe Carter was the last one to do it in 1993, and now Will Middlebrooks would make history as he took a high fastball deep over the Green Monster for a World Series winning walk-off HR. An improbable victory and a repeat title was Boston's, a fitting end to an amazing season.

Middlebrooks is mobbed at home plate

Despite Will Middlebrooks getting all of the attention Mike Napoli made history by hitting for the cycle, a World Series first. It wouldn't sway the votes much, but Will Middlebrooks' heroics helped him land the World Series and Playoff MVP, hitting .333 with 4HR and 11RBI overall. Middlebrooks hit .313 with 2HR and 6RBI during the World Series.