David Ross will start behind the plate as the Red Sox kick off the 2013 ALCS in Fenway against Anibal Sanchez and the Detroit Tigers.
Boston Red Sox (0-0)
- Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
- Shane Victorino, RF
- Dustin Pedroia, 2B
- David Ortiz, DH
- Mike Napoli, 1B
- Daniel Nava, LF
- Stephen Drew, SS
- Will Middlebrooks, 3B
- David Ross, C
Starting PItcher -- Jon Lester
Detroit Tigers (0-0)
- Austin Jackson, CF
- Torii Hunter, RF
- Miguel Cabrera, 3B
- Prince Fielder, 1B
- Victor Martinez, DH
- Jhonny Peralta, LF
- Omar Infante, 2B
- Alex Avila, C
- Jose Iglesias, SS
Starting Pitcher -- Anibal Sanchez
So why David Ross? For that, we go back to September 3rd, when Jon Lester last took on the Tigers. You may remember it as that game that felt for all the world like a playoff game. Jon Lester faced off against Max Scherzer, pitched seven fantastic innings of one-run ball, and the Red Sox won a big one.
And who was behind the plate? David Ross. John Farrell even specifically mentioned Ross and Lester gameplanning that game when talking about the ALCS yesterday, so one has to imagine that's on his mind.
Losing Salty's bat against a righty isn't great, but the Tigers have exclusively right-handed starters, so if he was going to miss any games in the series (no guarantee given the schedule), one is as good (or bad) as another. And if it helps keep Detroit's lineup in check, then there can be no complaining.