FanPost

FanPost Friday - Favorite Playoff Memories & Players

1. David Ortiz's Grand Slam (2013 ALCS, Game 2)

I think this is going to be true for a lot of Red Sox fans, but this was definitely my most favorite moment in Red Sox playoff history (after 2004 of course, but I was too young to really remember that). I remember that night (October 13th, 2013). I was outside with family and was checking gamecast for the score. It felt rough, seeing we were down 5-1, staring at a 2-0 series deficit that would be extremely tough to come back from. It stayed 5-1 each time I refreshed and it felt frustrating (lol). I remember seeing 2 men on, 2 outs, and then Pedroia hit the single to make the bases loaded with 2 outs, and thinking, "man I really hope we can tie it here, but I don't know". I became preoccupied with something else so I didn't know what happened for the next ten minutes.

But there it was. 10 minutes later, I typed in, "Espn.com" on my phone, and the headline read, "Down 5-1, grand slam by Big Papi knots up Game 2", and I couldn't believe it. He had done it! The Red Sox tied the game. And of course, the rest after that was history.

If you want to know the situation before that Papi grand slam, read this blurb from Mastrodonato on the MLB.com site's recap for the game:

He had played in 14 playoff series over eight years and had at least one hit in all of them. Without a hit in the 2013 American League Championship Series until the eighth inning of Game 2 on Sunday, Ortiz had built up enough pressure.

He was 0-for-6 with four strikeouts in the series and his team desperately needed him. The Red Sox had the bases loaded with two outs. The Tigers, not taking any chances, brought in their closer, Joaquin Benoit, who had held Ortiz without an extra-base hit in 27 career plate appearances.

1 pitch later, "Back at the wall... TIE GAME" as narrated by Joe Buck, with the bullpen cop (Steve Horgan) becoming a legend after that too.

2. Shane Victorino's Two Massive Hits in the 2013 Playoffs

The grand slam in Game 6 of the ALCS when we were down 2-1 (and Scherzer was shutting us down), and then the bases-clearing double in Game 6 of the World Series. Both hits ended up being the game winners in each of the games, and obviously they were big ones as they got us the series wins.

Farrell said it perfectly. Without Victorino, we aren't winning it all in 2013. His contributions, along with many others were just magical. We signed and/or traded for a bunch of guys who we didn't expect much from (Gomes, Napoli, Victorino, etc.), and boy did they deliver. 2013 was an amazing and fun year for the Sox, and given the sad circumstances that same year (Boston Marathon Bombing), it was nice to see the entire team and fanbase come together and get it done that year, against all odds especially just a year after the Bobby Valentine comedy of 2012. Worst to first! (and back to worst a year after that, but SHHH)

3. Steve Pearce & David Price & Nathan Eovaldi in 2018

I could obviously name many more guys who played a huge part in 2018 and our 108-win season (+ World Series). But these three stuck out to me most. Price getting the monkey off his back and pitching gem after gem in the ALCS and World Series (including the clinching games of both series). Eovaldi also giving the team some CLUTCH Game 3 outings on the road in the ALDS + ALCS (with series tied 1-1), and of course the extra-inning performance in that 19-inning World Series game.

And how about Pearce!? Guy got traded here for not much, and he MASHED all season long (especially against lefties and the Yankees), and had a phenomenal postseason. Hit what ended up being the game-winning HR in a pivotal Game 3 of the ALCS (breaking a 2-2 tie), and of course he went WILD in the World Series Games 4 + 5. 3 HRs in a span of about 24 hours. His postseason stats were .289 BA, .426 OBP, and 1.083 OPS, with 4 HR and 11 RBI (all big ones).

I don't know exactly all the transactions that occurred in the middle of the 2018 season, but Pearce may have truly been the best one made given what he did, and we didn't even give up much for him (I think? I actually forgot who we did lol).

Yeah, maybe we regret the Eovaldi contract extension, or re-signing Pearce for a year, or the final part of Price's contract. But I can't hate these guys, or anyone on this team. They were all integral to that magical 2018 season and we don't win without them.