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Do IT this week: Layering
Red Sox ace pitches like Cy Young winner, gets best of Tribe outfielder
By Stephanie Storm Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Friday, Oct 19, 2007
CLEVELAND: The postseason isn't supposed to count, not when it comes to Cy Young voting, anyway.
If it did (and perhaps it should), Boston Red Sox ace Josh Beckett would easily trump Indians ace C.C. Sabathia for the coveted award in the American League this season.
Without such a debate (since there are long-standing rules), Beckett will have to settle for knowing that in outpitching Sabathia for the second time in a week, he helped the Red Sox avoid elimination in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series with a 7-1 win at Jacobs Field Thursday.
In three playoff games this season, Beckett, a 27-year-old flame-thrower from Texas is 3-0 with 26 strikeouts and just one walk in 23 innings.
Without their ace, the Red Sox would not have a win in the series.
''We've leaned on him all year,'' Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. ''I thought early he was up in the first inning, and then once he settled down, (he) started establishing that breaking ball. (That's when) he really became the dominant pitcher that we rely on so much.''
While Sabathia labored through six-plus innings and allowed four runs on 10 hits, Beckett breezed through eight and struck out 11.
The run Beckett allowed came in the first inning when Grady Sizemore led off with a bloop double to left field and scored when Travis Hafner hit into a double play.
The Indians managed just four more hits off Beckett, whose curveball sharpened after the first inning and his fastball hit 101 mph when he struck out Casey Blake to end the second.
''It's definitely fun to go out there and play behind a guy (who) can dominate a game,'' said Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis, who was 2-for-4 with a first-inning home run. ''It's great to just have him go out there and pitch the way he does because it eases us as hitters knowing that we don't have to try and do too much at the plate.''
Even when tempers flared in the bottom of the fifth inning, Beckett kept his composure.
With Kenny Lofton leading off for the Indians with a 3-0 count to his advantage, Lofton flipped his bat to the ground and took a step toward first base after Beckett's fourth offering.
But home plate umpire Gary Cedarstrom called the pitch a strike and Lofton picked up his bat and slowly climbed back in the box.
After Lofton hit a fly ball to left field, Beckett yelled something at Lofton as he ran to first base. Lofton returned the verbal assault then made a sharp left turn and headed toward the mound.
Players emptied from the dugouts and pitchers in the bullpens charged in from the outfield. Lofton and Beckett continued to jaw at each other, but order was restored by umpires and coaches without any incident from either side.
''It was just competitiveness between two guys,'' Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek said, waving off the near-skirmish. ''Nothing escalated, nothing ended up being a problem, no one got thrown out.''
Beckett then struck out Franklin Gutierrez. After back-to-back hits by Casey Blake and Sizemore, Beckett struck out Asdrubal Cabrera to get out of the jam.
Stephanie Storm can be reached at sstorm@thebeaconjournal.com.
CLEVELAND: The postseason isn't supposed to count, not when it comes to Cy Young voting, anyway.
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