The 2007 World Series between the National League champions, the Colorado Rockies, and American League victors, the Boston Red Sox, had its share of questions going in.
The Rockies, a late season Cinderella story, had put together a 21-of-22 game win streak and seemed to be pitching themselves out of any trouble. When they did find themselves in trouble, a rare occurrence over that 22 game period, signs pointed to a deficient batting order.
The Rockies hit the postseason red hot, qualifying by the skin of their teeth when they defeated the San Diego Padres and legendary closer Trevor Hoffman in a one-game playoff.
Off to the National League Division Series it was, and the Rockies found themselves squared off with the Central Division champions Chicago Cubs. But the Cubs proved no match for the downhill boulder the Rockies were quickly becoming. Gaining speed and momentum with every win, the Rockies left a crushed Cubs Nation behind and rolled into the championship series against NL West rival and champion, the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Another team of the expansion era, the Diamondbacks are most famous for their 2001 World Series victory over the New York Yankees behind the likes of Luis Gonzalez, Curt Schilling, and Randy Johnson.
But that team was gone, and the Rockies completed a four-game sweep of the Diamondbacks behind strong pitching and defense. Colorado was actually outhit in both series, batting poorly in general, but got just enough hits behind its solid pitching to win the series decisively.
On the other side of things, the Boston Red Sox finished the season tied for the best record in baseball, at 96-66, with the Cleveland Indians, the Central Division champions. Heads-up play favored Boston, however, and it earned home field advantage throughout the playoffs for as far it could go.
It turned out the Red Sox would go quite far.
Boston opened its postseason with a rematch of the 2004 American League Division Series against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and this one proved to be no different. In three games, the Red Sox dispatched the Angels yet again behind dominant pitching, a walk-off home run by Manny Ramirez in Game 2, and big hits out of the middle of the lineup.
Cleveland, fresh off defeating the New York Yankees in the other ALDS, came into Boston confident and brandishing a dangerous lineup. Although the Red Sox took the first game convincingly 10-3 behind ace Josh Beckett, Cleveland beat Schilling in Game 2 and then won the first two games in Cleveland.
Similar to 2004, Boston found itself in a deep hole and on the brink of elimination. But Beckett would have the opportunity to pitch again, and pitch he did.
Holding a confident 3-1 series advantage, the Cleveland Indians walked into what Fox color commentary man Tim McCarver called “a buzzsaw” in Beckett. Beckett outpitched C.C. Sabathia for a second straight time and denied the Indians the chance to go to the World Series that night.
The win for Boston proved to be a huge swing in momentum as Schilling defeated the Indians’ Fausto Carmona in Game 6 and the Red Sox offense exploded in Game 7 to complete the comeback and advance Boston to its second World Series in four years.
For all the ruthless efficiency of the Colorado Rockies, their dominance of the Cubs and Diamondbacks seemed to come back to haunt them on the big stage. The Rockies earned their berth to the World Series much earlier than the Red Sox, having swept Arizona in four games while Boston needed seven to advance. In the end, the Rockies suffered an eight day layoff between the NLCS and the World Series, and in Game 1, it showed.
The Boston bats ripped Colorado starter Jeff Francis for six earned runs, and went on to rout the Rockies 13-1 behind another dazzling effort by Beckett. The offense was energized by Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who hit the second pitch from Francis—the second pitch of the World Series—high into the night sky and into the Monster seats at Fenway Park.
In the second game, the Boston bats were quieted by the hard throwing Ubaldo Jimenez, but Rockies hitters could fare no better. Schilling surrendered the first run in that game, but again it was the Red Sox who prevailed. Mike Lowell reached third on some excellent base running before being sacrificed in by catcher Jason Varitek in the fourth. The score remained knotted at 1-1 in the fifth, but Lowell again came through for Boston, doubling down the left field line and scoring David Ortiz. And that would prove enough.
Following the second game, the series moved to Colorado, where the Rockies hoped to find a little fire and dig themselves out of the 2-0 hole.
Again, however, it would not be so as a resurgent Daisuke Matsuzaka outpitched Colorado’s Josh Fogg, and Boston erupted late to give the Red Sox a 10-5 victory and a 3-0 series lead.
But Colorado, of course, would not go down without a fight. Recognizing the supreme irony of coming back from 3-0 against the only team who had previously done that (Boston), the Rockies put Aaron Cook on the hill and tried to prolong the series.
Boston threw 23-year-old left-hander and cancer survivor, Jon Lester, and both pitchers had stellar starts for their teams. But as was the case from Game 1, the Red Sox would have the last laugh.
Jacoby Ellsbury doubled to start the game, and Ortiz knocked him in to open the scoring. Later, Lowell doubled and was scored by Jason Varitek. In his very next at bat, Lowell hit a towering home run to left field to give the Red Sox a 3-0 advantage and Boston went to its lights-out bullpen.
But the Rockies would rally. After a solo home run by Brad Hawpe, the lead was cut 3-1. A pinch hit home run by Bobby Kielty for Boston got the run right back in the 8th, but there was Colorado’s Garrett Atkins driving a two run home run to cut the lead to 4-3.
Enter Jonathan Papelbon. The Red Sox premiere closer entered the game with one out in the eighth, and methodically did what he did all season: shut down opponents. Despite a near home run by Colorado’s Jamey Carroll, caught at the wall, Papelbon stood on the mound with two outs in the ninth and threw a 97 mph fastball by Seth Smith to end the game and give Boston its second title in four years.
After the game, Lowell was named World Series MVP, and Beckett admitted he would follow through on his promise to join Papelbon in a celebratory river dance.
The Colorado Rockies of 2007 were the most successful team in franchise history, but ultimately were outmatched by the prolific offense and dominant Red Sox pitching.
Behind the likes of Beckett, Lowell, Pedroia, Ellsbury, and others, the Red Sox completed the job they felt they were supposed to do. The best team in baseball ended up on top.
The Boston Red Sox are the 2007 World Champions.
