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Red Sox vs. Indians–New Rivalry?

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When you think of Red Sox rivalries throughout the years, the only ones that really come to mind are the Yankees or any other AL East team for that matter. But there is a new team that the Red Sox always seem to go to war with, and that team is the Cleveland Indians.

It kickstarted in 2016, when Cleveland and the Red Sox met in the ALDS. Talk centered on the Sox because of David Ortiz’s final postseason, but not a ton around the Indians. The Indians definitely deserved more buzz,  with a better record in the regular season than the Red Sox did.

Well, the Indians certainly did not disappoint, as they shocked the Red Sox along with baseball, sweeping them in three games.  A sour ending to Ortiz’s career, and a disappointing one to say the least. Cleveland, as we all know, ended up losing the World Series in seven games to the Cubs.

Postseason Preview?

Enter 2017, where both teams have big expectations, especially considering the Sox added Sale, and the Indians added Encarnacion. So far, the Red Sox have had some crazy games against the Indians in 2017, and crazy is an understatement.

August 1st, Chris Sale scheduled to take the hill for the Red Sox against the Indians, everyone expecting another dominant start. The Indians had a different idea, tattooing him for seven ER in a very disappointing start. The Red Sox battled back, including a disappointing appearance from the Indians big bullpen guy, Andrew Miller.  But the big guy gave up a game-tying double off the monster to Eduardo Nunez.

The Crazy

Enter the 8th inning, the Red Sox holding onto a two-run lead. Newly acquired Addison Reed took the hill for the Sox, and gave up a home run to Carlos Santana to make it a one-run game. In the 9th, shut-down closer Craig Kimbrel came in looking to secure the save. First batter for the Tribe, Francisco Lindor, hits a game tying home run over the Monster, shocking the Fenway faithful. Kimbrel continued to struggle, allowing the go-ahead run. The bottom of the 9th came, and the Indians brought in their all-star closer, Cody Allen.

Heroics

Mitch Moreland comes up with a runner on first and two outs. He swings at strike three, but the ball skips away allowing him to run to first. After a wild pitch, runners crouch on 2nd and 3rd for the young catcher Christian Vasquez, who blasts a 3-1 fastball deep into the night, dead center. Fenway went crazy, and for good reason.

This is just one example of the great games these two teams have played this season. The Indians great success against Chris Sale and the Red Sox ability to play great against the Indians makes for an epic postseason matchup, and a potential new rivalry for the Sox.

Red Sox Even Tribe Series with Unanticipated Dominance by Doug Fister

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“Oh man,” I muttered to myself as I rolled out of bed Tuesday morning. I could not stop thinking about the tragic loss the Sox suffered Monday night on a Brock Holt throwing error. It was a game the Red Sox certainly could have won as they carried a 4-3 lead into the eighth inning. This was the type of loss a crazed Sox fan such as myself loses sleep over. The flow of irrational thoughts began to surge through my brain as I thought “Oh no, last night’s loss was such a momentum killer. How will we rebound from this? How long will this losing streak last? Pretty soon the Yankees will pass us in the AL East. Before you know it, we will be in the basement and out of the playoff picture.” I tried to calm myself with some positive thoughts.  Then the cruel realization popped into my head: “Doug Fister is pitching tonight.” Face palm.  Depressed sigh.

Fister’s struggles

Doug Fister stepped on the mound with a record of 2-6 and an ERA of 5.56. Not the numbers a fan wants to see when he knows his team needs a bounce-back win. But I remembered  Fister pitching later in the day, had a game earlier in the season when he threw 7 2/3 innings while giving up just two runs against Cleveland. Good memory swiftly replaced by bad in his more recent start against them when he lasted just 4 1/3 innings while giving up seven hits and five earned runs. Certainly not an assuring stat line.

As much as I tried to avoid it, 7 pm finally rolled around. I had a brief moment of joy when the Red Sox took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a Hanley Ramirez RBI single. That abruptly ended in the bottom half of the inning as Francisco Lindor took Fister deep on just his third pitch of the game. “Doug Fister are you kidding me?! How can you not hold onto a lead for more than three pitches?!” I shouted as I pulled my own hair out.  About to give up on him, then…  BANG! Fister silenced his critics — including me —  with a nearly perfect nine innings.

Fister looked like the guy who shut down Cleveland on July 31st at Fenway in a dominant 7 2/3 inning effort with a 6-2 win. In fact, he was better than that. Fister successfully did what every good sinker-ball pitcher does.  Keep the ball down in the strike zone. All night it seemed like he got ahead of batters 0-2. Doug induced 13 ground-ball outs which is a clear sign he was on his game. As a guy who can’t blow many guys away with his fastball, ranging from 88-92 mph, commanding his fastball down in the zone will always be essential for Doug’s success. On Tuesday night, he did just that. His final pitching line was: nine innings, one hit, one earned run, two walks, six strikeouts and a win. It was truly one of the best outings by any pitcher in the MLB of the 2017 season, Well done Doug, well done.

CLEVELAND, OH – AUGUST 22: Starting pitcher Doug Fister #38 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates with a teammate after allowing only one hit against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field on August 22, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Red Sox defeated the Indians 9-1. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)