Jon Lester: Drafted 2nd round 6/4/02, signed 8/13/02 One of the most dominant postseason starters of all time (1.97 ERA in 11 starts, the third best mark as a starter of any pitcher with 10 or more career playoff starts) had one of the best single playoff runs ever. Lesters 1.56 ERA was the sixth best in postseason history by a pitcher with five or more starts. He is one of 16 pitchers ever with four wins in a single postseason. David Ortiz: Signed as free agent 1/22/03 (following release by the Twins) The World Series MVP further cemented his place as one of the greatest playoff performers of all time, hitting .353 with a .500 OBP, .706 slugging mark and five homers in the playoffs, including a .688/.760/1.188 line in the World Series. He delivered perhaps the signature moments of the Sox postseason: The game-tying grand slam that deposited good friend Torii Hunter of the Tigers into the Red Sox bullpen in Game 2 of the ALCS (a contest that, had the Sox lost, would have left them trailing in the best-of-seven series, 2-0) and an unscripted speech during Game 4 of the World Series after which the Sox outscored the Cardinals, 14-3. His monumental postseason followed a regular season in which he was likewise the Sox most dominant hitter, with a .309/.395/.564 with 30 homers and 103 RBI. John Lackey: Signed as free agent 12/14/09 Foremost, his 6 2/3 shutout innings with eight strikeouts in Game 3 of the ALCS led the Sox to a 1-0 victory over Justin Verlander and the Tigers in a series where the Sox margin for error was nonexistent. Then, Lackey punctuated his resurgence with 6 2/3 innings in which he allowed one run in Game 6 of the World Series, in the process becoming the first pitcher ever to win World Series-clinching starts for two different teams, having also accomplished the feat in Game 7 of the 2002 World Series with the Angels.
Posted on: Fri, 01 Nov 2013 14:38:47 +0000
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