Game 1, 2003 American League Division Series: Boston Red Sox at Oakland Athletics
October 1, 2003, Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland, California
Oakland general manager Billy Beane, subject of the "Moneyball" book and movie, famously told the author of that book, Michael Lewis, that "My shit doesn't work in the playoffs." It wasn't meant as a complaint, but as a matter-of-fact statement: Getting to the playoffs was the goal; winning once you got there was all about luck.
Using that logic, the Athletics of the early 2000s were incredibly unlucky. They had made the playoffs three years in a row, only to lose in a deciding Game 5 of the ALDS all three times. The first two of those losses had been to the Yankees, which were at least understandable, but the most recent loss - to a just-happy-to-be-there Twins team in 2002 - was what really stung.
Oakland's 2003 postseason matchup must have been met with some optimism, then. This time they weren't facing the dynastic Yankees or the nothing-to-lose Twins, but the still-cursed Red Sox. They had to feel good about playing a team even more prone than devastating postseason losses than they were.
But facing the Boston Red Sox of the turn of the 21st Century meant facing prime Pedro Martinez, which meant your scoring opportunities would be limited. You had to take advantage of the few innings where Martinez might falter, and the A's did just that, scoring three runs in the bottom of the third and having a fourth thrown out at home.
Behind Tim Hudson, the A's kept that lead into the top of the seventh, when a tiring and possibly hurt Hudson gave up a two-out single to Nomar Garciaparra. With lefty Todd Walker coming up next, the A's turned to their normally lights-out bullpen. Ricardo Rincon threw two out of the strike zone, then threw one in the zone. Walker liked the one in the zone and hit it out for his second home run of the game, giving the A's a 4-3 lead.
Having given Martinez a lead for the second time in the game, the Red Sox must have felt comfortable. But as the bottom of the 7th approached, Martinez was approaching the dreaded 100-pitch mark. The Red Sox had a tough choice - keep riding their ace well past his normal expiration point, or turn the game over to their brutal bullpen. They picked option 1, and after a leadoff single, Martinez got two straight outs. He was also at 112 pitches, well into the danger zone. The A's knew what to do next - Mark Ellis drew a five-pitch walk, then Erubiel Durazo fought off Martinez for 11 pitches before walking himself. And now the bases were loaded with Oakland's number 3 hitter, Eric Chavez, batting. Martinez threw his 130th pitch of the night and Chavez took a big swing ... and popped it up behind the plate.
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On to the ninth. The A's got runners on 1st and 2nd with one out on Boston closer Byung-Hyun Kim. Kim got Ellis to strike out, then saw manager Grady Little coming out of the dugout. Little brought in Alan Embree for a lefty-vs-lefty matchup against Durazo. It seemed kind of weird to not let a closer finish things off, but it's the kind of move that more teams would have made today. Plus, the Red Sox had zero faith in their bullpen at that point. Anyway, Durazo instantly made the move look foolish with a single to left to tie the game. Chavez then hit a grounder that Garciaparra almost threw into the crowd before Kevin Millar saved the throw - and the game - with a great stretch and catch.
Both teams threatened in 11th, only to see potential rallies end with two-out strike outs. So on to the 12th, where both teams had starting pitchers in the game in relief, ready for the long haul. Manny Ramirez led off the 11th with a walk for Boston. Then after moving to second on a wild pitch, Ramirez stayed rooted there after a strike out and a pop out. Rich Harden walked Bill Mueller intentionally to set up a force play at third, and then Gabe Kapler grounded on sharply to third. Chavez, the AL Gold Glove winner at third base, made a sensational diving stop to save a run, then beat Ramirez to the base with a head-first slide to end the inning.
The old saying goes that if you end an inning in baseball by making a great play in the field, you naturally end up leading off the next inning. Well Chavez didn't lead off the bottom of the 12th, but he did find himself on second base with two outs. Chavez stole third during a walk to Scott Hatteberg, then stayed where he was as Hatteberg took second uncontested one pitch later. Little told Derek Lowe to walk Terrence Long; after first shaking his head "no" toward the dugout, Lowe did just that, bringing up catcher Ramon Hernandez with the bases loaded.
Lowe was worried about hitting or walking Hernandez to force in the game-winning run. What he was not worried about - and what nobody in the stadium was expecting - was Hernandez laying down a bunt. But Hernandez did just that, channeling Jake Taylor Paul Blair by dropping a bunt down the third base line. The ball bounced once off the plate and once on the grass, and by the time Bill Mueller picked it up, Chavez had scored and Hernandez had reached first.
The A's celebrated their tenacity and their catcher's guts to drop down a bunt in that situation. Maybe their playoff fortunes had finally turned around.
Well, nope. After winning Game 2, the A's lost the series, again dropping a five-game ALDS. The Red Sox were still cursed, but would break that curse for good the next October. The A's, meanwhile, have only won one playoff series since 1992.
| Game 1, 2003 American League Division Series Overall Rank: 10 Top 10 Swing: 226 Top play: Erubiel Durazo's game-tying single in the 9th (WPA of 46% for Oakland) Loser's largest WE: 88 B9, 1 out, nobody on, Boston up 4-3 Average LI: 1.96 Highest leverage moment: 7.16 (B9, 1 out, runners on 1st and 2nd, Boston up 4-3, Mark Ellis batting) |
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