Well that sucked.The Indians laid an egg in Game 5 of the ALCS, losing 7-1 to the Red Sox. The series shifts to Boston for Game 6 and Game 7, if necessary.
C. C. Sabathia battled Josh Beckett for 6 plus innings but didn't have the type of outing that you would want from you alleged ace of the pitching staff. He was in and out of trouble all night and for the most part worked out of it but his performance paled in comparison to Beckett's.
Beckett's 8 inning, 11 strikeout performance was dominant from the moment Travis Hafner hit into a run scored double play in the 1st Inning, derailing and chance the Indians has of getting an early jump of the Red Sox #1 starter. Beckett may have proved himself to be an asshole both on and off the field but he also showed why he is the best clutch pitcher in MLB today.
Boston's bats woke up in the 7th extending a 2-1 lead to 7-1 and putting all hopes of an Indians comeback at home to bed. The Indians offense simply could not find an answer to Beckett which has been a difficultly for all AL teams this season. Amazingly, the Indians have not clinched a pennant at home since they won the 1920 World Series at old League Park.
But fear not, the Indians still need only win one of two games and in their last two trips to the World Series they were up won game 6 on the road at Seattle in 1995 and Baltimore in 1997. A solid start by Fausto Carmona and some offensive production will go a long way in making it happen again in 2007.
It's difficult to beat any team 4 straight times, let alone a good team like the Red Sox. If they Indians deserve to go to the World Series they will earn it. If they lose 3 straight to the Red Sox then they definitely won't deserve it.
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