David Price and J. D. Martinez lived up to their big contracts by helping deliver Boston a Game 2 World Series win.
BOSTON — Building a strong farm system remains as important as ever. A strong analytics department in your front office is increasingly vital. You need to make some astute trades, maybe pick up a couple of key pieces at the trade deadline, and a lottery ticket or two is always nice.
But, you know, money doesn’t hurt.
From the first pitch of every series to the last out of Game 7, you can catch the entire MLB postseason on ESPN Radio. Listen »
The Boston Red Sox spent $317 million for a night like this: David Price pitching six solid innings and getting the win in a World Series game and J. D. Martinez delivering the clutch, two-out, two-run go-ahead base hit as the Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 in Game 2 of the World Series on Wednesday to take a 2-0 lead.
How big is winning the first two games? Teams with a 2-0 lead in the World Series have gone on to win it all 84 percent of the time.
How big was this win for Price? The man who began the postseason getting shelled at Fenway Park against the New York Yankees — he recorded just five outs before leaving to a chorus of boos from the home fans — has now won two games in a row in the postseason and his team has won his past three starts. He’s pitched six innings the past two starts and allowed three hits in both outings. Suddenly the guy who can’t win in the postseason is the guy you want on the mound in the postseason.
Ahh, yes, October is fickle and our assignments of character are fleeting and temporary.
Before the World Series began, Price admitted beating the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series clincher was a big deal for him. « It’s definitely a weight lifted off of me for sure, » he said on Tuesday. « Not like food tastes better or anything like that. But it was time. And I’m definitely glad that the time came and we moved past it. And I look forward to doing the same thing tomorrow. »
David Price explains the success of his changeup in Game 2, the bullpen dealing this postseason and how their offense doesn’t give away at bats.
He did do the same thing — sort of. After relying on his changeup to beat Houston, he relied a lot more on his hard stuff against the Dodgers. Of his 88 pitches, 63 were fastballs, sinkers or cutters. He mixed in 25 changeups and while he didn’t register any strikeouts with the pitch, the Dodgers went just 1-for-5 in at-bats ending with a changeup. It was a veteran performance from a guy who has been one of the better starters in the game over the past decade.
« It’s huge, » Price said of his performance Wednesday night. « This is the biggest stage in baseball. There’s no other stage that’s going to be bigger than pitching in a World Series game, unless it’s Game 7 of the World Series. To be able to do that, it feels good, for sure. I’m pumped for myself, pumped for all my teammates and coaches for us to be two wins away. »
Dave Dombrowski took over as president of baseball operations for the Red Sox in August 2015, as the team was on its way to a second straight losing season for the first time since 1994. His first big signing that winter was Price, to a seven-year, $217 million contract. Price won 17 games in 2016 and led the league in innings pitched, but some looked at the 3.99 ERA and a bad start against the Cleveland Indians in the division series and decided the contract was an overpay.
Rick Porcello will start Game 3 of the World Series for the Red Sox against a revamped Dodgers lineup.
At a frigid Fenway Park, Boston roasted the Dodgers again to take a commanding World Series lead.
From the wild-card round through the World Series, we’ll have the 2018 postseason covered.
The criticism was ratcheted up even higher last season — this is Boston, remember — when Price battled injuries for the first time in his career, made just 11 starts and had a controversial confrontation with Red Sox announcer Dennis Eckersley on a team flight.
Now, with Chris Sale struggling to get any length into games, Price is back as the headliner in the rotation.
« He was out there battling his butt off and you have to tip your hat to him, » Martinez said. « These last two outings he’s been unbelievable. And I’m so happy for him and proud of him, going through all that criticism that he’s been getting here, to bounce back to what he’s been doing. He’s a huge part of our team and I couldn’t be happier for him. »
Price cruised through three hitless innings before the Dodgers scratched across a couple of runs in the fourth. It could have been worse as they loaded the bases with no outs. Price said he made some good pitches that inning, credited the Dodgers with a couple of good at-bats, but he fanned Enrique Hernandez and Austin Barnes to limit the damage.
« That was a tough inning, » Price said. « It could have spun out of control pretty fast. And it’s been one of my Achilles heels, especially in the playoffs and even in the regular season, is that big inning. »
Instead, he settled down and raced through the fifth and sixth innings, retiring the last seven batters he faced.
In the meantime, Martinez came through in the bottom of the fifth. The Dodgers were up 2-1 behind Hyun-Jin Ryu when the inning began. Ryu retired the first two batters, but then the Red Sox did what they’ve done all postseason: do damage with two outs. Hey, there’s a reason they’re wearing that postseason slogan on their T-shirts and hoodies (if not the winter parkas needed on a frigid baseball night at Fenway).
After Boston loaded the bases against Ryu, Ryan Madson came in and walked Steve Pearce to tie the game. Martinez then flared a 1-0 fastball into right field for a two-run single. He didn’t hit it hard — 80.1 mph exit velocity — and with Yasiel Puig playing a deep right field, it dropped in to put the Red Sox up 4-2.
J. D. Martinez reacts to the Red Sox going up 2-0 in the World Series, David Price’s performance and his go-ahead single in the fifth inning.
Martinez had faced Madson in Game 1 and struck out. « I faced him yesterday and it was a very similar situation, » Martinez said. « He was a little wild and I went up there kind of passive. »
This time he told himself to trust his eyes. « Go up there and trust your eyes and if it’s a ball, it’s a ball, but don’t go up there being passive, » he said. « It wasn’t a bad pitch. It was a good pitch. I was just fortunate enough to stay inside of it and dump it in. »
Martinez, of course, was Dombrowski’s other big free-agent signing with Boston. Even though Martinez was clearly the best bat on the market, he lingered unsigned until February. Teams seemed to invent reasons not to sign him: His defense isn’t good, he was turning 31 in August, he was going to sign with the Red Sox anyway.
