Game 162, Will The Red Sox Get In?
BOSTON (CBS) - You report for duty in mid-February. You go through six or seven weeks of Spring Training and then open your regular season. Opening Day is special and then it's on to the grind of games until the end of September.
And here we are. And, what a strange journey it's been for the 2011 Boston Red Sox.
Picked from January 1st until April 1st as the team to beat in Major Legue Baseball. 100 wins? There was talk of that, even by the players. Maybe the "best team ever".
But... they came out of the chute 0-6 and 2-10. There was shock, anger, and disappointment.
Then the Red Sox rip off an incredible four months where they basically won two out of every three games. It was right where people expected them; on top of the baseball world.
Read: Dan Roche's Sports Blog
But then came September... and a slump for the ages. They lose 19 games en route to a a ridiculous 7-19 record. Boston lost a total of 18 games in July and August.
Then they fell into a tie for the AL Wild Card lead. In Game number 161, they found a way to win. A Yale kid... Boston's third-string catcher Ryan Lavarnway is the hero with his first two big league home runs and some spectacular defense. It was an awesome story in a much-needed win.
And now... it's down to the final regular season game. They still can get in; pitching their ace on three days rest.
View: Red Sox Team Stats
Can you get in? Sure. Will you? Who knows? But, what a bizarre ride it's been.
Only in baseball.
Enjoy Game 162...
