Beckett did make better pitches than in his previous two starts. In Game 2, the Rays missed on only four of their 40 swings against Beckett. In the rematch, they missed on five of 34 swings. He threw nearly as many curveballs (28) as fastballs.
"Josh really had to be deliberate and stay within himself," Varitek said. "He has had to make some adjustments. He's not pitching with a 97 (mph) fastball. But he knows how to pitch."
Francona was careful not to overextend Beckett. The Red Sox bullpen prepared as Beckett started each of his final two innings. Five innings was more than enough for the Red Sox.
Beckett's performance inspirited rotation-mate Jon Lester, who is scheduled to start tonight. A year ago, Lester started and won the World Series clincher against Colorado. Like most of the Red Sox, this is familiar ground for Lester. The same cannot be said of the upstart Rays.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The seventh game of the American League Championship Series will be played tonight at Tropicana Field. The principals approach it from different angles.
For Tampa Bay, which was seven outs from the World Series on Thursday night, this is "a great learning experience," manager Joe Maddon said. "For us to win that (seventh) game would be something special, also."
For Boston, this is been-here, done-that business as usual. "Absolutely," catcher Jason Varitek said. "We'll continue to maintain our focus the way we always have."
2008 MLB playoffs
More on the playoffs:
- MLB Playoff Central | Video Central
- Rosenthal: Who will pay for Manny?
- Fan reaction to every series
- PHOTOS: NLCS Game 7
In that case, get ready for what seemed impossible less than 72 hours ago: Boston in the World Series for the third time in the last five seasons.
With a series-evening 4-2 victory Saturday night, the Red Sox moved to 9-1 in elimination games since 2004. Their experience carries them through the hardest times.
Consider Varitek, the heart-and-soul captain of this team. Varitek suffered through a horrible season at the plate and had been even worse in the postseason. He was hitless in his previous 15 at-bats going into an at-bat in the sixth inning of Game 6.
Rays starter James Shields, pushed beyond 100 pitches, tried to get by with an 89-mph fastball. Varitek launched it for a homer that put the Red Sox ahead for the duration. In the Boston dugout, pandemonium erupted.
