Boston Red Sox: 5 Reasons Why They Will Win the 2013 World Series
State of the Boston Red Sox Heading Into 2013 Postseason
After coming into the 2013 season it is safe to say that the Boston Red Sox have surprised all of baseball with their league MLB 96-63 record. Unlike last year, this group has been effective in all aspects of the game, having led all of baseball in runs, ranking second in batting average and third in quality starts. To say that these are exceptional results would be an understatement, and doing so in an AL East division that is arguably the best in baseball only makes it even more remarkable.
But this dominance during the regular season will mean nothing if the Red Sox go crashing out of the playoffs in the first round. Winning divisions, which the team has already done, is no longer acceptable. After all, this is an organization that has grown to expect excellence since John Henry took over as owner of the club in 2003, with two world series championships in 2004 and 2007 breeding this expectation.
Instead the Red Sox are now expected to win the World Series any time they make the playoffs, an expectation that can be burdensome for any group of players. In order to do this they will have to maintain good pitching and receive timely base hits, as the games will be tighter and more intense than ever before in October.
But fear not Red Sox fans because we are confident that your team will step up to the occasion and win the 2013 World Series. In order to back up this claim we have decided to compile a list of the five biggest reasons why the team will become world champions in 2013.
Enjoy!
5. John Farrell
Since taking over as the manager of the Boston Red Sox this spring, John Farrell has seemingly done everything right. Farrell has helped take out the tense atmosphere that marred the clubhouse last season, got the best out of his pitchers, kept his batters fresh and effective, and generally got the team to win. After pushing all of these buttons correctly to lead the Red Sox to the best record in MLB, it seems likely that Farrell will continue to provide a calm and effective approach that will lead to success during the 2013 postseason.
4. The Beard Gang Are This Year's Idiots
During the Boston Red Sox 2004 World Series victory, the team was referred to as the idiots because of the fact that clubhouse leaders Johnny Damon, Kevin Millar would do crazy things in the clubhouse to keep the team loose. Well fast forward nine years to 2013 and the Red Sox have been blessed with the Beard Gang, led by Mike Napoli, Jonny Gomes, Dustin Pedroia and Jarrod Saltalamacchia. This group has led the trend of everyone on the roster growing out beards, but more than this they have kept the clubhouse loose at all times by breeding a fun and eccentric atmosphere. Expect the group to continue to keep things light in the clubhouse, which will be crucial following any tough losses or tense times in October.
3. Koji Uehara
To put matters simply, Koji Uehara has been dominant in 2013. In 72 1/3 inning pitched, Uehara has posted a 1.12 ERA, .59 WHIP, 99 strikeouts and 21 saves. Closing out games with leads in crucial in October, and once the Red Sox get the ball to the ninth inning the game all but a formality.
2. David Ortiz
David Ortiz has been a machine in the past for the Red Sox, and their is no reason to expect anything different during the 2013 postseason. He is coming off of regular season when he put up a .307/.395/.561 batting line with 29 homeruns, 39 doubles and 100 RBI, so there is no doubt about ability. To make matters better for Red Sox fans, Ortiz appears to be enjoying the game more than ever, in large part due to the work of John Farrell and the Beard Gang. Expect big hits all October for Big Papi.
1. Stellar Starting Pitching
The Boston Red Sox top four starting pitchers -- Clay Buchholz, John Lester, John Lackey and Jake Peavy -- are all veteran pitchers who possess the ability to throw a shutout on any given day. Not only do they have ability but they are coming into the postseason off of a very successful season in which they posted a 40-23 record combined. Expect this success to translate into the postseason, and help the Red Sox wing games as runs become scarce.
