Josh Beckett who? Just a year ago I worried about Jon Lester starting game 4 of the World Series when the Sox had a 3-0 lead in the series. What a difference a year makes. Now, Lester, the game one starter for the Sox, put up another ho-hum 7 inning, 0 ER start. He did allow one run after a 2-out error by Stanford Boy (how smart are you now?), but settled down to retire 13 of his next 15 batters. You know, a standard performance from the Red Sox Ace.

Jason Bay put the Sox on the board with a big 2-out, 2-run homer in the 6th that I’m expecting to fall outside my front door 400 miles north of Anaheim, right about the same time that TBS was showing a “Red Sox: 0-10 with Runners on Base, 0-5 with RISP” graphic. Take that Chip Carey! Although in full disclosure, I hated Chip Carey a whole lot more before I learned that Michael Kay was doing the Brewers-Phillies series.

I really couldn’t be happier for Jason Bay though. He clearly works hard, and it’s nice to see him make a big mark in his first playoff game. Maybe this is the start of a new clutch performer.

But if pitching and defense win championships, then baserunning gaffes certainly help. Ellsbury robbed Texeria of a bloop hit in center with a fantastic diving catch. And then with Vlad on first and one out, Hunter blooped a single in the bermuda triangle behind first. Like a dying rally monkey, Vlad tried to go first-to-third. Youkilis was having none of that, trapping the ball, popping up and throwing out Vladdy by 30 feet, setting up a tag play at third between a guy who can’t bend at the hip and one who can’t run. According to fangraphs, that single play dropped the Angels chances of winning by 17%. The only play more significant was Bay’s HR.

Following the game, what the hell was this question from Craig Sager to Jon Lester, “You’re a cancer patient that’s not only surviving but thriving, and how much this game means to you tonight. What’d this win mean here? Taking game one in LA.” Lester is a better man than I, because my response would have been “To be honest, starting the clinching game of the World Series last year and pitching a no-hitter this season meant more, but, this is nice too.”