Love him or hate him, Josh Beckett was a stud for the Boston Red Sox in 2007.
Beckett won 20 regular-season games en route to finishing second in American League Cy Young voting. His most impressive work, however, came in the playoffs, when Beckett helped guide the Red Sox to their second World Series title in four years.
Beckett was dominant in Boston’s American League Championship Series victory over the Cleveland Indians. He won both of his starts — Game 1 and Game 5 — while allowing just three earned runs over 14 innings. The right-hander recorded 18 strikeouts to one walk and earned series MVP honors.
The Red Sox overcame a 3-1 series deficit to defeat the Indians in seven games. Boston started the series on a positive note, though, as Beckett struck out seven and allowed just two runs over six innings as the Sox won Game 1 at Fenway Park.
With Beckett retiring and this year’s ALCS about to begin, let’s relive Game 1 of the 2007 ALCS.
Photo via Michael Dwyer/Associated Press
