The next time anyone tries to tell you that Team A “can’t beat” Team B because “they never beat them,” don’t listen, all right? The Angels “never beat” the Red Sox in the playoffs, and yet they just did. In three straight games. By scoring three ninth-inning runs about a closer who had never even given up one postseason run. In a ballpark where the Red Sox went 56-25 this season. On a game-winning hit by a guy who gets criticized for his poor postseason history. Yes, the Angels swept the Red Sox, and they finished it off with a 7-6 comeback win at Fenway Park, with Vladimir Guerrero getting the game-winning hit off Jonathan Papelbon. The Angels move on. Some people in New England will surely ask if it’s time for Papelbon to move on. The Sox will face other questions, too, because this quick exit has to sting in a way that last year’s ALCS loss to the Rays really didn’t. From the inconsistent offense to the closer who didn’t get the job done, there’s plenty to talk about. Meanwhile, Red Sox fans will become Angels fans. “Just beat the Yankees,” the fans yelled at the celebrating Angels as they filed out of Fenway. “Just beat the Yankees.”
Angels 5, Red Sox 0 W:John Lackey (1-0) L:Jon Lester (0-1)
Jon Lackey pitched into the eighth inning and Torii Hunter hit a three-run homer, leading the Angels to a victory over their longtime playoff nemesis in their first-round opener.
-- AP GameCenter |
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Game 2
Angels 4, Red Sox 1 W:J. Weaver (1-0) L:J. Beckett (0-1)
S:B. Fuentes (1)
Jered Weaver yielded two hits while dominating Boston into the eighth inning, and Maicer Izturis drove home the tiebreaking run in Los Angeles' 4-1 victory over the Red Sox in Game 2.
-- AP GameCenter |
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Video
Game 3
Angels 7, Red Sox 6 W:D. Oliver (1-0)
L:J. Papelbon (0-1)
S:B. Fuentes (2)
Vladimir Guerrero and the Angels shrugged off their postseason failures and swept the Red Sox out of the playoffs. Guerrero hit a two-out, two-run single off Jonathan Papelbon in the ninth to rally past Boston.
-- AP GameCenter |
Recap |
Video
The Red Sox finally got some offense going and sent in Papelbon to close things out, but it turned disastrious. In 17 postseason appearances, he's never been charged with a run but here, he gets charged with three and it cost the Red Sox the game.
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Game 3: After a three-run rally in the ninth, the Angels advance to the ALCS for the first time since 2005. (Getty Images)
The Angels' completed the first postseason sweep in franchise history. It is also the first time the Angels eliminated the Red Sox.
The Red Sox hadn't been eliminated in Boston since the Chicago White Sox finished off a three-game sweep in the 2005 first round
In the first two games of the series, Angels pitchers held the Red Sox to a .131 team average.
This was the third straight, and fourth in six years, Red Sox-Angels AL Division Series.
In the regular season, OF Bobby Abreu reached the 100 RBI mark. He and Cardinals 1B Albert Pujols are the only players to drive in at least 100 runs in each of the past seven seasons.
Notable Quote: "I told you guys earlier: It's going to be a different scene. Vladdy came through. That's probably one of the biggest hits of his career. They've been waiting for him to do it, and he did it." -- Torii Hunter after Game 3
The next time anyone tries to tell you that Team A “can’t beat” Team B because “they never beat them,” don’t listen, all right? The Angels “never beat” the Red Sox in the playoffs, and yet they just did. In three straight games. By scoring three ninth-inning runs about a closer who had never even given up one postseason run. In a ballpark where the Red Sox went 56-25 this season. On a game-winning hit by a guy who gets criticized for his poor postseason history. Yes, the Angels swept the Red Sox, and they finished it off with a 7-6 comeback win at Fenway Park, with Vladimir Guerrero getting the game-winning hit off Jonathan Papelbon. The Angels move on. Some people in New England will surely ask if it’s time for Papelbon to move on. The Sox will face other questions, too, because this quick exit has to sting in a way that last year’s ALCS loss to the Rays really didn’t. From the inconsistent offense to the closer who didn’t get the job done, there’s plenty to talk about. Meanwhile, Red Sox fans will become Angels fans. “Just beat the Yankees,” the fans yelled at the celebrating Angels as they filed out of Fenway. “Just beat the Yankees.”
Angels 5, Red Sox 0 
Angels 4, Red Sox 1 
Angels 7, Red Sox 6
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