The Red Sox defeated the Tigers by a score of 5-2 in Game 6 of the ALCS, and advance to take on the Cardinals in their third World Series in the past 10 years. The greatest turn around in modern baseball history is almost complete.

“VIC-TOR-INO”

Shane Victorino was 2-23 in the ALCS prior to his series-winning grand slam off Tigers reliever Jose Veras in the seventh inning on Saturday night. He came up big when it mattered most, just as seemingly every member on the Red Sox has done all season long.

A hamstring injury initially caused Victorino to give up switch-hitting for the final six weeks of the regular season, and he gave it up again prior to Game 6.

Victorino hit .300 and clubbed six home runs in 115 plate appearances as a right-handed batter against right-handed pitching in the regular season. That success continued for him in Game 6 against the right-handed Veras.

Though some deemed Victorino’s $39 million contract to be an overpay last winter, he has embodied the heart and soul of this team. And it’s not just because a sold out Fenway Park rocks in unison to Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” every time he steps up to the plate. Victorino is a damn good player, just as every other free agent who Ben Cherington brought in is.

According to fangraphs, Victorino had the highest WAR of any right fielder in baseball this season. Meaning, Victorino was worth more wins above a replacement level major leaguer than any other right fielder this year. (In English, that means one could say Victorino was the best right fielder in baseball.)

It’s Xander Time

Though all of the post-game highlights will show Victorino’s grand slam in the seventh inning, it wouldn’t have been possible without Xander Bogaerts’ six pitch walk earlier in the frame.

Bogaerts’ second walk of the contest knocked Max Scherzer out of the game, and gave the Red Sox offense an opportunity to feast off the weak Tigers bullpen once more.

Bogaerts’ plate discipline is astonishing, especially given the fact that he’s only 21-years-old. He’s not just going to be the shortstop of the future. He’s a big part of the present, and a key cog in this championship run. The question isn’t whether or not Bogaerts should start on the left side of the infield in the World Series. The question now is whether or not he should be moved up in the lineup.

The Red Sox’s offensive approach all season has been to grind pitchers down, work counts and get into the opposition’s bullpen as early as possible. It’s the one of the main reasons why they finished with the best record in the American League, and why they ousted the Tigers in this series.

Scherzer left Game 2 after seven innings despite striking out 13 batters, and his exit cleared the way for David Ortiz’s game-tying grand slam off closer Joaquin Benoit. Scherzer left Game 6 after six and one-third innings despite striking out eight batters, and his exit cleared the way for Victorino’s blast. It was deja vu.

Tigers Flaws Proved To Be Fatal

The Tigers bullpen had the fourth worst ERA in the league this season, and its mediocrity cost them in a big way against the Red Sox.

Scherzer was dominant in Games 2 and 6, but the Red Sox drove up his pitch counts and got him to exit his starts early. The Tigers bullpen was incapable of protecting leads in both games, and that was the difference in the series.

Prince Fielder’s bellyflop is an appropriate symbol for the Tigers baserunning, which was atrocious.

After Victor Martinez singled home Torii Hunter and Miguel Cabrera to give the Tigers a one-run lead in the sixth inning, Jhonny Peralta stepped up to the plate. With runners on the corners (Fielder on third and Martinez on first), Peralta grounded to second base. Dustin Pedroia tagged Martinez, and then fired home to nail an indecisive Fielder between third base and home plate. That mammoth baserunning blunder potentially cost the Tigers a big inning, and thus potentially cost them the series.

Fielder didn’t knock in a single run this postseason, and was booed off the field in Detroit in Game 5. Only seven years and $168 million to go on that contract. How fun.

Miguel Cabrera wasn’t much better, as he was clearly battling a groin injury this postseason. The best hitter on the planet hit .250 in the playoffs, and couldn’t catch up to an outside fastball.

Jose Iglesias Had A Bad Night

After Stephen Drew made a terrific diving catch on Cabrera’s ground ball up the middle to conclude the top of the seventh inning, Jose Iglesias made a defensive blunder that loaded the bases for Victorino in the bottom of the frame.

With runners on second and first base, Jacoby Ellsbury hit a routine double-play groundball to shortstop. Iglesias, who was ranging behind second base, couldn’t get the ball out of his glove and failed to record an out on the play.

It was Iglesias’ second big error in a key spot, as he overthrew first base on Jonny Gomes’ ground ball in the ninth inning of Game 2. Gomes wound up scoring the game-winning run.

The Tigers defense on the left side of the infield has been a question mark all season. Ironically, it was Iglesias who cost them in the end. (And he struck out to end the series. Tehehe.)

Koji For MVP

Koji Uehara was awarded MVP of the series after throwing six scoreless innings against the Tigers.

John Farrell has relied heavily on Uehara postseason, and the 38-year-old right-hander has shown little sign of wear and tear. He was dominant on Saturday, striking out two batters in the ninth inning to clinch the series. All 11 pitches Uehara threw in the ninth inning were strikes.

Craig Breslow has thrown seven scoreless innings this postseason leading up to Uehara, and Junichi Tazawa’s ownage of Cabrera was arguably the biggest match-up advantage of the series.

Uehara has led this Red Sox bullpen since taking over as closer at the end of June, and is more than deserving of ALCS MVP honors.

Not To Spoil The Fun … But Farrell Made An Idiotic Decision

Farrell’s naysayers got more ammunition in the sixth inning on Saturday night, as his decision to lift Clay Buchholz for Franklin Morales with the tying run in scoring position was indefensible.

Buchholz, though he had only thrown 85 pitches, appeared to be cooked. His fastball was topping out in the high 80s, and he had just walked Torii Hunter and allowed a single to Cabrera. With the middle of the Tigers lineup coming up in the most important inning of the season to date, it seemed like a perfect spot to summon Breslow. He usually doesn’t pitch in the sixth inning, but Game 6 of the ALCS is a little different than a Wednesday night in Toronto. The best relievers should pitch in the most crucial spots, and Breslow would’ve been the perfect guy to go to.

But instead, Farrell opted to insert Morales into the game. Morales promptly walked Fielder on four pitches, and allowed Victor Martinez to belt a two-run single off the Green Monster.

Morales walked more than five batters per nine innings this season, and was removed from a game against the Giants on Aug. 21 because of an “uncertainty of strikes.” (Farrell then put Brayan Villarreal, he of the 20.77 ERA, into the ninth inning of that game. He walked in the game-winning run.)

If it wasn’t for Victorino, Farrell would be getting roasted for putting arguably the worst reliever on the staff into Game 6 to try to protect a one-run lead against the middle of the Tigers lineup. And rightfully so.

Farrell’s curious decisions to start Gomes over Daniel Nava in LF, and to sit Will Middlebrooks for Bogaerts instead of Stephen Drew (his defense is too valuable to lose even though he’s been putrid at the plate) paid off. But there’s no defending his decision to put Morales into the game in the sixth inning. Inexcusable.

Looking Ahead

The Red Sox will take on the Cardinals in the World Series, and guess who will be on the mound for Game 1 on Wednesday night?

John Lackey. The final step of redemption is next.

Photos and GIFSs via imgur, Elisa Amendola/Getty Images, AP, Al Bello/Getty Images, gifdsports.com and @BuzzFeedSports

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