The Red Sox defeated the Cardinals by a score of 6-1 on Wednesday night to win their first World Series at Fenway Park in 95 years, and completed the greatest turnaround in baseball history.

John Lackey out-dueled Michael Wacha, as he pitched six and two-third dazzling innings of one-run ball. He finished the postseason with a 2.77 ERA.

Shane Victorino broke things open with a base clearing, three-run triple in the third inning. He had gone hitless in the World Series prior to that at-bat. Stephen Drew blasted a solo home run to lead off the fourth inning, and erased all memories of his .111 batting average in October with one swing of the bat.

The core of this team carried them throughout the playoffs. David Ortiz hit .688 in the World Series, and deservedly took home MVP honors. Dustin Pedroia was right in the middle of it as always, making key defensive plays and grinding out at-bats. Jon Lester accumulated a 1.56 ERA in five postseason starts, and cemented his legacy as one of the best playoff pitchers ever.

But this championship run wouldn’t have been possible without the veterans who GM Ben Cherington acquired over the offseason. From beards to clutch hits, they changed the culture of this team. Just two years ago, the organization was seemingly in disarray. The roster was littered with overpaid, apathetic veterans who came up small when it mattered most. The Red Sox had amassed a great collection of players in 2011. But they didn’t build a great team. This year, they did.  

Redemption

The 2004 championship was about the fans. Generations of New Englanders saw their team come up short in big games year after year and decade after decade. The Red Sox had made four World Series appearances in an 85-year period, and lost in the seventh game every single time. In their 86th year of futility, just one year removed from the Yankees overcoming a four-run deficit in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS, they finally won it. The band of Idiots ousted the Evil Empire after being down 3-0 in the ALCS, and then demolished the Cardinals in the World Series. John Henry, Tom Werner and Larry Lucchino purchased the Red Sox in December 2001, and delivered on their promise to bring a World Series title to Boston in less than three years. Boy wonder General Manager Theo Epstein added the championship pieces to the spectacular core his predecessor, Dan Duquette, had left him.

The 2007 championship was about validation. Many of the key faces from 2004 were long gone, and Epstein’s player developmental machine won 96 games that season. Pedroia won Rookie of the Year, Jacoby Ellsbury hit .438 in the World Series, Jonathan Papelbon recorded 37 saves and 23-year-old Lester won the clinching game of the World Series one year after he was diagnosed with lymphoma. The Red Sox appeared to be on the verge of a decade of excellence, and were the premier organization in baseball. They’re back to the top of the mountain six years later.

The 2013 championship is about redemption. And nobody represents that more than the man who took the mound in Game 6.  

Take A Bow, Lackey

Lackey was supposed to be finished in this town. He was signed to a seemingly bloated $82.5 million contract, and proceeded to have one of the worst seasons a starting pitcher has ever had in 2011. Lackey was the face of chicken and beer, and had a habit of showing up his teammates on the mound when they made errors behind him. What was most maddening of all, however, is that his teammates actually liked him.

After undergoing Tommy John surgery in October 2011, Lackey spent all of 2012 rehabbing with the team. He was caught double-fisting beers in the clubhouse after a loss that August, which set off calls to banish him forever. Never mind the fact that the Red Sox gained an extra year of service from Lackey for the league minimum because he missed time with a pre-existing elbow condition. He had to go.

Except, he didn’t go. Lackey showed up to Spring Training in February, and was supposedly in the best shape of his life. His first start of the season came on April 6 at Toronto, and he exited the game with a right arm injury. He came back on April 28, and made 29 starts. Lackey showed himself to be the utmost competitor until the end.

Lackey was on the mound when the Red Sox clinched a playoff berth in September, and played a vital role in the championship chase. Perhaps Lackey’s greatest moment of the postseason came in Game 3 of the ALCS when he out-pitched Tigers ace Justin Verlander. Or maybe Lackey’s greatest moment was when he won the clinching game of the World Series on Wednesday night, and tipped his cap to the fans upon leaving the mound. For the first time.

The Better Team Won

The Red Sox didn’t trail for the final 22 innings of the series. Their starting pitchers had a 1.73 ERA through the six games.

The Cardinals hit .330 with runners in scoring position in the regular season. They went 1-9 with runners in scoring position in Game 6, as nobody came with the big hit. Matt Holliday was the only Cardinals player who hit a home run against the Red Sox.

Unlike 2004, this was a tight series. But the Red Sox pulled away in the end. The better team won.

More Praise For Big Papi

The Cardinals didn’t pitch to Ortiz in Game 6. Manager Mike Matheny opted to walk him with first base open in the bottom of the third inning, and Wacha struck out Mike Napoli for the second out of the frame. But then Wacha plunked Jonny Gomes to load the bases, and Victorino roped a base clearing triple off the Monster after Wacha fell behind him.

The Victorino triple prompted one of the best celebrations ever, and another Red Sox rally in the fourth inning.

Drew led off the fourth with a home run, and now has won more World Series ring than Jose Iglesias does. (Take that, HATERZ!)

Ellsbury doubled later in the inning, which freed up first base for Ortiz once more. Wacha intentionally walked him for the second consecutive time, and he scored on Victorino’s RBI single to left field.

Walking Ortiz was the right approach in Game 6, especially given how poorly most of the guys behind him had been hitting. The issue was that Wacha didn’t execute. The Red Sox went 5-14 off Wacha and walked four times. He fell behind hitters, and his fastball was flat. The rookie wasn’t up to the task.

Ortiz most certainly was, though. He finished the World Series with .688/.760/1.188 batting line. Unreal.

Koji Is Unreal, Too

Koji Uehara struck out Matt Carpenter to end the World Series, and arguably the greatest stretch a closer has ever had. Uehara pitched 13 and two-third innings in the playoffs, and only allowed one run. He struck out 16 men and walked no one. The last time Uehara walked a batter was on Aug. 3.

After being named Red Sox closer on June 26, Uehara allowed three earned runs in 58 innings pitched. He struck out 75 batters and walked two. Good thing the Red Sox didn’t trade for Jonathan Papelbon after all.

 

John Farrell Is The Right Man For The Job

Some of Farrell’s in game decisions were questionable this postseason. He didn’t pinch-hit for the struggling Drew against a left-handed pitcher in Game 3 of the ALDS despite having Xander Bogaerts on the bench. Farrell also allowed pitcher Brandon Workman to take his first career at-bat in the top of the ninth of Game 3 of the World Series because he didn’t double switch.

But Farrell learned from his mistakes. He pinch-hit Bogaerts for Drew against a lefty in Game 4 of the ALDS, and double switched in Games 4 and 5 of the World Series in St. Louis.

Every fan base can nitpick a manager’s in game decisions. It’s part of the fun of being a baseball fan. Farrell has his faults, but he’s shown a proclivity to adapt. Farrell never managed meaningful games in Toronto. He will be better next time around.

More importantly, Farrell is great at controlling the clubhouse and creating an environment in which he can get the most out of his players. Farrell and pitching coach Juan Nieves turned around Lester, Lackey, Clay Buchholz (when he was healthy) and other members of the pitching staff.

The players respect Farrell, and want to play for him. He understands the pressures of the market, and conducts his business like an adult. He is the antithesis of the man clown who he replaced…

Go screw.

Photos, GIFs and Vines via The Providence Journal, Elsa/Getty Images, Jamie Squire/Getty Images, Jared Wickerham, @BuzzFeedSports, SB Nation, NESN and @RedSox

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