If you’re like me, minus the bad stomach and alcohol poisoned-brain, you’ve likely been suffering bouts of Red Sox withdrawal ever since the last piece of rolling rally confetti was swept up into the wind. Sure, I could just learn to live in the now and contemplate what the 2014 Red Sox will look like or when Tina Cervasio will finally break down and return my calls. But for the time being, I prefer to live in the past. Specifically, the 2013 postseason. And here are, in my humble opinion, are the top five highlights from the Red Sox’ postseason drive, in convenient GIF form.
I welcome your retorts and re-considerations in the comments section.
Ortiz Grand Slam in Game Two of the ALCS: To call it a turning point is like calling the Revolutionary War a bar fight. This was the minute the title was effectively wrenched from the Tigers’ mitts and placed in Big Papi’s beefy hands. Think about it: as Ortiz stepped to the plate, the Sox were in danger of dropping the first two ALCS games at home — where we were supposed to be invincible — and heading to Comerica to face Verlander and needing to win at least two to get back to Fenway. By the time he sat his ass back on the bench, momentum had been safely tucked in our back pocket.
Lackey Comes Up Huge in the ALCS: After splitting two games at home with the Tigers, the Sox headed to Comerica to face Justin Verlander. No one in their right mind would have predicted that Verlander would be outlasted and outdueled by John Lackey, but that’s what happened. Lackey was a mothereffing Bud Light Wizard on the hill, giving up just four hits and no runs in 6 2⁄3 innings while striking out eight. There was one mistake to be made in that 1-0 game, and Verlander made it.
Of course, Lackey came through again a week later in game six of the World Series. Here’s one of his triumphant “walking off the mound” moments from that game. Bonus points if you can make out what Clay Buchholz is yelling. My money’s on “heck, yes!”
Gomes Goes Yard in Game Four of the World Series: To this point in the World Series, we’d let the last two games slip away, game three in particularly miserable fashion. This home run was, in many ways, the beginning of the turnaround; after Gomes went yard, St. Louis never held another lead at any point in the remaining games of the series. Added bonus: the reactions of the Sox players could easily double as outtakes from the final battle scene of “Conquest of the Planet of the Apes.”
Victorino’s Grand Slam in Game Six of the ALCS: The moment we could finally breathe.
Gomes Slides into First in Game Two of the ALCS: This isn’t exactly one of those time vault moments, but to me, it’s important. Game two could have gone horribly wrong for us, and after Ortiz brought us back with his near impossible grand slam, Gomes’ head-first dive into first on an infield hit showed just how hungry this team was to earn the split. Plus, let’s face it: provided nobody shatters a collar bone, head-first slides are pretty cool. This gets the fifth and final spot on my list.
Lastly, without question, the best reaction of the ALCS came courtesy of Jim Leyland:
