• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Beckett dominant again as Red Sox pound Rockies in Game One

Oct 25, 2007 - 5:29 AM By Jim Keller PA SportsTicker Baseball Editor

BOSTON (Ticker) -- After the Colorado Rockies had a long layoff, Josh Beckett and the Boston Red Sox cooled off the red-hot National League champions on a rainy night at Fenway Park.

Beckett continued his outstanding postseason run by striking out the first four batters of the game and Dustin Pedroia kick-started a three-run first inning with a home run as the Red Sox jumped out early and demolished the Rockies, 13-1, in Game One of the 103rd World Series on Wednesday night.

David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez and Julio Lugo paced a 17-hit attack with three hits each for Boston, which has won four straight games by a combined 43-6 score and set a franchise record for most runs in a World Series game and set an all-time Series record for most runs in a Game One.

"We're swinging the bats well right now and we're putting together good at-bats every inning and were scoring some runs," said first baseman Kevin Youkilis, who had two doubles and scored three runs. "Our pitching has been great. Josh threw the ball well. ... We are playing good ball right now and we just have to keep momentum and (keep) playing good ball.

"It' great for us to come out here and win a game that big. Get our psyche up and get our confidence going, we're thrilled to come out and get the first win of the series and we just have to go from here and keep playing. That is a good team across the way and we just have to keep fighting."

Colorado entered with an unprecedented 21 wins in its last 22 games, including a perfect 7-0 in the postseason, but hadn't played since October 15 - an eight-game layoff which was the second-longest time between games leading into a World Series.

"You saw a real good Josh Beckett tonight and our inability to shut down an inning," Colorado manager Clint Hurdle said. "What did they have, all but two of their runs scored with two outs?

"We're a no-excuse ballclub and we won't start now. Our strength is our confidence hasn't been shaken by a bad game or a series of bad games, but that's not the way we wanted to start."

Many experts said the time off would upset the timing of the hitters, and it did, although the overpowering Beckett had a lot to do with it. But the 12 days off between starts didn't help Colorado starter Jeff Francis either.

"I'm sure that's the easy thing to say," Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell said. "They're facing Josh, facing one of the best pitchers in the game. I don't know. I think you have to ask them. I think I would have preferred not having eight days (of rest)."

Using a mid-90s fastball and a hammer curveball, Beckett allowed just a run and six hits in seven strong inning with a walk and nine strikeouts in a steady light rain to improve to 4-0 with a 1.20 ERA this postseason. The 27-year-old has walked two and struck out 35 in 30 frames.

"He's not done. He's been huge for us," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "Every time we've gone to him he's given us a great outing and we certainly hope it continues.

"I don't think he used his changeup into the seventh inning. He had a good fastball early on and than he started getting his curveball over. Then he was really tough."

After Beckett struck out the side in the first inning, Pedroia blasted the second pitch off Francis just over the "Green Monster" to become the first rookie to lead off a first inning of a World Series game with a home run.

"I was excited. It was huge to get out to that lead, especially with Josh out on the mound. It was definitely a good time in my life," Pedroia said. "I was just trying to hit the ball hard, not necessarily set the tempo for the game because you don't know what he's going to throw. I got a pitch that was actually a good pitch, down in the zone, and I got a good swing on it and I was fortunate enough to get it out of here."

"It was just a two-seamer that I was trying to run away (from Pedroia) and he jumped on it," Francis added. "Give credit to him."

Youkilis followed with double to the right-center field gap, advanced to third on a groundout by Ortiz and scored when Ramirez lined a base hit to left field. After Mike Lowell flied out, Jason Varitek singled to left-center and J.D. Drew doubled to the right field corner, capping the first inning salvo.

"It was just one run and I wasn't able to make good pitches to Youkilis after that and Ramirez and the guys after that," Francis said. "If I can get out of that inning with one run, I'm not worried."

A battered Francis had yielded just three runs in 12 2/3 innings in his first two postseason starts - both wins.

"We're not worried about it just like we weren't worried about a layoff," Francis said. "We've lost before and we're going to lose again. You try to minimize mistakes and I know with these guys we'll be coming out hard (Thursday)."

After Beckett struck out Todd Helton to become just the third pitcher in World Series history to strike out the first four batters of a World Series game, the Rockies reached him for a run on doubles by Garrett Atkins and Troy Tulowitzki, but the Sox got that run back in the bottom half.

Youkilis drew a two-out walk and came around to score on a line double to left-center by Ortiz.

Boston tacked on two more in the fourth, when Varitek doubled in Ortiz and Ramirez, who both reached on hits.

Francis did not come out for the fifth. The lefthander was charged with six runs and 10 hits with three walks and three strikeouts.

Boston scored seven times in the fifth to blow open the contest and further embarrass the Rockies, who will rely on rookie Ubaldo Jimenez in Game Two against Curt Schilling on Thursday.

The Sox batted around against reliever Franklin Morales, getting run-scoring doubles from Youkilis and Ortiz and RBI singles from Ramirez and Drew. Morales left with the bases loaded and two outs, but Ryan Speier walked Lugo, Jacoby Ellsbury and Pedroia before Matt Herges retired Youkilis on a flyout to put a merciful end to the inning.

"A little rusty, I think," Rockies first baseman Todd Helton said. "Looked pretty rusty and we didn't play that well but they played really good. They came out swinging the bats and put a good old-fashioned beating on us tonight."

Youkilis went 15-for-30 in the American League Championship series.

Tulowitzki had a pair of doubles and an RBI for Colorado, which lost for just the second time since September 15.