2007 World Series recap

The 2007 World Series featured a newcomer in the Rockies and one of baseball's most storied franchises in the Red Sox. There was no hotter team in baseball over the last month of the season than the Rockies, who were in fourth place in the NL West as late as Sept. 16 before going on an improbable run to force a one-game Wild Card playoff to reach the postseason. Colorado cruised through the NLDS and NLCS, but ran into a Boston buzzsaw in the Fall Classic, as the Red Sox swept the series for their second title in four years.

The Rockies spent just one day -- April 6 -- in first place in the West and were in third or fourth all but one day of September. But they won 13 of their last 14 regularly scheduled games to force an Oct. 1 tiebreaker against the Padres, which they won in 13 innings. Colorado swept the Phillies in the NLDS and the NL West champion D-backs in the NLCS to meet Boston in the Fall Classic. The Red Sox were a far more predictable participant from the season outset, as they held first place in the American League East from April 18 onward. They had MVP candidates in David Ortiz and Mike Lowell, Cy Young contender Josh Beckett and Rookie of the Year winner Dustin Pedroia. Boston had no trouble with the Angels in the ALDS before taking down the Indians in the seven-game ALCS after trailing in the series 3-1.

Colorado entered Game 1 having won 21 of its last 22 games, but had an eight-day layoff heading into the meeting with Beckett and the Red Sox. The Boston righty and his teammates turned it quickly into a 13-1 blowout, thanks in part to a leadoff home run from Pedroia and a seven-run fifth inning. Beckett struck out nine and the Red Sox batters amassed 17 hits, including nine for extra bases. With 2004 World Series hero and 2001 Series co-MVP Curt Schilling on the mound for Game 2, Rockies starter Ubaldo Jimenez suffered the same fate as Colorado's Game 1 pitcher Jeff Francis. Though Jimenez pitched much better -- two runs on three hits in 4 2/3 innings -- Schilling was stronger, and the Red Sox bullpen preserved a 2-1 lead. Colorado scored in the first inning on a Todd Helton RBI groundout, while Jason Varitek and Lowell each had RBIs for Boston as the Red Sox maintained home-field advantage with a 2-0 series lead.

A change in altitude didn't help the Rockies much in Game 3. With the Series shifted to Denver, Daisuke Matsuzaka was backed by a six-run third inning as he threw 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball. He also had a two-run single in the third while rookie Jacoby Ellsbury doubled twice in the inning. Rockies starter Josh Fogg lasted just 2 2/3 before Colorado's bats combined for five runs in the sixth and seventh innings to narrow the margin to 6-5. Matt Holliday had a three-run homer, but Ellsbury and Pedroia had back-to-back RBI doubles in the eighth to extend the lead to 9-5. The duo combined to go 7-for-10 with four RBIs at the top of the order.

That put the pressure on the Rockies to avoid a sweep with Game 4, as Aaron Cook took the mound against Jon Lester. Boston scored in the first when Ellsbury doubled to lead off and came around on a David Ortiz single. Jason Varitek's RBI single in the fifth, scoring Lowell, made it 2-0 before Lowell hit a solo shot in the seventh to extend the lead to 3. Colorado got homers from Brad Hawpe in the seventh and Garrett Atkins in the eighth, but Boston tacked on the eventual winning run in the eighth thanks to a Bobby Kielty homer. Jonathan Papelbon pitched a perfect ninth to wrap up the series.

In all, the Red Sox outscored the Rockies 29-10 over the four games as Lowell (6-for-15 with three doubles, a home run and four RBIs) was named World Series MVP. Varitek, Pedroia, Ortiz, Ellsbury, J.D. Drew and Julio Lugo each had at least five hits.

Path to the World Series
ALCS: Boston over Cleveland (4 games to 3)
NLCS: Colorado over Arizona (4 games to 0)
ALDS: Boston over Los Angeles (3 games to 0); Cleveland over New York (3 games to 1)
NLDS: Arizona over Chicago (3 games to 0); Colorado over Philadelphia (3 games to 0)

Managers: Terry Francona, BOS; Clint Hurdle, COL

MVP: Mike Lowell, BOS: .400, 1 HR, 4 RBI