The Last Time That…

Amidst state of panic, finger pointing, and general classlessness surrounding the fallout of the Boston Red Sox’s epic September 2011 crash, there’s plenty to mull over. I can’t quite remember an offseason this dramatic, which is surprising to say, because the offseason is still only 15 days old. Around these parts, there has been zero recognition of the postseason beyond a few people pointing out that the Yankees did not survive the division series. This is sad because it has actually been quite entertaining. The Busch Squirrel, the Rangers back in the ALCS, Chris Carpenter’s Game 5 gem against Philly, and the emergence of Doug Fister as a top starting pitcher are among just a few of October’s storylines.

Leisurely viewing of October gives me time to point out the last time that…

…the Red Sox Won 90 or more games and didn’t make the postseason: 2002. That was Grady Little’s first season. It was also the first season John Henry & Co. ran the team. That year John Burkett drew the ire of Red Sox fans; he was 13-8 with 4.53 ERA. We all said, “that’s no good for a mid-rotation starter!” Of course, we didn’t have John Lackey yet. Interesting side note, even Frank Castillo posted a better ERA in 2002 than Lackey did this past year. Ouch.

…Theo Epstein took a leave of absence from the Red Sox: October 31^st, 2005 to January 19^th, 2006. Remember the gorilla suit? The next season Boston won just 86 games, the worst total under the Henry & Co. ownership. While Theo was gone, Boston traded for Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell. I say if the 2012 Red Sox only win 86 games, it won’t be because Epstein left for the Cubs. But still, I thought it was worth noting.

…Tim Wakefield posted a season ERA under 4.00: 2002. Wow, bet you didn’t think I was going to bring that year up again but, BAM, there it is. That year Wakey posted a 2.81 ERA with 11 wins. He appeared in 45 games, making 15 starts. He turned 36 years old in the middle of that season. He just turned 45 years old. He gets this “untouchable” treatment, but I am not sure why. He’s coming off consecutive seasons of 5.00+ ERAs, oh, and he’s 45 – wait did I just say that?

...Daisuke Matsuzaka made 30 starts and threw 200+ innings: 2007. He was 26 years old and it was his first MLB season. He went 15-12 and was crucial in postseason for the Red Sox. It’s hard to argue how much money has been “lost” on the Dice-K venture because he was a huge part in winning a championship that year. I believe a healthy 31-year-old Matsuzaka can put up better numbers, leading to more wins, than an aging Wakefield.

…Jon Lester posted a season ERA under 3.21: Never! I suppose this is sort of a breach of the “last time that” etiquette, but it proves a valid point that nobody, at least that I know, is willing to admit. Jon Lester is not an ace. Yes, that still means we rightly expected him to be better than 1-3 with 5.40 ERA in September, but it doesn’t mean that he is a go-to big game pitcher. It’s all in the numbers: Lester’s 2011: 15-9, 3.47 Lester’s Average Season: 17-7, 3.53. He’s only 27, so it could still happen. I’m just pointing out it hasn’t yet.

…the Red Sox finished 3^rd or worse in the AL East in consecutive years: 1996 & 1997. It was a “two team” division in those days, but the two teams were New York and Baltimore. Tampa Bay has proven that it’s a “three team” division now. Making the postseason out of the AL East requires playing hard right through Game 162. Interestingly enough, 1997 was also the last time Boston finished below .500. Since 1992, AL East teams have won eight World Series, the most in the MLB. The next closest is the NL East with four.

...Kevin Youkilis hit 20+ HRs and drove in 90+ RBIs: 2008 & 2009. In both of those years Kevin was an All-Star and finished in the top six in MVP voting. He played in 145 and 136 games, respectively. In both of those years, the Red Sox made the postseason. Youkilis isn’t just “another guy” in this lineup; he’s the cleanup hitter. Last time I checked, that was pretty important. It might not show in the overall numbers, but this team suffered greatly when Dustin Pedroia was the only legitimate right-handed threat. I’m not submitting this as a new scientific law, but it appears a healthy Youk equals the Red Sox playing in October.

…Boston had a right-handed hitter play (primarily) in right field: 2004. This is probably coincidence. OK, it’s definitely coincidence. But still, I’m just saying, we all know what happened in 2004. Admittedly, the left-handed hitting Trot Nixon was still supposed to be the starting right fielder on that team and in the 48 games he did play, he hit for a .315 average. But it just so happens that J.D. Drew is likely on his way out and ever since opposing pitchers figured out that Josh Reddick can’t hit a breaking ball, he’s looked rather pedestrian. So I’m no GM but…

…someone managed the Red Sox for eight consecutive years: Joe Cronin. Actually, Cronin managed the Sox for 13 seasons from 1935 through 1947. One wonders why he kept the job for so long, though. He managed to take Boston to the World Series just one time, in 1946, and lost to the St. Louis Cardinals. Terry Francona was just the second manager in Red Sox history to win two World Series, joining Bill Carrigan (1915, 1916). Tito is in some pretty select company.

The natives are restless.

…I thought the “if we had won one more game” excuse was valid: Also never. When everything is going well, it is hard to notice what isn’t. All of a sudden, things take a turn for the worse and the townspeople are surrounding your house with torches and pitchforks. What this whole saga makes most clear to me is that it’s a wonder this organization even came within one game of making the postseason. There are real problems down at One Yawkey Way and they extend far beyond the players. Here’s the irony behind ownership’s handling of this entire debacle: after dragging Francona’s name through the mud, who the hell would want to manage this team and work for these idiots? They clearly think the demise was ultimately Terry’s fault. All they’ve done, though, is guarantee any incoming candidate that they will surely leave Boston someday with a knife in their back.

…John Henry tweeted he said: “…people seem to think we need scapegoats. We don’t.” That was on October 4^th. Since then he’s allowed, directly or not, plenty of scapegoating to happen. In the process, his coveted general manager jumped ship for the Chicago Cubs. Additionally, he’s somehow managed, again directly or not, to attract plenty of anger and criticism his way. This is shocking because the anger and criticism started in mid-September and it was mostly directed at Epstein. Rumors of beer, fried chicken, and video games focused that anger at the players. I guess he forgot just how much anger people in this city are capable of producing.

Sources: Baseball-Almanac.com, Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com