Red Sox climb over the Colorado Foothills

So much for the shadow of the Bambino.

I sure hope the Red Sox get this kind of hitting behind the pitchers who really need it, like Schilling and Dice-K. Josh Beckett can hold his own quite nicely, thank you.

If the long layoff didn't hurt their hitting, it seems the pitching for the Rockies got rusty. I would have thought the pitchers would gain by having some extra time off, but it doesn't appear to have worked that way for Colorado. Or maybe the Sox just had an extraordinary day. The Red Sox crushed the Rockies in the opening game of the World Series, 13-1. This win matches the Red Sox Series winning streak of five games for the first time since 1915-16.

All kinds of records were set: most runs scored by a team and the largest margin of victory in the opening game of the World Series (the 1932 NY Yankees and 1996 Braves scored 12 runs each in their openers); the most extra-base hits by a team in a WS (8 doubles and a home run - the 1906 Chicago White Sox and 1925 Pittsburgh Pirates also had eight doubles); the 12 combined doubles were a Series record; first pitcher to strike out the first three batters (and actually, he got the fourth as well); first lead-off hitter to hit a home run, a rookie no less, and on the second pitch! Franklin Morales was called for the first Series balk since David Weathers of the Yankees in 1996.

Morales got just two outs and was charged with seven runs for a 94.50 Series ERA. With 64 post-season RBIs, Manny Ramirez moved ahead of David Justice for second all-time behind Bernie Williams (80). The only Red Sox player to not get an RBI was Mike Lowell, but he hit and got a couple walks, so he was on base and able to score. 11 of 13 runs were scored with two outs. I don't know if that's a record, but damn!

The Rockies had a horrible day. Credit Beckett for keeping their hitters out of the game, but the Rockies' pitching was something else. Starting pitcher Jeff Francis gave up the most baserunners (13) by a Game 1 starter since 1982 (Bob Forsch). Morales gave up more runs (seven) without getting three outs than any relief pitcher in postseason history. Ryan Speier became the first pitcher to walk in a run three times in the same World Series game. The biggest stat for them was the fifth inning, when with two outs, Rockies pitchers faced 23 batters with a chance to end an inning and succeeded in retiring the batter only four of those times. That's a two-out OBP of .826.

And how classy were the Red Sox after the game?

"I executed just enough pitches today to survive," Beckett said. "That's a good lineup over there. You can tell how hungry they are."

"This is a tough series and a tough team," Youkilis said. "There's a reason why they're here."

The Rockies are a class organization as well.

"It's a big loss, Game 1 of the World Series," Todd Helton said. "But knowing the heart of this team, we'll come back tomorrow."

'Nuff said. GO SOX!!