Andy B Sports
1954 World Series, 2004 ALCS, 2008 ALCS, bob costas, Cleveland Indians, Edgar Renteria, joe maddon, new york yankees, San Francisco Giants, Terry Francona
Terry Francona And Other Notes
Before last night's game Cleveland (Indians) manager Terry Francona hoped or would have hoped, in the unlikely event he knew, the incredible fact 12 of his 13 post-season series have manifested in either his team (8 times) or the opposing team (4 times), win at least three straight games within the series.
Now after the Yankees (1-0) win forced a Monday 4th game (10 years apart "Cleve" div'd out the Yankees clinching on a Monday, doing so 10 years ago in game 4, as a nice road underdog in Joe Torre's last tilt as Yankees manager and in '97, then at home, winning a decisive 5th game) Francona, whose Indians dissipated a (3-1) World Series lead to the Cubs last season, extending their title drought to 68 years, can only hope there is no 3 game win/loss skein within this series.
Elsewhere baseball gets 4 games today as Boston overcame a (3-0) deficit and ripped Houston. Their 4th game is at 1, Cubs hosting Wash in a (1-1) series starts around 4:00, the Indians/Yankees commences around 7:00 while top ranked L.A. (Dodgers) takes its (2-0) series lead to Arizona in a 10 P.M. (all the times cited are Eastern) game.
For the record, en route to World Series wins with the Boston Red Sox, the first in 2004, ended an 86 year title drought, the Francona managed team won (3-0 in both div series, each time vs the Angels also in '07 and swept both the St. Louis Cardinals ('04) and Colorado Rockies ('07) in World Series play.
Last season, the Francona managed Indians swept the Red Sox in the "quarters/div series before going up (3-0) vs the Blue Jays, en route to a 5 game ALCS triumph.
Speaking of the ALCS, Francona's Red Sox staged two highly improbable comebacks in that round en route to the '04 and '07 crowns. First was their still unprecedented, in baseball or basketball, comeback from a (3-0) series deficit to beat the Yankees in '04 and then down (3-1) they overcame the Indians.
As defending champions, Francona's Red Sox were swept out of the "div" series by the eventual '05 champion Chicago White Sox, the latter ended an 88 year title drought that season.
When Boston clinched their aforementioned first crown in 86 years, they did so with the St. Louis player Edgar Renteria making the last out. The next season Edgar made the last out as a Red Sox player, to complete the Chi Sox sweep.
Renteria also delivered the World Series ending, decisive game 7 hit, vs you guessed it, the Indians, in the worst moment of their drought, to give the Florida Marlins the '97 crown.
Need I say, Renteria surfaced with the 2010 S.F. Giants, contributing mightily as they ended a 56 year title drought. Before their '10 title, the Giants had never won as the S.F. Giants, last winning, you guessed it, vs a heavily favored, 111 win, 1954 Cleveland Indians' team.
Completing this, Francona's Red Sox lost games (2-4) and in 7 games vs the Joe Maddon managed Tampa Bay Rays in the '08 ALCS, one of three times a Maddon team ousted a Francona team in the 'offs (the others were of course last year's World Series the fourth time a 3 game loss skein beat Francona and the 4 vs 5 game in '13, Maddon with the Cubs for the former and Rays for the latter. Terry was with Cleve in '13) and in 3 straight, as the Angels got some revenge in the '09 div series vs Boston.
The only time in the first 13 Francona managed Post-season series, there was not a 3 game win or loss skein was in '08, also vs the Angels, when Francona's team up (2-0), lost on a Sunday night at home, before winning in 4 on a Monday night.
Among the many heartbreaking or at least bad moments in the Indians' title drought, none was worse than the Marlins clinching the '97 W.S. as pictured above.
Mr. Renteria and all that/he entails drove in the winning run in one of only two World Series in which Bob Costas was the lone network television, "lead" broadcaster.
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"Div" Series Updates And That Terry Francona Note Again | Andy B Sports
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