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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 7, 2007)
4 Sports Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2007 Clackamas Print Rockies make World Series but fall short after winning 21 of 22 gamesi Colorado Rockies show heart in their miracle run to the World Series but still can’t overcome the Boston Red Sox Zak Laster The Clackamas Print The Colorado Rockies entered Major League Baseball in 1991. In their short 16-year his tory they have averaged 73 wins per season, making the playoffs only once, in 1995. They were consistently last in their division. Nobody expects anything from the Rockies except for them to get beaten into the ground by superior oppo nents. But something in them changed this year, starting Sept. 16 in a game against the Florida Marlins. The team won 13-0 and went on to win 14 of their last 15 regular season games to tie with the San Diego Padres and force a one-game playoff. They then beat the San Diego Padres 9-8 and propelled themselves into the playoffs. To be able to win 14 of 15 is very difficult to pull off at any stage of the season, but the Rockies chose the best possible time to get hot. During the playoffs, they were on such a roll as a team that they swept both the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Division Series and the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Championship Series. In fact, they won the National League Pennant so quickly that they had to sit and wait nine days and watch the Red Sox play four more games before they could get back on the field for the World Series. Somewhere during all that time off, the Rockies appar ently lost their momentum. They were blown out in Game 1 of the World Series, 13-1. Jeff Francis (17-9, 4.22 ERA) was the starter for Colorado, but he lasted only four innings after giving up six runs. His opponent, Josh Beckett (20-7, 3.27 ERA), pitched phenom enally, giving up one run in seven innings of work and striking out nine batters. x Game 2 was more of the battle of the bullpens. Neither starter Ubaldo Jimenez (4-4, 4.28 ERA) of Colorado or Curt Schilling (9-8,3.87 ERA) pitched very long; both pitch ers were done by the sixth inning. Schilling had built a 2-1 lead over the Rockies, and the bullpen was able to shut down the Rockies en route — Games this week Cross Country wiH travel to Clark College on Saturday, Nov. 10, for the Northwest Athletic Association of Community College Championships (NWAACC). The race will take place in Lewisville Park, located in Battle Ground, Wash. On Saturday, Nov. 10, women’s soccer will play in the NWAACC quarterfinals at the Oregon City High School stadium at noon. Today, women’s volleyball will play at home again-. Linn Benton Community College. The game will take place at 7 p.m. in the Randall Gymnasium. The game is a league match. Playoff ties will be played Nov. 9 and 10. The times and locations are to be announced. to a 2-1 victory and a com manding two-game lead in the series. In the off-season the Red Sox won the rights to Japanese phenom Daisuke Matsuzaka (15-12, 4.40 ERA). It cost the team over $100 million, but they bought him for these high- magnitude games. Matsuzaka took the mound in Game 3 of the World Series. He didn’t have his best outing, going 5.1 innings and giving up two runs while striking out five and walking three. "He pitched much better than the Rockies’ Josh Fogg (10-9, 4.94 ERA), who only lasted 2.2 innings, giving up six runs. The Red Sox won the game 10-5, and were now in full control of winning their second title in 86 years. In Game 4 the Red Sox put Jon Lester (4-0, 4.57 ERA) on the mound against Aaron Cook (8-7,4.12 ERA). Lester had just been brought up from AA on Sept. 2. Both pitched very well in a hard- fought game. The Rockies were play ing for their playoff lives. However, it wasn’t enough, as the Rockies had faced the same problem the whole series: lack of bullpen depth. The Red Sox won 4-3. The Rockies had a great run to finish the season, all the way up to the World Series. Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Hitz Clackamas Prin They just ran into a better, deeper team in the Red Sox. The state of Colorado hasn’t had much to cheer about in any sports since the retirement of John Elway 1998. Hopefully, the Rockies i be able to take it a step furt in 2008-09.
