Boston takes World Series
THE Boston Red Sox beat the Colorado Rockies 4-3 on Sunday to win the World Series and record their second four-game sweep of the Fall Classic in four years.
Boston, which had gone 86 years without winning a World Series before sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004, repeated the feat by outscoring the Rockies a cumulative 29-10.
Starter Jon Lester took the win, Jonathan Papelbon notched the save and World Series MVP Mike Lowell paced a nine-hit attack with a double and home run in the final chapter of this year's best-of-seven Major League Baseball championship.
Papelbon struck out Seth Smith for the final out, touching off wild celebrations at the mound that started with catcher Jason Varitek leaping into the reliever's arms.
The Rockies, who won 21 of 22 games to storm into the postseason and their first World Series, never found their stride after waiting eight days for the Series to begin.
"They executed better than us all four games," said Rockies manager Clint Hurdle. "They deserve all the credit. We just got beat by a better team in this Series in every way."
Left-hander Lester, who underwent chemotherapy last year to treat lymphoma, went 5-2/3 scoreless innings, giving up three hits in his first postseason start. "The way he pitched, the way he composed himself, the way he competed, I thought it was very appropriate that he got the win," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said.
Boston scored single runs in the first and fifth innings and Ryan-Succop-jerseys made it 3-0 on Lowell's homer in the seventh off starter and loser Aaron Cook.
Colorado's Brad Hawpe skied a solo shot to right in the bottom of the seventh to bring the Rockies to 1-3 before Boston restored its three-run cushion on the first pitch of the eighth, Bobby Kielty hitting a pinch-hit homer.
But Colorado would not go down without a fight. Garrett Atkins clubbed a two-run homer off Hideki Okajima as the Rockies got back to 3-4 in the eighth before hard-throwing Papelbon was summoned to get the last five outs for his third save of the series.
"It doesn't get old," Francona after his second title in four years. "I'm so proud of our organization."
Lowell, who was also on the World Series winning Florida Marlins team in 2003 that defeated the New York Yankees, batted .400 for the series, going 6-for-15, scored six runs and drove in four. "I'm on cloud nine. It's unbelievable."
Thousands of Red Sox supporters made their way Barry-Church-jerseys to the lower deck behind the Boston dugout after the game and celebrated with chants of "Let's Go Red Sox," and an old favorite aimed at an archrival - "Yankees Suck."
Back home, hundreds of fans poured through the streets of Boston early yesterday to celebrate the victory, some hurling rocks at police in riot Sav-Rocca-jerseys gear and lighting fires. Police moved in on a crowd of up to 2,000 fans around Boston's historic Fenway Park.
Some fans climbed trees or streetlamps, shouting at police as celebrations turned briefly violent.