2008 Boston Red Sox Post-Season Results

Won AL Division Series over Los Angeles Angels (3-1)
Lost AL Championship Series to Tampa Bay Rays (4-3)

2008 AL Division Series Results

Game 1: Boston Red Sox 4, Los Angeles Angels 1
Game 2: Boston Red Sox 7, Los Angeles Angels 5
Game 3: Los Angeles Angels 5, Boston Red Sox 4
Game 4: Boston Red Sox 3, Los Angeles Angels 2

Note: Home team shown in bold text

Series Synopsis

Up against an Angels team that won 100 games during the regular season, Boston wins two on the road in Los Angeles to start the series, then wins a dramatic Game Four to take the series, three games to one. The win for Mike Scioscia's team in Game Three ends an 11-game postseason losing streak to the Sox, but Boston heads to the AL Championship Series for the second year in a row at the expense of Los Angeles.

Series Highlight

At Fenway Park up two games to one, the Sox have a 2-0 lead with two outs in the eighth, but a two-out rally allows the Angels to tie the score. Then, with one out in the top of the ninth and pinch-runner Reggie Willits on third, Scioscia calls for a suicide squeeze, but Erick Aybar is unable to lay down the bunt, and catcher Jason Varitek manages to chase Willits and tag him before the runner returns to third. That enables rookie shortstop Jed Lowrie to end the game with an RBI single through the right side of the infield, allowing left fielder Jason Bay to score all the way from second base just ahead of the tag by catcher Mike Napoli on the throw from Willits.

2008 AL Championship Series Results

Game 1: Boston Red Sox 2, Tampa Bay Rays 0
Game 2: Tampa Bay Rays 9, Boston Red Sox 8
Game 3: Tampa Bay Rays 9, Boston Red Sox 1
Game 4: Tampa Bay Rays 13, Boston Red Sox 4
Game 5: Boston Red Sox 8, Tampa Bay Rays 7
Game 6: Boston Red Sox 4, Tampa Bay Rays 2
Game 7: Tampa Bay Rays 3, Boston Red Sox 1

Series Synopsis

Boston's attempt at repeating as World Champions falls short by one game as the surprising Tampa Bay Rays, who had never managed a winning season in its first ten years of existence, best the Red Sox four games to three. Down three games to one, Boston forces a deciding seventh game but are unable to win on the road in Tampa, where they had lost eight-of-nine regular season meetings.

Series Highlight

Down 7-0 with seven outs to go in the game, Boston begins an improbable comeback with a two-out, four-run rally in the bottom of the seventh at Fenway Park as second baseman Dustin Pedroia hits an RBI single and David Ortiz hits a three-run jack, his only home run of the series. Boston scores another three in the eighth, highlighted by J.D. Drew's two-run home run to right, to tie the game and pitcher Justin Masterson works out of a jam in the top of the ninth to give Boston a chance to walk off with a victory. After two quick outs, Kevin Youkilis appears to ground out to third but Evan Longoria throws the ball away, and Jason Bay follows with an intentional walk. Drew then completes the comeback with a ground-rule double to right as the Red Sox stage the second-biggest comeback in post-season history.