Although the way the season ended for the Red Sox was disappointing after coming back from a 3-1 deficit just to lose game 7 and the chance to repeat as world champions, the 2008 season was overall a successful year. The Sox battled adversity all season, with several key players missing a lot of time with injuries. Third baseman, and MVP of last year’s World Series, Mike Lowell was plagued by injury throughout the season, and was inactive for the ALCS against the Rays. Josh Beckett, the ace the Sox had always been able to count on, strained an oblique just before the playoffs, and was hit hard, especially by the Rays. And David Ortiz, the remaining slugger since the departure of Manny Ramirez, sustained a wrist injury that caused him to miss major time. Even when he returned to the lineup, he was not the force the AL has feared for the last five years. And yet, the Red Sox were, once again, a 95 win team. They beat the best team in baseball in the ALDS, 3-1, and came within two runs of going back to the World Series. While the goal for this season was to repeat as world champions, the Red Sox still made some great strides as a ballclub. Without Ortiz for a large part of the season, and Manny Ramirez being on a different team, who would have guessed that at the end of the season the Sox would have two of the leading MVP candidates? While Kevin Youkilis had been a solid run producer since 2006, no one could have expected him to become the 115 RBI player he proved he could be. With the main run producers out, Youkilis carried the team on his back, and continued to drive in runs, never having a real slump all-year. He did have help though. Dustin Pedroia, also in the early stages of his career, became the best second baseman in the AL and the sparkplug for the Boston offense, with a .326 average, 17 homeruns to combine with stellar defense. The 2008 season also featured the emergence of Jon Lester, who never lost back-to-back starts all year until the ALCS and came to be one of the top pitchers in the league. Daisuke Matsuzaka had the season the Red Sox were hoping for last year, going 18-3 with an amazing 2.90 ERA. The bullpen also got stronger as the year went on, with the help of rookie Justin Masterson who provided some important innings as the setup-man down the stretch. Jason Bay proved that he could fill the hole Ramirez left, getting key hits in key situations, proving many experts wrong. J.D. Drew came up big in the playoffs too, hitting the game-tying homerun and getting the game-winning hit in the comeback Game 5 win. Several other players showed that they could be important members of the team for years to come. However, questions remain for the Red Sox during the offseason. Jason Varitek, coming off his worst year at the plate, is at the end of his contract, and it remains to be answered whether or not he will be re-signed. Although he has been a cornerstone to the pitching staff while he’s been in Boston, it’s difficult to start someone who’s hitting .220. There’s also the possibility that Masterson will move back to the starting rotation. So, while the year ended disappointingly for the Sox, considering all the struggles the team faced, coming within a game of getting to the World Series should still be deemed a successful season.
