Red Sox Playoffs: They've Been Here Before

Down 2-0 in a five-game series? Pshhhh, please. That’s nothing. Try being down 3-0 to your blood rivals in the ALCS a year removed from them ripping your hearts out in Game 7.

Sunday’s Game 3 against the Angels is just another day at Fenway Park…we hope.

This is getting to be old news for the Local Nine: down 3-1 in ’04 against the afore-mentioned Yankees and down 3-1 in ’07 against the Cleveland Indians – both World Series winning seasons. They were also down 3-1 in the ALCS last season but since they lost in Game 7, many forget the accomplishment.

Some interesting (or potentially heartbreaking) stats:

– Since 2003, Boston is 13-3 in potential elimination games.

– The Red Sox have won three games in a row 14 times this season.

– In the Divisional Series, four teams have come back from 2-0 deficits, including the ’99 and ’03 editions of the Sox. In both situations, they lost their first two games on the road.

– Boston was 56-25 at home this season, 2nd best in baseball.

But the key today is to hit and hit early. In the first two games, the Sox offense has managed just eight hits and one run and will face old rival Scott Kazmir – someone is familiar with the confines of Fenway during his run with Tampa Bay.

Kazmir has had success at the Fens, allowing just 14 runs and fanning 46 in 40 innings of work from 2006-2008, holding the Sox to a .250 batting average. This season? Two starts and two wins in similar fashion.

But this is October and traditionally, this is when Boston plays its best baseball. There’s a reason why this club has come back time and time and time again. Until they falter, trust in the notion that this is old hat to Terry Francona. In fact, this is more the norm.

They’ve been here before. The question is can they do it again.

Josh Nason is the main writer for Small White Ball, a New England-based sports and media blog on the MVN Network. Reach him via Twitter or josh [at] smallwhiteball [dot-com].