 10/07/2003 3:05 AM ET
Boston's uncommon comeback
The 2003 Red Sox became the fourth team in the nine-year history of the
Division Series to overcome an 0-2 deficit and advance to the League
Championship series. They joined the 1995 Mariners, the 2001 Yankees and
yes, those Sox of 1999.
"It's a great team effort to be down, 2-0, and to know that even if you
win Game 3, you're looking at (Tim) Hudson and (Barry) Zito," said Sox
right-hander Derek Lowe. "Zito's won a Cy Young, Hudson easily could
have won one, if not more. It was a daunting task."
Game 5 starter Pedro Martinez was at a loss for words after Boston
clinched the ALDS.
"I can't describe it, really. It was great. It was great being out
there and competing, especially after having such a long trip and being up
every day and being ready to pitch every day, even after throwing 130
pitches."
The track record for teams that have battled back from the brink,
however, is mixed:
The 1995 Mariners were beaten in the ALCS, 4-2, by the Cleveland
Indians.
The 2001 Yankees made it all the way to the seventh game of the
World Series before they fell to the Arizona Diamondbacks on a
ninth-inning, bloop single by Luis Gonzalez.
Those '99 Sox? Like the 2003 model, their reward for coming back
from 0-2 was the Yankees in the ALCS. New York won that series, 4-1.
This time, however, the Sox hope to become the first team in history to
rebound from an 0-2 Division Series hole and go on to win the World
Series. It would be the first Fall Classic appearance for Boston since
1986. Boston hasn't won the World Series since 1918.
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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