Projo Sox Blog

BY KEVIN McNAMARA
Journal Sports Writer

ANAHEIM, Calif. - It's always a bit comical this time of year when baseball writers, and fans, wonder how a certain player or team will fare on the "Big Playoff Stage."

For the Boston Red Sox, playing on the big stage is business as usual. It's a nightly occurrence at Fenway Park, where sellout crowds demand success and every pitch is laced with hand-wringing angst.

"There is pressure from Day One when you step on the field with the Boston Red Sox,'' said Kevin Youkilis, who hit .388 in last year's playoff run to a World Championship. "The pressure that the media and the fans put on the players is for 162 games. When you come to these postseason games, you're ready for it, I think.''

Maybe that's the best way to explain why a slew of young, largely untested players has barely seemed to notice that the October spotlight is shining. Through the franchise's historic run of success that began in 2004, the Red Sox have leaned heavily on youngsters who've made huge contributions to postseason wins. If they hope to win back-to-back world titles over the next few weeks, similar performances are mandatory.

Initial reviews are overwhelmingly positive.

Consider that Justin Masterson is 23 years old. Jon Lester and Jed Lowrie are 24. Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury are 25. All five players came up big in Game One of this ALDS with the Angels and will need to continue contributing throughout the series.

The Red Sox say that the intensity of games at Fenway, coupled with the success the older players on the team have come to expect, combine to create a culture where young players can shine.

"Jed Lowrie comes up (this season) and establishes right away that he can help us win," said manager Terry Francona. "That's one of the things we've talked to the young guys about a lot when they get here is understanding how important these games are, and when the veterans see that they care about winning, and maybe not calling home to Mom and Dad that they got in a game, it really goes a long way and they seem to grasp that early on. I think our veterans do a good job of allowing them to fit in, trying to teach them the game and our young kids do a very good job of having that youthful enthusiasm and showing respect to the veterans. It's a pretty good combination."

The spotlight can often be cruel, of course, but the Red Sox have that covered, too. Sox players realize that they can be praised one day and booed the next when they're playing in the Fenway meat grinder.

"There is so much pressure day in, day out, in Boston from the fans because they'll get on you," said Youkilis. "You can be 10 games up and people are booing you if you have one bad game. Guys are used to that spotlight so I think it's a little easier when you come to these playoffs that you've been under that pressure. It isn't a bad thing. It's a good thing some times. It makes you get better on a daily basis."

Francona has shown he know show to groom young players. He's stuck with several youngsters who didn't shine right away, most notably Pedroia last season. Pedroia struggled early on but went on to win the American League Rookie of the Year award and hit .283 with 10 RBI in the postseason.

"When Pedroia came up here, last year was difficult,'' Francona said, "but he believed in himself. We were playing good enough baseball where we could be patient and certainly it paid off, you know, way more than we ever could have imagined.''

Francona doesn't back down from challenging his younger players either. The best example came in Game One when Lester's time was up and it was time to go to the bullpen in the eighth inning. With Hideki Okajima and Masterson up and ready, the manager chose to go with the rookie right-hander.

Masterson faced the heart of the Angels' order (Mark Teixeira, Vladimir Guerrero, Torii Hunter) and battled his way to a shutout inning.

The Red Sox will be hoping for similar results the rest of these playoffs.

 Tags  dustin pedroia Justin Masterson Kevin Youkilis

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