4/5 @ Cleveland

[a700hitter]

In this case, this is a correlation/causation fallacy. They won for a large variety of reasons, and Schilling was a contributor, but they didn't win "because they had Schilling".

 

Arizona, on the other hand, is very ulikely to have won without Schilling in their series vs. NY, because he was at another level during that postseason. The Sox won with Schilling Lite.

In game 3 of the 2007 ALDS he pitched 7 scoreless innings against the Angels and when he left the game the Red Sox held a 2-0 lead going into the 8th inning-- certainly not a blowout. If Schilling hadn't pitched so great and had given up 3 or 4 runs, Scioscia might have made different pitching decisions in the 8th and 9th. In game 2 of the 2007 WS, he held the Rockies to 1 run in 5 1/3 innings and handed a 2-1 lead to the pen. Again, not a blowout. Only game 6 of the ALCS was a blowout. The fact is Schilling did it for us. Whether anyone on that roster could have stepped in and done as well in those games is pure speculation.

[ORS]

In game 3 of the 2007 ALDS he pitched 7 scoreless innings against the Angels and when he left the game the Red Sox held a 2-0 lead going into the 8th inning-- certainly not a blowout. If Schilling hadn't pitched so great and had given up 3 or 4 runs' date=' Scioscia might have made different pitching decisions in the 8th and 9th. In game 2 of the 2007 WS, he held the Rockies to 1 run in 5 1/3 innings and handed a 2-1 lead to the pen. Again, not a blowout. Only game 6 of the ALCS was a blowout. The fact is Schilling did it for us. Whether anyone on that roster could have stepped in and done as well in those games is pure speculation.[/quote']

Both of those series, the ALDS and WS, were sweeps. Losing one game is very unlikely to have had an impact on the outcome of either series, especially given the way Beckett pitched that offseason. Furthermore, Scioscia threw out Shields and Speier in game 3 of the ALDS with their backs against the wall. He approached it like what it was, a must win game, and he handed the ball to the same guy that would have been there if they had a lead.

[a700hitter]

Both of those series' date=' the ALDS and WS, were sweeps. Losing one game is very unlikely to have had an impact on the outcome of either series, especially given the way Beckett pitched that offseason. Furthermore, Scioscia threw out Shields and Speier in game 3 of the ALDS with their backs against the wall. He approached it like what it was, a must win game, and he handed the ball to the same guy that would have been there if they had a lead.[/quote']Of course this speculation is gospel.