| 2013 American League Championship Series | ||||||||||
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| Dates | October 12–19 | |||||||||
| MVP | Koji Uehara (Boston) | |||||||||
| Umpires | Joe West (crew chief),Rob Drake,Ron Kulpa,Alfonso Márquez,Dale Scott,Dan Iassogna | |||||||||
| Broadcast | ||||||||||
| Television | Fox | |||||||||
| TV announcers | Joe Buck,Tim McCarver,Ken Rosenthal, andErin Andrews | |||||||||
| Radio | ESPN | |||||||||
| Radio announcers | Jon Sciambi andChris Singleton | |||||||||
| ALDS |
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The2013American League Championship Series was abest-of-seven playoff inMajor League Baseball's2013 postseason pitting the top-seededBoston Red Sox against the third-seededDetroit Tigers[1] for the American League pennant and the right to play in the2013 World Series against theSt. Louis Cardinals. The Red Sox won the series 4 games to 2. The series was the 44th in league history, and was the first postseason meeting between the two teams.
Fox aired all games in the United States. This is, to date, the final League Championship series to air in its entirety onbroadcast television; all of Fox's subsequent LCS series have been primarily broadcast onFS1.
Koji Uehara was the series MVP.
The Red Sox would go on to defeat theSt. Louis Cardinals in theWorld Series, winning their eighth World Series championship.
Boston won the series, 4–2.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
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| 1 | October 12 | Detroit Tigers – 1, Boston Red Sox – 0 | Fenway Park | 3:56 | 38,210[2] |
| 2 | October 13 | Detroit Tigers – 5,Boston Red Sox – 6 | Fenway Park | 3:28 | 38,029[3] |
| 3 | October 15 | Boston Red Sox – 1, Detroit Tigers – 0 | Comerica Park | 3:20(:17 delay) | 42,327[4] |
| 4 | October 16 | Boston Red Sox – 3,Detroit Tigers – 7 | Comerica Park | 3:27 | 42,765[5] |
| 5 | October 17 | Boston Red Sox – 4, Detroit Tigers – 3 | Comerica Park | 3:47 | 42,669[6] |
| 6 | October 19 | Detroit Tigers – 2,Boston Red Sox – 5 | Fenway Park | 3:52 | 38,823[7] |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Boston | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| WP:Aníbal Sánchez (1–0) LP:Jon Lester (0–1) Sv:Joaquín Benoit (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Five Tiger pitchers (Aníbal Sánchez,Al Alburquerque,José Veras,Drew Smyly andJoaquín Benoit) combined to strike out 17 and hold the Red Sox hitless for8+1⁄3 innings. Starter Sánchez struck out 12 and walked six through six shutout innings, but was lifted after throwing 116 pitches.Daniel Nava broke up the no-hitter with a one-out single in the ninth off Benoit. He was then lifted for a pinch-runner, former TigerQuintin Berry, who stole second base with two outs but was stranded there whenXander Bogaerts popped to shortstop to end the game. Benoit lost the no-hitter, but he earned the save, and the Tigers held on to win 1–0. The only run of the game scored in the sixth whenJhonny Peralta, the only player with multiple hits in the game (three), drove inMiguel Cabrera with an RBI single.[8]
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Boston | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| WP:Koji Uehara (1–0) LP:Rick Porcello (0–1) Home runs: DET:Miguel Cabrera (1),Alex Avila (1) BOS:David Ortiz (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tiger starters continued their mastery of Red Sox hitters, this time withMax Scherzer on the mound. Scherzer no-hit Boston through the first5+2⁄3 innings, struck out 13, and allowed just one run on two hits overall, leaving the game after seven innings with a 5–1 lead. The Tigers got a run in the second inning, whenVíctor Martínez doubled, went to third on aJhonny Peralta single, and scored on a single byAlex Avila. In the top of the sixth, the wheels came off for Red Sox starterClay Buchholz.Miguel Cabrera hit a one-out home run over the left-field wall to start the scoring.Prince Fielder followed with a double off the left-field wall, then Martínez hit his second double of the night to score Fielder. One out later, Alex Avila hit a two-run homer to right, making the score 5–0. Scherzer allowed his lone run in the bottom of the frame, whenDustin Pedroia doubled to drive inShane Victorino.[9]That ended a string of 23 consecutive scoreless innings by Tiger pitching, going back to Game 5 of theALDS againstOakland. Tiger managerJim Leyland used four relief pitchers in the bottom of the eighth inning, none of whom was very effective.José Veras allowed a one-out double toWill Middlebrooks, andDrew Smyly was brought in to faceJacoby Ellsbury, whom he promptly walked.Al Alburquerque struck out Victorino for the second out of the inning, but Pedroia followed with a single to load the bases. Leyland went to his closer,Joaquín Benoit, to faceDavid Ortiz. On a first-pitch changeup, Ortiz hit a grand slam to tie the game at 5–5.[10][11]Torii Hunter, in pursuing it to try to make the catch, flipped over the east side of the low Fenway Park bullpen wall at right field, as bullpen cop Steve Horgan raised his arms in celebration slightly behind him, while two other Red Sox catchers inside the bullpen (one of whom caught the Ortiz game-tying blast) were shocked because of Hunter's injury. Hunter had injured himself while trying to make the play. Other teammates from both teams rushed inside the Red Sox bullpen including some teammates from the Tigers, while bullpen cop Steve Horgan held the bullpen door open for the teammates to check on him. Hunter later got up and reported that he was doing alright as he left the bullpen. Meanwhile, afterKoji Uehara pitched a perfect ninth, Boston scored the winning run in the bottom of the frame.[12]Jonny Gomes led off with an infield single-off relieverRick Porcello, and advanced to second on a throwing error by Tiger shortstopJosé Iglesias. Porcello threw a wild pitch, allowing Gomes to reach third.Jarrod Saltalamacchia followed with a walk-off RBI single to left, giving the Red Sox a wild 6–5 comeback win.[13]
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Detroit | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| WP:John Lackey (1–0) LP:Justin Verlander (0–1) Sv:Koji Uehara (1) Home runs: BOS:Mike Napoli (1) DET: None | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In the bottom of the second, an electrical problem sidelined the game for 17 minutes. However once the game resumed, Game 3 resembled Game 1, featuring outstanding pitching from both teams. Boston'sJohn Lackey gave up four hits and no runs in6+2⁄3 innings and struck out eight. Detroit'sJustin Verlander, who had not yet allowed a run in the postseason, pitched6+1⁄3 shutout innings before allowing a home run to left field off the bat ofMike Napoli. Verlander would exit after eight innings pitched, giving up four hits and striking out ten. Boston escaped a jam in the bottom of the eighth inning when a walk toAustin Jackson and a single byTorii Hunter put runners on first and third with one out.[14]But Red Sox relieverJunichi Tazawa struck out sluggerMiguel Cabrera, thenKoji Uehara came on and struck outPrince Fielder on three pitches to end the threat. Uehara then completed the ninth inning to earn the save. For Cabrera, this was the first time in 33 career postseason games that he failed to reach base.[15]
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Detroit | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | x | 7 | 9 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| WP:Doug Fister (1–0) LP:Jake Peavy (0–1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Red Sox sentJake Peavy to the mound looking to build a commanding 3–1 series lead. However, Peavy struggled in his only start of the series. After a scoreless first inning, Peavy gave up a leadoff single toVíctor Martínez to start the second inning. He then walked bothJhonny Peralta andAlex Avila to load the bases. AfterOmar Infante was robbed on a diving catch by right fielderShane Victorino,Austin Jackson walked on four pitches to give the Tigers a 1–0 lead.José Iglesias then hit a potential double-play grounder to second, butDustin Pedroia bobbled the ball and was only able to force Jackson at second, allowing Peralta to score.Torii Hunter then doubled to score Avila and Iglesias. Hunter would then score on a single to center field byMiguel Cabrera, making the score 5–0 after two innings. In the fourth inning, the Tigers chased Peavy from the game with a ground-rule double by Infante and an RBI single by Jackson.Brandon Workman then replaced Peavy on the mound. After Jackson stole second base, Iglesias sacrificed him to third. One out later, Cabrera singled to score Jackson and make the score 7–0. For the Tigers,Doug Fister scattered eight hits over six innings, striking out seven and giving up only one run on a series of hits in the sixth, capped by an RBI single fromJarrod Saltalamacchia. Shane Victorino andJacoby Ellsbury would later plate runs of their own off the Tiger bullpen, but it was not enough and the Tigers took Game 4 by a score of 7–3 to even the series at two games apiece.
Tiger leadoff hitter Austin Jackson, struggling with an .091 postseason batting average coming into the game (3–for–33) was dropped to eighth in the batting order by managerJim Leyland. He responded by reaching base four times (two hits and two walks) while driving in two runs.[16]
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Detroit | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| WP:Jon Lester (1–1) LP:Aníbal Sánchez (1–1) Sv:Koji Uehara (2) Home runs: BOS:Mike Napoli (2) DET: None | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Detroit threatened early against Boston starterJon Lester. With two on and two out,Jhonny Peralta singled to left field, butJonny Gomes threw outMiguel Cabrera, who was attempting to score from second base. The Red Sox offense scored early against Tiger starterAníbal Sánchez, who had baffled them in Game 1.Mike Napoli led off the second inning with a massive home run that landed in the ivy well beyond the 420-foot (130 m) center field wall atComerica Park.Jonny Gomes then reached on a fielding error by third basemanMiguel Cabrera, and went to third on a one-out double byXander Bogaerts. Gomes scored on a double byDavid Ross, making the score 2–0, though Bogaerts only reached third base after he went back to tag up at second.Jacoby Ellsbury then lined a ball off the glove of Sánchez, which trickled away for an infield single, allowing Bogaerts to score the third run of the inning. Ross was then thrown out at the plate byOmar Infante, attempting to score on a ground ball to second byShane Victorino. On the play, Ross collided with Tigers catcherAlex Avila, injuring Avila's knee. Avila would stay in the game for two more innings while apparently wincing as he moved about. He was eventually pinch hit for by backup catcherBrayan Peña. In the third inning, the Red Sox went up 4–0, when Napoli doubled, went to third on a ground out, and scored on a wild pitch by Sánchez. After holding the Tigers scoreless for4+2⁄3 innings, Lester allowed a two-out RBI single by Miguel Cabrera, scoringAustin Jackson from second. Lester then allowed two baserunners in the Tiger sixth before being pulled for relieverJunichi Tazawa. Peña then greeted Tazawa with first-pitch single that platedVictor Martinez, making the score 4–2. The Tigers closed the gap to 4–3 in the seventh, whenJosé Iglesias scored on a double-play grounder by Cabrera. Boston closerKoji Uehara would enter with one out in the eighth inning, recording a perfect1+2⁄3 innings, earning a save, and sending the Red Sox back home with a 3–2 series lead.[17]
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Boston | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | x | 5 | 5 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| WP:Junichi Tazawa (1–0) LP:Max Scherzer (0–1) Sv:Koji Uehara (3) Home runs: DET: None BOS:Shane Victorino (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Game 6 was originally scheduled for the afternoon, but with the NLCS having ended the night before, MLB and Fox moved the game into primetime. The first pitch came at 8:07 pm EDT.
Both starters,Max Scherzer andClay Buchholz, were very strong in the early innings. After4+1⁄2 scoreless innings, during whichDustin Pedroia missed a home run off the left field foul pole by inches in the third, Boston drew first blood against Scherzer.Xander Bogaerts smacked a two-out double off the Green Monster and scored on a single byJacoby Ellsbury. Ellsbury, who had only been caught stealing four times out of 56 attempts during the regular season, then tried to swipe second but was thrown out. Buchholz allowedTorii Hunter andMiguel Cabrera to reach base in the top of the sixth and was relieved byFranklin Morales. Morales did not record a single out, walkingPrince Fielder and allowing a two-run single byVíctor Martínez to make the score 2–1.Brandon Workman then came in and induced a bizarre double play in which Martinez was tagged by Dustin Pedroia, followed by Fielder getting caught between third and home in a rundown.[18]
Jonny Gomes led off the seventh with a double and after aStephen Drew strikeout and a walk by Bogaerts, Ellsbury hit a ground ball that popped out of the glove ofJosé Iglesias for an error. That brought upShane Victorino, who coming into this at bat was 2–for–23 in the series. Victorino crushed an 0–2José Veras curveball over the Green Monster for a grand slam and a 5–2 Red Sox lead. AfterCraig Breslow tossed a perfect eighth,Koji Uehara, who would receive MVP honors, earned the save by pitching a scoreless ninth.[19]
With the victory, the Red Sox won their third pennant in a span of ten years and set aFall Classic rematch with theSt. Louis Cardinals, whom they swept in 2004 to win theirfirst World Series in 86 years.[20]
2013 ALCS(4–2):Boston Red Sox overDetroit Tigers
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Detroit Tigers | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 50 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Boston Red Sox | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 19 | 39 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Total attendance: 242,823 Average attendance: 40,470 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Former TigerJ.D. Martinez signed a free agent contract with the Red Sox during the 2017-2018 off-season to essentially replaceDavid Ortiz atdesignated hitter, who retired after the2016 season.[21] In2017, the Red Sox's first season in 15 years without David Ortiz, the team struggled mightily at designated hitter and with runners in scoring position. It turned out Martinez fit the Red Sox like a glove in2018, as he finished 4th in MVP voting (his teammateMookie Betts won the award), hitting .330 and batting in a league-high 130 runs. As for the team, the Red Sox set a new franchise record for wins in a season at 108, surpassing the1912 team (105).[22] Like the 1912 and 2013 teams, the Red Sox would later go on to win theWorld Series in 2018, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games.
Also on the 2018 Red Sox was long-time Tigers pitcherRick Porcello, who would finally reach his potential in 2016, winning 22 games and aCy Young Award in Boston.[23]
The Tigers have not been back to an AL Championship Series since 2013. ManagerJim Leyland retired following the season and would be replaced by former Tiger playerBrad Ausmus. Detroit would make one final push for a World Series thefollowing season, acquiring All-StarsIan Kinsler andDavid Price in trades and featuring a pitching rotation that would include five past or future Cy Young winners. The Tigers would win theAL Central for the fourth straight year with a 90-72 record, but were defeated by the Baltimore Orioles in theAmerican League Division Series.[24] Detroit would go on to post losing records in eight of the next nine seasons and wouldn’t return to the playoffs until the2024 postseason.
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