Boston sweeps Colorado

DENVER: The Boston Red Sox beat the Colorado Rockies 4-3 on Sunday to win the World Series and record their second four-game sweep of the Fall Classic in four years.

Boston, who had gone 86 years without winning a World Series before sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004, repeated the feat by outscoring the Rockies a cumulative 29-10 in four games.

Starter Jon Lester took the win, Jonathan Papelbon notched the save and World Series MVP Mike Lowell paced a nine-hit attack with a double and home run in the final chapter of this year's best-of-seven Major League Baseball championship.

Papelbon struck out Seth Smith for the final out, touching off wild celebrations at the mound that started with catcher Jason Varitek leaping into the reliever's arms.

"This team has got a lot of heart," team captain Varitek told reporters.

"We just beat a very, very good team, an excellent team. We had to do the little things, and we were able to."

The Rockies, who won 21 of 22 games to storm into the postseason and their first World Series, never found their stride after waiting eight days for the Series to begin.

"They executed better than us all four games," said Rockies manager Clint Hurdle. "They deserve all the credit. We just got beat by a better team in this Series in every way."

Left-hander Lester, who underwent chemotherapy last year to treat lymphoma, went five and 2/3 scoreless innings, giving up three hits in his first postseason start.

"The way he pitched, the way he composed himself, the way he competed, I thought it was very appropriate that he got the win," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said about Lester.

"I'm so proud of Jon Lester," Francona added.

"I'm ecstatic for him," Lowell said of the left-hander.

"I don't think too many people expected him to be in that situation and against a very good hitting team in a tough park to pitch in. He did an excellent job.

"I know we all know the story of what he's had to overcome, and personally, I feel that we have a little bit of a link because of what both of us have gone through," added Lowell, who was diagnosed with testicular cancer eight years ago.

Boston scored single runs in the first and fifth innings and made it 3-0 on Lowell's homer in the seventh off starter and loser Aaron Cook.

Colorado's Brad Hawpe skied a solo shot to right in the bottom of the seventh to bring the Rockies to 3-1 before Boston restored its three-run cushion on the first pitch of the eighth, Bobby Kielty hitting a pinch-hit homer.

But Colorado would not go down without a fight.

Garrett Atkins clubbed a two-run homer off Hideki Okajima as the Rockies got back to 4-3 in the eighth before hard-throwing Papelbon was summoned to get the last five outs for his third save of the series.

"It doesn't get old," Francona after his second title in four years. "I'm so proud of our organization."

Lowell, who was also on the World Series-winning Florida Marlins team in 2003 that defeated the New York Yankees, batted .400 for the series, going 6-for-15, scored six runs and drove in four.

"I'm on cloud nine. It's unbelievable," Lowell said.

Thousands of Red Sox supporters made their way to the lower deck behind the Boston dugout after the game and celebrated with chants of "Let's Go Red Sox," and an old favorite aimed at an archrival - "Yankees Suck".

Agencies

(China Daily 10/30/2007 page24)