Price finally proves his doubters wrong
Stellar showing removes the albatross that hung around his neck,
LOS ANGELES The relief of finally winning in the post-season had given way to joy long before Sunday night, of course, but now that he’s a World Series champion, David Price can freely admit how deeply the lack of playoff success was wearing on him.
And how could it not? Before running the table with wins in his final three starts this October — including Sunday’s masterpiece to clinch the 114th Fall Classic for the Boston Red Sox — Price was too often a beaten, befuddled man in the playoffs.
“It was tough, absolutely,” the 33-year-old said in the afterglow of his three-hit, one-run effort in Boston’s 5-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers, giving the Sox the series in five games.
“To answer that question in spring training and day in and day out, over and over and over and over any time it got near to September, that was difficult. I hold all the cards now and that feels good.
“I can’t tell you how good it feels to hold that trump card. You guys (the media) have had it for a long time but you don’t have it anymore.”
Of course, Price had the power to change the deck at any point, whether when he was a late-season acquisition by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2015 or in his first two playoff seasons with Boston. For whatever reason, though, he couldn’t get it done.
As Price said, the talk has been going on for a while. After ending his playoff stint with the Jays and signing as a free agent with the Red Sox for US$217 million over seven years, the first question was obvious: What about the playoffs?
Price’s answer then was classic. “I’ve been saving all my playoff wins for the Red Sox.”
Well, eventually that did become true. It just took a while. As has been widely documented, Price was 0-9 in 11 career starts before getting the win against Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander in Game 5 of the ALCS. He followed it with another stellar effort in Game 2 against the Dodgers back in Boston and now he looks like he can’t be stopped.
That it’s finally no longer an issue, Price credits first-year Red Sox manager Alex Cora for some of it.
“Our relationship is definitely very unique,” Price said. “It started in the first week of January when we went out for a team lunch in Fort Myers and setting the tone with the first meeting.
“We’re always in contact, even when we are away from the field. So I’ve said it many times, he’s cool.”
The three-hitter through seven innings and one batter on Sunday could have been even better. After giving up a first-inning homer to David Freese, the only two hits he allowed were a bloop single to Yasiel Puig in the second and a Freese triple that would have been an out if right fielder J.D. Martinez hadn’t lost the ball in the lights.
“I’m very proud of him,” said Cora. “There are a lot of people who gave up on him throughout the season. But we knew he was one of the best pitchers in the big leagues and he cares. He wants to win and he finally has his World Series win.”
World Series MVP Steve Pearce is riding high in the popularity polls in New England and will likely continue to do so for the rest of his days. But the clutch-hitting Pearce was one of the more popular players in the Blue Jays’ clubhouse as well, a hardnosed dude whom his teammates enjoyed being around.
“He’s been great not only in the field but in the clubhouse,” Cora said of Pearce, about as unlikely a candidate you could find to be the 2018 World Series MVP, were it not for the final 11 innings of the series.
“He’s been a great teammate. Veteran guy, he’s been through a lot.
“Little by little his role got bigger. He kept putting up good at-bats and actually he played great defensively for us, too, and that was a plus. I’m happy that he was MVP of the series.”
So what now as free agency comes around again?
You bet the Florida native has great interest in re-signing with the new World Series champs.
“I would definitely love it,” Pearce said. “We’re world champions. To be able to open up next season at Fenway Park with the ring ceremony and everything that goes along with it and to drop the banner for the 2018 champions, would definitely love that.”