Cleveland at Boston, 8:21 PM (FOX)
American League Championship Series, Game 7
Starting Pitchers:
Boston: Daisuke Matsuzaka (204.2 IP, 4.40 ERA, 98 PRC)
Cleveland: Jake Westbrook (152.0 IP, 4.32 ERA, 59 PRC)
By midnight the season might be over. Or the Indians could be celebrating their sixth American League pennant. Such a finality to such a long season makes each pitch tonight important, each catch vital, each swing crucial. If I weren't an Indians fan, I'd be enjoying the heck out of this game.
Regardless of how it ends, the 2007 season has been a fantastic ride, fulfilling the most optimistic goals of Indians fans. Yet somehow, now that they're one win away from the World Series, just getting to the ALCS no longer seems good enough, just as making the playoffs no longer seemed good enough when the Indians were playing in the ALDS. Perhaps it is because the goal is so close, and it's been so long since that goal has been reached.