MLB Notebook: Reliving the highs and lows in the last decade of Red Sox history

It's that time of the decade again.

Time, that is, to look back on the last 10 years of Red Sox history, a span that saw both great highs and unimaginable lows.

We'll take a look at the top five moments first, followed by the worst. Remember, these are specific moments, not games.



TOP FIVE MOMENTS

1. David Ortiz's grand slam, Game 2, 2013 ALCS

There can be little doubt that Ortiz was the Sox' signature player of the decade — even if he retired and missed the final three seasons — and, by extension, this was his most memorable moment. There were more heroics to come later that October in the World Series, when the Cardinals continued to defy logic by pitching to him. But this was vintage Ortiz: rescuing the Red Sox from sure defeat, while completely altering the trajectory of the series. The Detroit Tigers were on the verge of going up two games to none and returning home to finish off the Sox. Ortiz changed that narrative in the eighth as the Red Sox rallied from a 5-1 deficit to tie the game when Ortiz went deep off Joaquin Benoit. Torii Hunter fell into the home bullpen in a futile attempt to catch the ball and a Boston cop became a folk hero for his "touchdown'' celebration. The Sox didn't win the game until an inning later, but the series — and entire postseason — pivoted on the blast by Ortiz, a clutch player doing clutch things again.

2. Ortiz's speech

Days after the Boston Marathon terror attack paralyzed the city, the Red Sox returned home to Boston from a brief road trip in Cleveland. The Friday game which was to begin the homestand was canceled as the city was under "shelter in place'' edict as the second bomber was apprehended. On a bright spring day, the city sought a return to normalcy. An emotional pre-game ceremony at Fenway featured scores of public officials saluting the memory of the fallen and honoring the work done by first responders. It was Ortiz, however, who seized the moment and stole the day, noting that Boston was "our (expletive) city,'' and that no one was going to "dictate our freedom.'' It was at once a rallying cry for a wounded region, a reminder of the healing power of sports and a springboard to a season in which the Red Sox would be powered by a mission to demonstrate the meaning of "Boston Strong.''



3. The final out of Game 5, 2018 World Series

Despite a dominant regular season that saw the Sox set a franchise record for victories (108), there were doubts about their chances in the postseason. Instead, the Sox lost only three games, outclassing three 100-win teams in the process. After the Sox dropped Game 3 of the World Series, the team rebounded to win Game 4, then cruised in Game 5, behind yet another masterful start from David Price, intent on burying any and all suggestions that he couldn't perform on the October stage. Steve Pearce, surprise World Series MVP, struck big, Alex Cora's magical first-year ride as rookie manager concluded with a joyous celebration on the Dodger Stadium infield and the Red Sox were champions for the fourth time since 2004. Everything crystallized with the 27th out, as Chris Sale, pressed into closing duty, overmatched Manny Machado.

4. The World Series victory parade, 2013

Three nights earlier, the Red Sox had clinched their first World Series at Fenway in almost a century. That was emotional enough, but the following Saturday, the Sox staged yet another "rolling rally'' in celebration. But this was more than the joyous conclusion to an improbable season; it was also a reminder of the bombing which had ripped a hole in the city seven months earlier. Notably, the parade came to a standstill as it neared the marathon finish line on Boylston Street and a handful of players got off their duck boats and took the World Series trophy to commemorate those who had lost their lives in the spring. It was a moving tribute, representing some closure for everyone, and stood as final and conclusive proof of the bond that had developed between the team and the region — one that is unlikely to be matched anytime soon.

5. Ortiz's dugout speech, Game 4, 2013 World Series.

Yup. Ortiz. Again. And again, setting the tone with his words. After winning the opener of the Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, the Sox had lost both Game 2 and Game 3 and were tied 1-1 in the top of the sixth inning of Game 4. Ortiz decided to wake up the troops. He gathered his teammates in the dugout and delivered an emotional talk about what was at stake, how opportunities to win a championship couldn't be squandered and that the Sox were better than they'd shown. Evidently, it worked. The Red Sox scored three runs in that inning, went on to win Game 4, taking control of the series. The Red Sox never lost again in that series. In fact, they never so much as trailed for a half-inning. He was chosen as the World Series MVP, which was a no-brainer after posing a 1.948 OPS. He may well be the greatest clutch hitter in team history and the best DH in baseball history. But he has a pretty good track record as a motivational speaker, too.

BOTTOM FIVE MOMENTS

1. Game 162, 2011.

The Red Sox had spent most of the month frittering away what was once a sizeable lead in the American League wild-card chase. As bad as things were, it seemed as though they were going to hang on and sneak into the postseason. They held a three-game lead heading into their final three-game series against a putrid Baltimore Orioles team, and after dropping the opener, won the second game of that series — with Ryan Lavarnway, of all people, smoking two home runs.

Heading into the final regular-season game of the year, the Red Sox could assure themselves of no worse than a tie with the Rays — a one-game play-in — for what was then the only wild-card spot. But on Wednesday, Sept. 28, the Sox carried a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth, only to see the Orioles rally to tie the game, then win it when Carl Crawford couldn't come up with a shoestring catch in left.

At the time, the Yankees led the Rays, and as I left the press box and headed to the clubhouse, I figured both teams the Sox and Rays would lose and there would be a one-game playoff. But in the stairwell to the clubhouse came word that the Rays had walked off the Yankees on an Evan Longoria homer in the bottom of the 12th. Outside the funereal visiting clubhouse in the bowels of Camden Yards, a shell-shocked Terry Francona stood up against a cement wall and tried to make sense of what had happened. Within weeks, both Francona and GM Theo Epstein were gone and the most successful modern-day stretch in franchise history was over.

2. The hiring of Bobby Valentine.

With Francona fired, the Red Sox were in search of a new manager. In Milwaukee, at the GM Meetings, it seemed the team was on the verge of hiring Dale Sveum, but a lunch meeting with Sveum and the Big Three of John Henry, Tom Werner, and Larry Lucchino led to the search beginning all over. Weeks later, Lucchino chose Valentine over Gene Lamont. Valentine hadn't managed in 10 years, and the feeling was, this could go in one of two directions: really well, or incredibly badly. And yet, "incredibly badly'' would have been an upgrade. Valentine alienated half the team in spring training, spoke endlessly about pitchers' "mechanic" (sic) and lost everyone by Patriots Day after taking a not-so-veiled shot at Kevin Youkilis in a TV interview the night before. It was all downhill from there, with the season a long comedy of errors. Valentine spent the season texting with — but not talking to — bench coach Tim Bogar, intent on settling a score from a decade ago. He showed up for a game in Oakland hours before first pitch, insisting that he had to first pick up his adult son at the airport, and in Toronto late in the season, lamented — on the record! — that he had been given the worst roster of talent ever assembled. Mercifully, the franchise was put out of its misery the day after the regular season when Valentine was summarily gassed.

3. Nov. 25,  2014

On the same day, the Red Sox signed free agents Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval to deals worth a combined $183 million. It's hard to think of a worse outlay of money by the franchise, compounded by the fact that — and this cannot be overstated — it came on the same day. Ramirez had some decent stretches in his stay, but it's hard to forget (or forgive) his indifference to playing left field. As for Sandoval, he spent parts of three seasons in Boston and was mostly out of shape and ineffective. The Sox paid him $95 million and got less than one season (161 games) from him. To this day, it remains something of a mystery whose idea these signings were — misguided baseball decisions by Ben Cherington or desperate attempts at star power by chairman Tom Werner. In the end, it didn't matter. The twin disasters haunted the club for years.

4. John Farrell announces he was diagnosed with lymphoma.

The Red Sox were reeling in August of 2015, heading for their second straight last-place finish. It was an ordinary weekday and shortly ahead of his daily pre-game media session, Farrell was in his office, just off the home clubhouse. I stepped in briefly and chatted with him for two or three minutes, seeking some updates on injured players and pitching plans. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary from Farrell, who had a unique ability to compartmentalize his emotions. Minutes later, I joined a dozen or so reporters and headed upstairs to the interview room. Shortly before Farrell entered, the entire baseball operations department filed in ahead of him — a most unusual occurrence. Immediately, I joined everybody in the room in thinking that Farrell was about to be fired and this show of force was one last show of support. Instead, Farrell took his seat at the podium and began to explain what he had found out a few days earlier. As I noted, Farrell was almost always stoic and he held up well in making this disclosure. But I'll never forget the hitch in his voice between the words "diagnosed with...'' and "non-Hodgkins lymphoma.'' The room went eerily silent.

5. Two games in London, June 29-30, 2019.

The first three months of the 2019 season were a train wreck, as the Red Sox attempted, without success, to recover from their disastrous season-opening road trip and to finally overcome their World Series hangover. A two-game international series against the Yankees represented a chance for the Red Sox to begin a turnaround before the All-Star break. Instead, the Sox were thoroughly outclassed in the two-game set, allowing a staggering 29 runs during the weekend. The Yankees appeared to be taking batting practice against the Red Sox pitching staff — starters and relievers alike. At the conclusion of the series, a stunned Alex Cora was at a loss to explain what had happened, or, for that matter, how to correct it. If that trip had represented some longshot hope that the season could be somehow salvaged, the two games against the Yanks put an emphatic end to that delusional thinking.