The potent offense of Boston will be tested by Oakland's stellar starting staff.
By Wire services
Published October 1, 2003
OAKLAND, Calif. - After three remarkable regular seasons and three first-round playoff exits, the Athletics have begun to wonder if they'll ever break through in October.
Of course, playoff failure is relative. The A's merely must look across the Coliseum field Wednesday night at the Red Sox - a talented team in its ninth decade without a championship.
"We've got to keep it intact," A's manager Ken Macha said with a grin.
Belief will be a large factor in the AL Division Series. The A's must have faith that their good pitching finally will beat good hitting in the playoffs, while the Red Sox must mentally overcome years of struggle for generations of Boston players.
"You think about history when you're a baseball player sometimes, and there's a little superstition involved, too," said Macha, who managed in the Boston organization for four years and nearly took over the Red Sox two years ago. "But it's not the main issue. We're focused on winning the opening game, and so are they."
The teams are connected by much more than their postseason struggles. For less than a day last winter, A's general manager Billy Beane accepted an offer to take the same job in Boston before changing his mind.
Under first-year general manager Theo Epstein, the Red Sox have begun to retool their organization as a high-budget version of the A's, with an emphasis on on-base percentage, strong pitching and a deep farm system.
Both teams will pitch their aces in the opener, with league ERA champion Pedro Martinez facing 16-game winner Tim Hudson. The late start (10 p.m.) should only add to the tension when Boston's league-best offense takes on the best of Oakland's top-notch pitching staff.
Martinez refused to speak to reporters on Tuesday, keeping his focus squarely on the series.
"He's a stud. He's been one of the best pitchers in the American League every year since I've been here," Hudson said. "He has dominating stuff. He's a guy I always looked up to coming up. He has his reputation for a reason. He's going to be tough, but I like our chances anyway."
Perhaps that's because Hudson pitched a two-hitter when he faced Martinez in Oakland nearly two months ago. While Hudson dominated, the A's ratcheted up Martinez's pitch count, and the Boston ace pitched five innings in a 4-0 loss.
"Thank God he won't do it every time, or he'd be 35-0," Boston's Kevin Millar said.
The Red Sox were a phenomenal offensive team, leading in runs, batting average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage. Eight players drove in at least 85. Bill Mueller won the batting title at .326 and teammate Manny Ramirez finished second, a point behind.
"When you can put yourself and your team in this position, you've got to be pretty happy about that," Mueller said. "We've got a great group of people. Everybody here had a great year. I'm happy we're in this situation right now to go on."
