David Price picked the perfect time to conquer his postseason demons
By Josh Hill
David Price had been terrible in the postseason until he finally purged his demons in Game 5.
Hollywood was over 1,500 miles away, but there was a plot twist worthy of an Oscar in Houston. Game 5 of the ALCS saw David Price conquer his postseason demons and pitch the Boston Red Sox to their fourth World Series in 15 years.
Ten years ago, Price earned a save in the ALCS that helped propel the Tampa Bay Rays past the Red Sox to help the franchise reach its first ever World Series. In the time between then and now, Price’s postseason history has been one he’d very much like to forget.
We almost forget how outstanding Peak Price between that save for the Rays and his appearance in Game 5 on Thursday night. The asterisk with Price has always been that the regular season version of him and the postseason version was night and day. During the last decade in the regular season, Price:
- Won the Cy Young in 2012
- Won more games than any AL pitcher in 2012
- Led the Majors in strikeouts in 2014
- Twice led the league in ERA
- Went to the All-Star Game five-times
Price is 143-75 with a 3.75 ERA in the regular season in his 11-seasons on the mound. When he was at his peak, he was right there in the conversation with Clayton Kershaw as the best in the game.
Postseason Price is, in every way, the Jekyll to his regular season Hyde. He’s 2-9 with a career 5.42 ERA in 12 October appearances — atrocious, to be as kind as possible about it. Price has been so bad that we celebrated the fact he gave up four runs in less than five innings back in Game 2 of the ALCS.
All of this is to say, the script for Game 5 in Houston was set for something entirely different than what happened. Justin Verlander, Houston’s ace, was on full rest and ready to once again play a hero for the Astros. Price was on short rest and carried into the game his baggage of postseason misery. It wasn’t a win-or-go-home scenario, but Boston was pinning its series-clinching hopes on a guy who had anything but instilled confidence that such a thing would happen.
And then it did.
No one can be faulted for betting against Price but for the first time ever it was the wrong way to lean. Verlander was outpitched, plain and simple, by a guy with one of the worst postseason track records a good pitcher can get away with having. Price and Verlander both went six innings, but the latter allowed only three hits and no runs, striking out nine batters. Verlander was brilliant for most of the game but finished the night allowing four runs.
Price’s brilliant Game 5 performance propelled the Red Sox to the World Series and drove a stake through the heart of his postseason demons.
Unlike Clayton Kershaw’s similar narrative, Price doesn’t need a World Series ring to defeat the idea he can’t win big games in the postseason. That was put to bed on Thursday night in Houston where Price had anything but problems.