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Home > Departments > 2004 World Champions > Players > Derek Lowe |
Born: June 1, 1973; Dearborn, MI Height: 6'6" Weight: 214
Derek pitched six innings in Yankee Stadium on April 23, giving up only two runs as the Sox cruised to an 11-2 win over the Yankees. Lowe did well in interleague play. He threw seven shutout innings against the Dodgers on June 11. Six days later, he had an excellent start in Colorado. He again pitched seven shutout innings, an especially tough feat in the thin air of Coors Field, while giving up only four hits and recording 17 groundball outs. In Atlanta on July 4, he had a good day at the plate, hitting a double and driving in a run. Derek beat the Tigers on August 27, setting season highs with eight innings pitched and seven strikeouts in a 5-3 win. That was during a stretch in July and August in which he won three straight starts and eight of nine decisions, as the Sox climbed back into contention. Relegated to the bullpen to start the playoffs, Lowe entered Game 3 of the Division Series in the tenth inning with the teams tied 6-6. He gave up one hit and walked one, and earned the win when David Ortiz homered in the bottom of the tenth. Derek got the start in Game 4 of the ALCS. With the Sox trailing the series three-games-to-none and the pitching staff depleted after a 19-8 beating the night before, he kept the Sox in the game, leaving after 5 2/3 innings with a 3-2 lead. Although the lead did not hold up, the Sox went on to win 6-4 in twelve innings. When the Red Sox won Games 5 and 6 to tie the series, Lowe started the deciding Game 7. Because of a rainout earlier in the series, there had been no off-day for travel, so he was pitching on only two days' rest. But he was brilliant, holding the Yankees to one run over six innings while the Red Sox offense did its thing. Derek again picked up the win as they clinched a trip to the World Series. Lowe started Game 4 of the World Series in St. Louis. He pitched one of his best games of the year, dominating the Cardinals and allowing no runs and only three hits over seven innings. When the Red Sox held the lead and won their first World Championship in 86 years, he became the first pitcher in history to earn the win in three series-clinching games in the same postseason.
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