Sox-Indians sure to be a fall classic

BOSTON – The wait has been interminable, but tonight – finally – the American League Championship Series gets under way at Fenway Park (7:10, Ch. 25).The Cleveland Indians, vying to win their first pennant since 1997 (and their first World Series title since 1948) will send C. C. Sabathia to the mound against Boston’s Josh Beckett. Both Cy Young candidates won their divisional series games, but took a different path to get there.Beckett blew away the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim last Wednesday, at one point retiring 19 batters in a row, as the Sox won, 4-0. Sabathia, on the other hand, struggled through five innings in Cleveland’s 12-3 win over the New York Yankees.The weather should clear in time for tonight’s game, but a chilly, windy night is forecast.The two teams tied for the American League’s best record this season (96-66), but the Red Sox won five out of seven games with the Indians during the regular season, giving them home-field advantage.The Sox took two out of three at Fenway in May, with Beckett winning one of them. The series in Cleveland in July, where the Red Sox took three out of four, was far more interesting. In the first game, Jon Lester, in his first start, won 6-2, beating Jake Westbook. The second two games of the series were classics. Daisuke Matsuzaka dueled Sabathia for seven innings each, with Matsuzaka coming out on top, 1-0.The next night, Fausto Carmona – Cleveland’s other Cy Young candidate – returned the favor, blanking the Sox and Beckett, 1-0.In the final game, a 14-9 Red Sox win, Julian Tavarez got the win, but he was one of a parade of pitchers on both sides that couldn’t get anybody out.The Indians last won the World Series in 1948, going through both Boston teams at the times to get there. They defeated the Red Sox in a one-game playoff, and then beat the Boston Braves in six games for the title.