World Series 2013: Ellsbury a winner again in possible Red Sox finale

BOSTON - Jacoby Ellsbury got things started for the Red Sox all year, and as Boston wrapped up the World Series with a 6-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 6 on Wednesday night, the leadoff man was the catalyst once more.

Ellsbury went 2-for-4 in the championship clincher, starting the key third-inning rally against Cardinals starter Michael Wacha with a single to right field, and coming around to score on Shane Victorino's double. The man who led baseball's highest-scoring offense in runs this season also doubled and scored in the fourth inning as Boston broke the game open.

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Heading into free agency this winter, there is a chance that Wednesday was Ellsbury's last game in a Red Sox uniform. If that is the case, he bookended his Boston tenure with titles - he hit .438 as the breakout star of the 2007 World Series, and then had six hits in six games in this Fall Classic after dominant performances in the first two rounds to help Boston win the pennant.

'Ells is a really, really good player,' said Boston pitcher Clay Buchholz. 'That's an understatement, too. The dynamics of him doing what he can do on the field, there's not many players like that. I'd love for him to come back. I can give up rockets up the middle and he'll catch 'em. That's the best part of him in the outfield.'

Buchholz, like Ellsbury, debuted in 2007, but the right-hander did not pitch in the playoffs that year, so for him, there was no comparison as far as which ring meant more. But it was striking that Ellsbury felt much the same way - winning after six years of waiting is much different than winning in your first year.

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'It's so tough getting to this position,' Ellsbury said. 'We've had some great teams the last couple of years, and we know how tough it is. This is a great feeling celebrating with this group of guys. There's a lot of things that have to happen right. There are so many variables. When it all comes together, you never know. Tonight was our chance to close it out, and we did. . . . It was fun. We wanted to do it for the fans. Obviously, Boston Strong. We wanted to go out there, compete, play hard, and we did that this year.'

It's also possible to do that and come up short. The Cardinals found that out on Wednesday, as did the Tigers and Dodgers in the last round, and the Rays, Pirates, A's and Braves in the division series. All were good teams that someone could have envisioned popping corks on Wednesday night. But it was the Red Sox who did, and for the players who have grown in their careers through times when Boston was heavily hyped and came up short, then succeeded after being counted as preseason underdogs, there is that much more satisfaction.

'Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good,' Buchholz said. 'I'm taking absolutely nothing away from the Cardinals. Looking at their lineup card every day, you're like, 'Man, there's no holes in that lineup.' You couldn't't pitch around anybody. It's tough one through nine. The game's all about execution, and the times that we needed to execute the best, we did, and everything else took care of itself.'

The Red Sox were good and lucky. They hit .211 as a team in the World Series, but scored 27 runs - 4.50 per game. That's down from the 5.27 runs per game that Boston scored during the regular season, but it looks awfully good in comparison to the 3.17 runs per game scored during the regular season by the team with the major leagues' lowest average, the .231-hitting Miami Marlins. The team with the American League's lowest average, the Seattle Mariners at .237, scored 3.85 runs per game.

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Ellsbury had six hits and two walks in the World Series, and he scored four runs. When he got on base, it made Ortiz that much more dangerous, and the Cardinals knew it. After all three times that Ellsbury reached on Wednesday, St. Louis intentionally walked Big Papi. As well-rounded as Boston's championship lineup was, it was still Ellsbury at the top who added plenty of danger to go with his excellent skill in center field. That is why Buchholz wants to see his teammate return, but also why the 30-year-old will be heavily sought after in free agency.

'You never know when your opportunity's gonna come again,' Ellsbury said. If this was his last one in Boston, he made the most of it.

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