Schedule and 2007 Results
Regular Season Records: Boston 96-66, Colorado 90-73
Game 1 on Wednesday, 24 October: Colorado loses at Boston, 13-runs-1
Game 2 on Thursday, 25 October: Colorado loses at Boston, 2-runs-1
Game 3 on Saturday, 27 October: Boston wins at Colorado, 10-runs-5
Game 4 on Sunday, 28 October: Boston wins at Colorado, 4-runs-3

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 4: The Boston Red Sox visited and defeated the Colorado Rockies 4-runs-3 to win best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1022 (the 2007 World Series), 4-games-nil. Boston thus becomes the 2007 MLB champion, winning its second championship since 2004 (when it also swept the MLB Finals). The Boston Red Sox thus sweep their second best-of-7 MLB playoff series, while the Colorado Rockies suffer their first sweep in a best-of-7 MLB playoff series. With the series 1022 win, the Boston Red Sox improve their best-of-7 MLB playoff series record to 9-8; with the series 1022 loss, the Colorado Rockies see their best-of-7 MLB playoff series record fall to 1-1. The four-game sweep of a best-of-7 playoff series is the 20th in an MLB Finals series, the 25th in an MLB series (all rounds), and the 172nd in an MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds). The sweep is also the third in the last four MLB Finals. In the history of best-of-7 MLB playoffs, teams taking seven games to win their MLB Semifinals series now own a 3-0 MLB Finals series record over teams sweeping their MLB Semifinals series, with wins in the 1988, 2006, and 2007 World Series. The Red Sox allowed Colorado to score only two runs total in Boston, the lowest in a best-of-7 MLB Finals since series 550, in which the Oakland Athletics held the San Francisco Giants to one total run in Oakland in the 1989 World Series.

After Game 3: With best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1022 in Colorado for Games 3-5, the Boston Red Sox visited and defeated the Colorado Rockies 10-runs-5 to take a 3-games-nil lead. When leading a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 3-games-nil, the Boston Red Sox have a 1-0 series record (having won series 938, the 2004 World Series). The Colorado Rockies are trailing a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 3-games-nil for the first time. Boston took a 6-runs-nil lead in the top of the third inning: The six-run top of the third inning was the highest-scoring top of the third in an MLB Finals Game 3 since series 575, when the Cincinnati Reds plated seven runs in the top of the third at Oakland in 1990 World Series Game 3. Series 1022 Game 3 becomes the first best-of-7 MLB playoff game in which 1) a road team led by six runs after 2.5 innings, and 2) the home team narrowed the road team lead to as little as one run. In series 5 Game 3, the Detroit Tigers were down at home by six runs after 2.5 innings against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates, but narrowed the gap to two runs in the 1909 World Series. In series 720 Game 5, the Baltimore Orioles trailed at home by six after 2.5, but also narrowed the gap to two runs in the 1996 MLB Semifinals (American League Championship Series) against the visiting New York Yankees. Nevertheless, road teams with a six-run lead after 2.5 innings of a best-of-7 MLB playoff game now own a 10-0 game record. The 25 total runs by Boston in series 1022 Games 1-3 are tied for the fourth-most by one team in Games 1-3 of a best-of-7 MLB playoff series.

After Game 2: The Boston Red Sox hosted and defeated the Colorado Rockies 2-runs-1, thereby increasing their best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1022 lead to 2-games-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 2-games-nil, the Boston Red Sox have a 2-1 series record; the Colorado Rockies are trailing a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 2-games-nil for the first time. Colorado scored its sole Game 2 run in the top of the first inning, thus ending the Boston streaks at 36 consecutive innings without once trailing and 34 consecutive innings with a lead at some point in each inning (the second-longest such streak in best-of-7 MLB playoff history). In best-of-7 MLB Finals (the World Series), teams with a 2-games-nil lead have won the last six series irrespective of site: The last MLB team to lead 2-games-nil in the Finals but lose a series was the Atlanta Braves in series 772, which lost the 1996 World Series to the New York Yankees; before 1996, the last team to lead 2-games-nil but lose the MLB Finals was the Boston Red Sox in series 475, which lost the 1986 World Series to the New York Mets. In best-of-7 MLB Finals, teams leading 2-games-nil with Games 1-2 at home have won the last eleven such series. The last team to lead a best-of-7 MLB Finals series 2-games-nil with Games 1-2 at home but lose the series was the New York Yankees in series 396, losing the 1981 World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

After Game 1: The Boston Red Sox hosted and defeated the Colorado Rockies 13-runs-1 to take a 1-game-nil lead in best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1022, the 2007 World Series. When leading a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 1-game-nil, the Boston Red Sox have a 5-4 series record; the Colorado Rockies trail a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 1-game-nil for the first time. Boston scored seven runs in the fifth inning. This seven-run fifth represents the most runs ever scored by one team in the fifth inning of a best-of-7 MLB Finals game, topping the old mark of six fifth-inning runs (set in series 246 Game 2 by the Baltimore Orioles in the 1971 World Series, and tied in series 458 Game 7 by the Kansas City Royals in the 1985 World Series). This seven-run fifth ties that of series 1020 Game 4, in which the Cleveland Indians scored the seven runs in the fifth inning of their 2007 MLB Semifinals game against ... the Boston Red Sox, earlier in 2007. The thirteen runs by Boston is the most ever by one team in Game 1 of a best-of-7 MLB playoff series (all rounds), breaking the old mark of twelve Game 1 runs (set in series 25 by the New York Yankees in the 1932 World Series against the Chicago Cubs, and tied in series 722 by the Atlanta Braves in the 1996 World Series against the New York Yankees). The thirteen runs by Boston is the most in a World Series game since series 872 Game 5, in which the San Francisco Giants tallied sixteen runs against the Anaheim Angels in 2002. The Boston Red Sox, which hold the best-of-7 MLB playoff records for most consecutive innings without once trailing (60) and most consecutive innings with a lead at some point in each inning (51), are now up to 36 consecutive innings without once trailing and 34 consecutive innings with a lead at some point in each inning. This latter streak is the second-longest in best-of-7 MLB playoff history, exceeding the 27 such innings by the New York Yankees in series 770 Games 4-6 (in the 1998 American League Championship Series) against the Cleveland Indians. In the history of best-of-7 MLB playoff series (all rounds), teams winning Game 1 by 10+ runs have a 0-3 series record.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2007 MLB regular season, Boston finished 6.5 games ahead of the Colorado Rockies. From 1905 through the 2007 MLB Semifinals, when MLB teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by 6.5 regular-season games, they have posted a 1-2 (.333) best-of-7 series record in those series against those opponents. Best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1022 is the second best-of-7 playoff series for the Colorado Rockies, and the 17th for the Boston Red Sox. In best-of-7 playoff series, the Colorado Rockies have a 1-0 series record, a 0-0 Finals-round series record, and a 1-0 Game 1 record, while the Boston Red Sox have an 8-8 series record, a 5-4 Finals-round record, and a 9-7 Game 1 record. Series 1022 is the first best-of-7 meeting between Colorado and Boston. In the 2007 MLB Semifinals round, the Colorado Rockies swept their opponents, while the Boston Red Sox required the full seven games to defeat theirs. In the history of best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series, when a team that swept in the previous round meets a team that eked out a seven-game victory in the previous round, the sweeping team has a 14-8 series record (in MLB alone, however, that record is 0-2, with the sweeping Oakland Athletics falling to the Los Angeles Dodgers in series 525 [the 1988 World Series], and with the sweeping Detroit Tigers falling to the St. Louis Cardinals in series 989 [the 2006 World Series]).