Schedule and 2013 Results
Regular Season Records: Boston 97-65, Detroit 93-69
Game 1 on Saturday, 12 October: Detroit wins at Boston, 1-run-nil
Game 2 on Sunday, 13 October: Detroit loses at Boston, 6-runs-5
Game 3 on Tuesday, 15 October: Boston wins at Detroit, 1-run-nil
Game 4 on Wednesday, 16 October: Boston loses at Detroit, 7-runs-3
Game 5 on Thursday, 17 October: Boston wins at Detroit, 4-runs-3
Game 6 on Saturday, 19 October: Detroit loses at Boston, 5-runs-2

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 6: The Boston Red Sox hosted and defeated the Detroit Tigers 5-runs-2 to achieve a 4-games-2 victory in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1218. With the series 1218 victory, the Boston Red Sox improve their best-of-7 MLB playoff series record to 10-9 overall and to 4-5 in the Semifinals round. With the series 1218 loss, the Detroit Tigers see their best-of-7 MLB playoff series record fall to 6-10 overall and to 2-3 in the Semifinals round. The win order for the victorious Boston Red Sox in series 1218 was LWWLWW: Series 1218 thus becomes the third MLB Semifinals series, the third MLB series (all rounds), and the 30th MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow such a win order to completion. The first MLB/NBA/NHL team to ride a LWWLWW win order to a best-of-7 playoff series victory was the Boston Bruins in series 118, in the 1958 NHL Semifinals round; the most recent to do so had been the St. Louis Cardinals in series 1153, in the 2011 MLB Semifinals round. Boston outscored Detroit 19-runs-18 in series 1218: The +1 differential for Boston was the smallest for a best-of-7 MLB playoff series winner since series 1120, in which the San Francisco Giants defeated the Philadelphia Phillies but were outscored by the Phillies 20-runs-19 (-1).

After Game 5: The Boston Red Sox visited and defeated the Detroit Tigers 4-runs-3 to take a 3-games-2 lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1218. When leading a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 3-games-2, the Boston Red Sox have a 2-2 series record and a 1-3 Game 6 record; when trailing a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 3-games-2, the Detroit Tigers have a 1-2 series record and a 2-1 Game 6 record. The win/site order for the Boston Red Sox thus far in series 1218 is LWWLW @ HHVVV: The only two previous MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series to follow this win/site order through five games were series 24 (by the MLB St. Louis Cardinals in the 1931 MLB Finals, which they won over the Philadelphia Athletics) and series 903 (by the MLB New York Yankees in the 2003 MLB Semifinals, which they won over the Boston Red Sox). As after Game 4, so it remains that the 2013 Boston Red Sox in series 1218 seek to emulate the very archrivals who defeated them ten years ago. Both series 24 and series 903 lasted the full seven games.

After Game 4: The Detroit Tigers hosted and defeated the Boston Red Sox 7-runs-3 to tie MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1218 at 2-games-all. When tied 2-games-all in a best-of-7 MLB playoff series, the Boston Red Sox have a 0-4 series record and a 2-2 Game 5 record, while the Detroit Tigers have a 1-3 series record and a 3-1 Game 5 record with an active three-Game 5 winning streak. Of the four Boston series losses in this context, only one (series 306, against the Cincinnati Reds in the 1975 MLB Finals) occurred with Boston having had home-field advantage. Only one previous MLB Semifinals series featured a win-site order of LWWL @ HHVV after the first four games: Series 903, by the New York Yankees in the 2003 MLB Semifinals – a series in which New York defeated the Boston Red Sox in seven games. So it is that the 2013 Boston Red Sox in series 1218 seek to emulate the very archrivals who defeated them ten years ago.

After Game 3: With MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1218 in Michigan for Games 3-5, the Boston Red Sox visited and shut out the Detroit Tigers 1-run-nil to take a 2-games-1 lead in series 1218. When leading a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 2-games-1, the Boston Red Sox have a 4-2 series record and a 4-2 Game 4 record (both series losses occurred after the two Game 4 losses; all four series wins occurred after the four Game 4 wins). When trailing a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 2-games-1, the Detroit Tigers have a 2-6 series record and a 3-5 Game 4 record (with an active four-Game 4 losing streak).

After Game 2: Trailing by five runs as late as after 5.5 innings and by four runs as late as after 7.5 innings, the Red Sox in Boston rallied to defeat the Detroit Tigers 6-runs-5 to knot MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1218 at 1-game-all. When tied 1-game-all in a best-of-7 MLB playoff series, the Boston Red Sox have a 5-5 series record and a 4-6 Game 3 record with an active six-Game 3 losing streak, while the Detroit Tigers have a 4-4 series record and a 3-5 Game 3 record. The Boston Red Sox suffered a scoreless streak of 14 innings to begin series 1218: Those 14 scoreless innings are second only to the 16 scoreless innings by the New York Yankees to begin series 820 (against the Seattle Mariners in the 2000 MLB Semifinals) for the longest scoreless streak in innings to begin a best-of-7 MLB playoff series. In the history of best-of-7 MLB playoff series, teams such as Boston which trailed at home by five runs after 5.5 innings had a 1-32 game record (the sole winner: the Boston Red Sox, against the Tampa Bay Rays in series 1058 Game 5, in the 2008 MLB Semifinals). In the history of best-of-7 MLB playoff series, teams such as Boston which trailed at home by four runs after 7.5 innings had a 0-48 game record. In the history of best-of-7 MLB playoff series, teams such as Boston which trailed at home by four or more runs after 7.5 innings had a 0-147 game record.

After Game 1: The Detroit Tigers visited and defeated the Boston Red Sox 1-run-nil to take a 1-game-nil lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1218. When leading a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 1-game-nil, the Detroit Tigers have a 3-1 series record (with an active three-series winning streak) and a 2-2 Game 2 record. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 1-game-nil, the Boston Red Sox have a 3-4 series record and a 3-4 Game 2 record (with an active four-Game 2 losing streak). Series 1218 Game 1 is the first 1-run-nil victory by a road team in a best-of-7 MLB playoff series Game 1 since series 475, in which the Boston Red Sox defeated the Mets in New York 1-run-nil to take a 1-game-nil lead in the 1986 MLB Finals. The series 1218 Game 1 loss breaks a four-Game 1 winning streak by the Boston Red Sox in best-of-7 MLB playoff series action.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2013 MLB regular season, Boston finished four games ahead of Detroit. From 1905 through the 2012 MLB Finals round, inclusive, when MLB teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by four regular-season games, they have posted a 6-4 (.600) best-of-7 series record in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1218 is the 16th best-of-7 MLB playoff series for Detroit, and the 19th for Boston. In best-of-7 MLB playoff series, Detroit has a 6-9 series record, a 2-2 Semifinals-round series record, and a 4-11 Game 1 record, while Boston has a 9-9 series record, a 3-5 Semifinals-round record, and an 11-7 Game 1 record with an active four-Game 1 winning streak. Series 1218 is the first best-of-7 MLB playoff series meeting between the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox.