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October 29, 2007
DENVER -- This wasn't the best of years for J.D. Drew.
Signed in the offseason to a highly-publicized -- and widely criticized -- $70 million, five-year contract, he was seen for much of the year by most Red Sox fans to be an overpaid, underachiever.
Only a late-season surge enabled him to raise his batting average to .270, and he hit just 11 home runs, driving in 64.
"It was one of those years," he said Sunday night in the Red Sox clubhouse, "when I had three or four stretches when I didn't play as well as I'd have liked to -- especially swinging the bat."
But he more than made up for that in the postseason, when he was swinging the bat very well.
He hit .314 in Boston's 14 postseason games and drove in 11 runs, including a grand slam in Game Six of the ALCS, as the Red Sox, down three games to one, rallied to beat Cleveland for the A.L. pennant.
In the four World Series games against Colorado, Drew's batting average was .333, as he went 5-for-15, with two doubles and two RBI.
"I felt like I carried my weight," he said. "I had a postseason people can't complain about. I was able to do some things that made my postseason exciting."
Drew had been excited about coming to Boston, not because of the big money he was getting, but because he knew the Red Sox had a good chance to win a championship.
"From day one, when I was looking at teams in the offseason, the Red Sox were in the mix," he said. "Coming to Boston made complete and total sense."
Even when the Sox fell into a deep hole against the Indians in the ALCS, Drew never doubted that they would come back to win.
"Everybody was very relaxed," he said. "We just played one game at a time. We kept winning because of pitching, defense, and getting hits when we needed them. That's how you win every year.
"We have a lineup full of smart hitters who grind out at-bats. And teams having to face our strong pitching rotation and bullpen -- that's `advantage Boston' right there. We've got guys on the mound who can shut people down."
It's a team that Drew is delighted, and proud, to be a part of.
"Being part of this team, helping to bring a world championship to the city of Boston, is a great accomplishment," he said. "It's definitely been an exciting year for the city of Boston."
Red Sox fans can only hope that next year is equally exciting and, as far as Drew is concerned, even more productive.
Posted by Jim Donaldson 
at 2:48 AM | Permalink
