(SportsNetwork. [url=http://www.redsgearshop.com/Reds-Joey-Votto-Kids-Jersey/]Joey Votto Jersey[/url] .com) - If you would have said a year ago that the Boston Red Sox would be back in the American League Championship Series this season, you likely would have been laughed at. But, one year removed fro

(SportsNetwork. Joey Votto Jersey .com) - If you would have said a year ago that the Boston Red Sox would be back in the American League Championship Series this season, you likely would have been laughed at. But, one year removed from losing 93 games, that is exactly the position the Red Sox find themselves in, as they kick off the best-of-seven set versus the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park on Saturday. Boston is back in this round for the first time since 2008 after upending the Tampa Bay Rays in four games of the ALDS. Only two teams were worse than Boston in the AL in 2012, leading to the dismissal of manager Bobby Valentine after just one season. So, out with the old and in the new, as the team hired John Farrell away from Toronto to be its new skipper. All Farrell did was put himself atop most peoples AL Manager of the Year ballots, as he guided the Red Sox to a 28-game turnaround and ended the year 97-65, leading the club to its first AL East title since their World Series championship season of 2007. The 97 wins were also the second most for the team since 1978. Farrell, of course, was the Red Sox pitching coach under Terry Francona, and his impact was immediately evident, especially among the starting staff which saw its ERA decrease by nearly two runs from the prior season. Nobody benefited from having Farrell back more than Game 1 starter Jon Lester, who was a miserable 9-14 in 2012, but bounced back to go 15-8 this past season, while pitching to a 3.75 ERA. Lester gave up two runs in 7 2/3 innings in a win over the Rays in the ALDS and has held the opposition to a .199 batting average with 46 strikeouts to 16 walks in 49 2/3 postseason innings. Including his Game 1 win over the Rays, Lester is 8-2 with a 2.77 ERA in 14 starts since the All-Star break. Hes also allowed three runs or less in eight of his nine postseason starts. "The more serious the game is, the better he gets," said catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia. "Sometimes when youre facing teams when you maybe dont have the record or the lineup isnt as strong, maybe you can let off a little bit. But he has the ability to turn it on whenever he wants. So if hes in trouble, hes got no problem getting out of it." Detroit, meanwhile, is back in this round for the third straight season after a hard-fought five-game win over the Oakland Athletics in the ALDS. Justin Verlander flirted with a no-hitter in the clincher and wound up giving up two hits over eight scoreless innings in the Tigers 3-0 win. "I can usually tell by the look on his face and his demeanor prior to a game when hes zeroed in and locked in," said Tigers manager Jim Leyland, "and he was locked in tonight." Now the Tigers turn their attention toward the Red Sox, as they try to get back to the World Series for a second straight season. Detroit went 93-69 to win a third straight AL Central crown thanks to another amazing campaign from Miguel Cabrera, and despite a wildly inconsistent season from Verlander. While Verlander struggled, the rest of the staff thrived, specifically right- hander Max Scherzer, who enjoyed the best year of his career, as he won an MLB-best 21 games, while pitching to a 2.90 ERA and striking out 240 batters over a career-high 214 innings. In Verlander, Scherzer and Anibal Sanchez the Tigers produced three 200- strikeout pitchers on the same team for just the third time in history, the first since the 1969 Astros. Sanchez, who led the AL with a 2.57 ERA, will get the start for the Tigers in Game 1 against the Red Sox. Often overlooked because of his high-profile teammates, Sanchez was one of the best pitchers in either league over the second half of the season, going 7-2 with a 2.20 ERA after the All-Star break. Sanchez, though, was rocked by the As in the ALDS to the tune of six runs -- earned -- in 4 1/3 innings. "Its a big day for me, especially because Im going to start the series again," Sanchez said. "This team, a pretty good team. But I think every day is different. I need to keep working. I need to be focused tomorrow." Detroit left-hander Phil Coke has been added to the roster for the ALCS after missing the division series with elbow problems. Coke gives the Tigers another option out of the bullpen, although he struggled this year, going 0-5 with a 5.40 ERA. Right-hander Luke Putkonen was left off the ALCS roster to make room for Coke. Right-hander Bruce Rondon, who also missed the division series against Oakland with elbow trouble, is still out. Boston and Detroit have been playing one another since 1901, but amazingly this is the first postseason matchup between the charter AL clubs. The Tigers were 4-3 against the Red Sox in 2013, winning three of four at Comerica Park in June and dropping two of three at Fenway in September. In fact, the last time they met Boston smacked eight home runs and won, 20-4. George Foster Jersey . Over the course of his career Glenn is 79-71-1 in 151 starts for a .526 career winning percentage. Since becoming a Stampeder, he has elevated his play and raised his stock around the league. Pete Rose Jersey . -- The Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets will forever be tied together for making the same spectacular misjudgment on budding NBA sensation Jeremy Lin. http://www.redsgearshop.com/Reds-Adam-Duvall-Kids-Jersey/ . Spencer Abbott and Trevor Smith scored third-period goals erasing a 2-1 deficit giving Toronto a late 3-2 lead.Eugenie Bouchard has become the first Canadian tennis player to reach No. 6 in the WTA world rankings. The 20-year-old from Westmount, Que., has been in the top 10 since July, when she moved from 13th to seventh. With that jump she surpassed Carling Bassett-Segusos Canadian record ranking of eighth. Bouchard reacched the Wimbledon final and the semifinals of the Australian Open and French Open in her breakout season. Brandon Finnegan Jersey. She has already qualified for the season-ending WTA Finals in Singapore later this month. Bouchard is the top seed this week at the Generali Ladies Linz tournament in Austria. Cheap Predators Jerseys Cheap Jets Jerseys Cheap Ducks Jerseys Cheap Coyotes Jerseys Cheap Sharks Jerseys Cheap Canucks Jerseys Cheap Bruins Jerseys Cheap Sabres Jerseys Cheap Panthers Jerseys Cheap Canadiens Jerseys Cheap Senators Jerseys Cheap Hurricanes Jerseys Cheap Blue Jackets Jerseys Cheap Islanders Jerseys Cheap Rangers Jerseys Cheap Flyers Jerseys ' ' '