[Moriarty9]

2002: Best Record, Swept out of ALDS
Sox fold after winning 121

The Red Sox put together one of baseball's all time best seasons, winning 121 games in 2002, but that meant nothing in terms of post-season success.

The team's 121-41 record was baseball's best, giving Boston a 45 game lead over the second place Baltimore Orioles and a 67 game lead over the last place Tampa Bay Devil Rays (holders of baseball's worst record at 54-108).

The Red Sox drew more than 3.46 million fans (2nd highest total in AL) to Fenway Park with a $74.39 million payroll (8th highest in AL).

KEY OFFENSIVE CONTRIBUTORS
Manny Ramirez, LF (All Star)

Ramirez had another fine season in 2002, hitting .302 with 44 home runs, 115 RBI and 119 runs in 148 games. Manny was one of a few Boston players to perform well in the playoffs, hitting .600 (9-for-15) with a homer and four RBI.

Todd Helton, 1B (All Star)
Helton's home run totals were down in 2002, but he still managed to rip the opposition for hits and doubles while driving in runs. The firstbaseman hit .313 with 46 doubles, 29 home runs, 117 RBI and scored 110 runs.

Ichiro Suzuki, RF
Ichiro had the best season of his young career in 2002, hitting .339 with 9 triples, 14 homers, 79 RBI, 111 runs scored and 36 steals. In the postseason, Suzuki hit .375 (6-for-16) with a triple, home run, two RBI, three runs scored and a pair of stolen bases.


Jody Gerut, LF (All Star)
A first round draft pick in 2002, Gerut paid immediate dividends for the Red Sox and earned an All Star appearance. He hit .304 with 22 HR, 83 RBI and scored 93 runs in 137 games.


KEY PITCHING CONTRIBUTORS
Randy Johnson (All Star, Cy Young)
The Big Unit won his fourth Cy Young award in seven seasons with a 20-5 record, 2.65 ERA and 214 strikeouts in 32 games. Johnson earned an All Star appearance and struck out the 3,500th batter of his career.

Roger Clemens (All Star)
The Rocket rebounded from a disappointing 2001 season, partially due to an injury, and put together a vintage Roger Clemens season in 2002. He went 18-5 with a 2.91 ERA and 199 strikeouts in 29 starts. That success did not continue in the playoffs, however, as Clemens was hit for nine runs in 7 1/3 innings in his only start of the post-season.

Brendan Donnelly (All Star Closer)
Donnelly earned a spot on the AL All Star team in 2002 with a 3-6, 50 save, 3.99 ERA, 72 strikeouts in 66 appearances season. Donnelly led the league in saves with 50 and in games finished with 58.

Eric Gagne (All Star Setup Man)
Not many setup men are given the opportunity to be named to an All Star team, but that's just what 26-year-old Eric Gagne did in 2002. Gagne went 11-1 with 3 saves, a 2.59 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 54 games for Boston. He led the league in holds with 23.

Johan Santana (Southpaw Swingman)
A 23-year-old Johan Santana dominated as a starting pitcher and out of the bullpen in 2002 before shutting it down for the season with a shoulder injury in early August. Santana went 12-3 with a 2.76 ERA and 145 strikeouts in 29 games, 19 of which were starts.


PITCHING DISAPPOINTMENTS
Mike Myers (Lefty Specialist)
In what would eventually prove to be his final season in the big leagues, Myers struggled and went 1-0 with a save, a 5.04 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 22 relief appearances out of the Boston bullpen.


NOTEABLE TRANSACTIONS
Sox bring Sele back to Boston
To Boston Red Sox: Aaron Sele
An All Star in 2001 with the New York Mets, Sele returned to the Red Sox in 2002 as a free agent. Sele worked out of both the rotation and the bullpen, going 10-4 with a pair of saves and a 4.22 ERA in 29 outings, 18 of which were starts. He was re-signed by the team at the end of the season.

THE DRAFT
Boston OF depth improves in draft
The first three draft selections made by the Red Sox in 2002 were outfielders, bolstering their depth charts with some strong, young talent.
Jody Gerut, selected with the 26th overall pick of the draft, was an instant success for Boston, hitting .304 with 22 HR, 83 RBI, 93 runs and 47 doubles in 137 games. He spent his first four big league seasons with the Red Sox before heading to the New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks. His career has declined since leaving Boston and, through the 2008 season, has hit .266 with 89 HR, 370 RBI and 434 runs in 777 games over seven seasons. Gerut signed a minor league contract with Boston prior to the 2009 season.
Boston's second pick in the draft was Rhode Island's own Rocco Baldelli. He appeared in just seven games with the Red Sox in 2002, hitting .300 (6-for-20) and scoring four runs. He spent his entire four-year career with Boston, hitting .275 with 15 HR, 83 RBI, 106 runs and 116 steals in 178 games. He retired in September 2005 after being hit in the head by a pitch that resulted in permanent blurred vision.
The Red Sox selected outfielder Jason Ellison with their third draft choice. Through the 2008 season, Ellison had not yet made his big league debut, spending six seasons with AAA Pawtucket, blocked by some of the big bats in Boston's outfield.

THE PLAYOFFS

Division Series: Red Sox v. White Sox
For the second year in a row, the Red Sox entered the playoffs with baseball's best record only to be ousted by a Wild Card entry from the AL Central. In 2001 it was Kansas City, in 2002 it was the 96-66 Chicago White Sox sweeping Boston in three games.

Division Series: Indians v. Mariners

The 106-56 Cleveland Indians were the heavy favorites in the ALDS as they squared off against the 87-75 AL West champion Seattle Mariners, however, it was nearly a huge upset. Ultimately, the Indians prevailed with a five-game series.

Division Series: Cubs v. Giants

In a rematch of a 2001 NLDS matchup, the Cubs and Giants squared off. This time it was San Francisco that prevailed, winning the series 3 games to 1.

Division Series: Brewers v. Mets
As they were in 2001, the Mets were eliminated in the NLDS - this time at the hands of the 103-59 Brewers in five games.

ALCS: Indians v. White Sox
Division rivals took each other on in the ALCS and, just like the regular season, it was the Indians that came out on top. The AL Central champs became the AL champs in six games.

NLCS: Brewers v. Giants
It took seven games to crown a winner of the National League pennant, and it wound up being the Brewers.

World Series: Brewers v. Indians

Once again, it was the AL that came out victorious in the World Series as Cleveland defeated Milwaukee in six games. It was the second World Series championship in five seasons for the Indians.

AWARDS
Pujols, Sheffield: MVP winners

Minnesota Twins slugger Albert Pujols claimed his first MVP award with a .351, 43 HR, 136 RBI season in 2002. Pujols led the league in slugging (.670), total bases (383) and RBI, finishing second in batting, OPS (1.067) and hits (201).
NL batting champ Gary Sheffield of the Marlins won the NL MVP with a .336 with 38 HR and 102 RBI season. Sheffield led the league in batting averages, on-base percentage (.431), slugging (.624), OPS (1.055), home runs (38) and intentional walks (14).

Johnson, Maddux win Cy Youngs ... again
Randy Johnson won his fourth Cy Young Award in seven seasons after posting a 20-5 record with a 2.65 ERA and 214 strikeouts. The Big Unit led the league in wins and ERA, second in winning percentage (.800), strikeouts and hits per nine innings (7.6).
In the NL, it was Greg Maddux (18-7, 2.43 ERA, 127 K) of the Chicago Cubs taking home the trophy for top pitcher - the fifth time in seven season. Maddux led the league in ERA and was second in wins, innings pitched (236 2/3) and walks per nine innings (1.1).

Phillips, Reyes win ROY honors
Jason Phillips of the New York Yankees broke into the big leagues with a fine season and claimed the Rookie of the Year award with a .338, 11 HR, 74 RBI campaign. Phillips finished fourth in the AL in batting.
Jose Reyes put together a solid season for the San Diego Padres, hitting .297 with 16 HR and 76 RBI. Reyes tied Scott Podsednik of the Colorado Rockies for the NL lead in singles (140) and second in hits (197).