Red Sox left-handed ace Jon Lester is slated to pitch tomorrow night against St. Louis’ Adam Wainwright in Game 1 of the 2013 World Series. The weather forecast calls for some chilly fall temperatures that will likely be sub-50 degrees by game time.
Lester has taken the ball three times this season for games in which the game-time temperature (per BaseballReference.com) was under 60⁰ F. All three starts came at Fenway Park, including Game 1 of the ALCS versus Detroit. The overall results have been encouraging.
The bad news for Boston is Wainwright was noticeably more dominant in his three “cold” weather starts. However, he has not made such a start since late April. Wainwright’s October starts have all come in warm to hot conditions – 89, 72 and 79 degrees.
Game 1 certainly has the feeling of a “pitcher’s duel” based on the quality of the starters and the forecasted temperatures. Watching guys with ailing hand/finger injuries foul inside pitches off his hands will be downright painful to watch. Shane Victorino might as well just sever the nerve endings in his right thumb before taking the field.
Anyway, the final score will probably wind up being something like 8-6.
Fenway Pastoral 