Go Red! 2013 Topps Target Red Shane Victorino

February is American Heart Month. As a nod to the Go Red for Women activities going on this month to help raise awareness, I thought I'd contribute several "red" themed posts sprinkled throughout the month. Here's the next one.

Let's talk about this card...

2013 was certainly a big year for this guy and the Red Sox. Victorino was one of the many smaller signings that were big contributions to that team. Whether it was the season long fascination with his Three Little Birds walk up song, or his heroics during the playoffs, it's hard to picture the 2013 season without Victorino. As someone who was in the park for both his game (and series) clinching grand slam in the ALCS and his bases clearing double in the World Series, I know he's permanently etched in my memories.

The card itself isn't has a nice feel to it. The slight scowl on Victorino's face really sets the mood. Although, for a red card, I'd prefer he was wearing the home whites. It's also a little unsettling to see the three shades of red on the card. Possibly the first time a red card doesn't work for the Red Sox.

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I Scored! October 19, 2013

Following the Red Sox incredible playoff run this season, it seemed like a good time to take a look at this scorecard. Let's dive right in, and see what we have.

A look at the notes section really tells us everything we need to know. “ALCS Game 6”. Sounds like a pretty important game to me. And, if I remember correctly, it was a pretty exciting one.

The first thing surprised me when I looked at the pitcher's box. I had completely forgotten that Clay Buchholz started this game. With Max Scherzer pitching for the Tigers, this was a scary match-up for the Sox. But, Clay held his own. In fact, the two runs scored on him came in after he left the ballgame. After Clay, the Sox used their bullpen to perfection to finish out the game.

On offense? I love looking at Bogaerts wearing number 72, batting ninth, and playing third. What world is this? But, the kid scored two runs on the day. Add that to the performances by Ellsbury and Victorino at the top of the order, and the Sox had a nice little run.

The player of the game? Well, if you don't know already, not sure how much of a Sox fan you can be. Shane Victorino's grand slam in the seventh is one of the most memorable plays in recent Sox history. He not only tied the game, but put the Sox comfortably ahead with one swing of the bat. It was a key as key can get.

The goat? I have to split it between two players. Or, maybe I should combine two players. Saltalamacchia and Napoli in the 5-6 spots combines to go 0-8 with six strikeouts. Not exactly the performance you need following Ortiz. In fact, they were equally inept, both going 0-4 with 3 K's. That's not what you want.

But, in the end it didn't matter. As the Sox did that entire postseason, they made their few hits count when they needed them. The Victorino slam provided the offense, and Koji came in to close the door.

And the scorecard shows how it happened.