Catching up with old friends: Mike Lowell
Lowell discusses his two most memorable Red Sox moments, his work with Rafael Devers, and his plans for the future.
The first of Mike Lowell’s two favorite Red Sox memories is very predictable.
“It’s got to be the last out of the [2007] World Series,” Lowell said. “I don’t think most players, at least I can’t, can put into words what it’s like to start as a group in spring training and accomplish something as special as a World Series.”
The 2007 title was a fitting cap to perhaps the most productive regular season of Lowell’s career. He recorded career bests in batting average (.324), hits (191), RBI (120), and on-base percentage (.378), leading the team in hits and RBI. Much to his satisfaction, the success continued into the postseason, where he hit .353 and logged 18 hits, seven doubles, two home runs, and 15 RBI in 14 games.
“From a personal standpoint, I had a really good regular season, so it would have been disappointing if I couldn’t perform in the playoffs the way I had in the regular season,” Lowell said. “The fact that I hit well in all three rounds and in the World Series was just so satisfying.”
Mike Lowell poses with his MVP award.
In the World Series against the Colorado Rockies, Lowell hit .400 with a team-high six runs and four RBIs in Boston’s four-game sweep. He was also named World Series MVP — an honor he calls “icing on the cake.”
“It was really cool,” he said. “We were a very close group, a group that really came together with a lot of expectations as well. When you can come through, even when the expectations are high, it’s pretty rewarding.”
But there’s another moment that sticks out from Lowell’s five-year tenure in Boston. On a balmy Sunday night in April 2007, the Red Sox hit back-to-back-to-back-to-back home runs against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park. The team was trailing, 3-0, before the bats — Lowell’s included — went off in the third inning.
“Manny [Ramirez] got it going, and when you’re at home, the crowd gets into it, even if we’re down by a bunch,” Lowell said. “Then J.D. [Drew] hits a home run, and I remember I was up and was just like, ‘Just hit the ball hard. It’s hard to match two home runs in front of you.’ Then I knew I got a hold of one.”
“So when I got to the dugout, everyone was saying, ‘Sit here! Everyone’s in their same spots,’ but I was like, ‘There’s no way Tek [Jason Varitek] is going deep,'” Lowell continued. “So when he went deep, the crowd, it just got louder and louder, with the whole Yankee thing and it was Sunday night baseball.
“That night was one that was really special.”
Lowell said he has no regrets from his 13-season career, though he does wish he knew what exit velocity was — especially during tough stretches at the plate.
“I think that’s the one stat that I think mentally would have helped me,” he said. “In 2005, I got off to such a slow start. If I went 1-for-12 but could have had data in front of me saying, ‘Hey, you’re hitting the ball just as hard as when you went 6-for-12,’ I think mentally that would have helped me a lot.”
As for what he’s up to now?
The 44-year-old hasn’t strayed too far from baseball since retiring in 2010.
In addition to working as an analyst for MLB Network, Lowell said he talks to Red Sox manager Alex Cora often — the two became good friends after playing three and a half seasons together in Boston — and he tries to stay involved with the organization in other ways, too. Lowell most recently worked with third baseman Rafael Devers for three days during spring training this year.
“I know a lot of people are going to harp on his defense, but he’s a really good piece on a really good team — and he’s still a baby,” Lowell said of Devers, whose numbers have slightly regressed after being a spark plug for the Sox during the second half of the 2016 season. “But there shouldn’t be any panic with him. He’s too talented.”
“His talent is almost too fast for the normal progression of understanding what you do well at the position and what you do well at the plate,” Lowell continued. “He kind of flew through the system too fast that you just don’t have the time to log in.”
Lowell only briefly worked with Devers — and does not hold an official position with the Red Sox — but he certainly has interest in returning to the league as a manager.
Just not quite yet.
“I think about it all the time,” he said. “I’d love to manage, but I like my kids more than managing right now. I love being on the field though. I like the grind. I like enjoying the preparation and that chess match between what the pitchers want to do and what the hitters want to do. I just enjoy it, so I don’t want to close any doors.”
The Red Sox hit four consecutive home runs off of Yankees starter Chase Wright in the third inning.
