Early season or not, a Red Sox-Yankees series seems like the playoffs. Excitement is in the air, and the games dominate the sports coverage.The first game of the series on Friday night was an extra-inning affair, with the Red Sox prevailing on Kevin Youkilis's walk-off home run in the bottom of the eleventh. This was made possible by Jason Bay's two-run, two-out, game-tying homer off Mariano Rivera in the ninth. Exciting stuff, with the good guys grabbing a 5-4 win for their eighth in a row.
We were present for Saturday's game, which pitted former Marlins teammates Josh Beckett (Sox) and A.J. Burnett (Yankees) against each other in what was thought to be a potential pitchers' duel. But with a final score of 16-11, there was no such duel in sight!
The Yankees took a quick two-run lead in the first inning and actually built their cushion to 6-0 by the time they finished their half of the fourth.
How did Mr. Burnett handle such prosperity? Well, the Sox grabbed five runs in the bottom of the fourth (including a grand slam from Jason Varitek) and tacked on three more in the fifth (including a Jacoby Ellsbury solo shot) to erase the deficit and take an 8-0 lead.
Good, right? Well, not so good when the bad guys put up a pair on former Sox star Johnny Damon's homer in the sixth to tie it up again (That'll teach the Fenway crowd to boo their former idol!). But the Sox added a run in the bottom of the frame to take a one run lead. Will this lead hold up?
Not so much, as a costly error by Gold Glove second baseman Dustin Pedroia allowed the Evil Empire to take a 10-9 lead. OK, this game is officially wacky now!
No more fooling around for the Sox now, however, as Mike Lowell's three-run shot put the Sox ahead to stay. Four more runs in the eighth against one Yankee run adds up to the 16-11 final score. The dust had settled and the Sox found themselves with their ninth consecutive victory and a chance to sweep their rivals on Sunday.
How did that game go? Very well indeed, as former Sea Dogs Justin Masterson with the win and Jacoby Ellsbury with a straight steal of home (first Red Sox to do so since Billy Hatcher oh so long ago) had their way. Ten in a row for the Sox, who now stand at 12-6, a long way from the 2-6 of a scant couple of weeks ago!
So, some crazy baseball action all around. But how was our experience at Saturday's game? Also crazy!
It was a beautiful day in Massachusetts with record-setting (or at least tying) temperatures and low humidity. This after unseasonably cold temperatures during the week. And with the game time set for 4:00 PM due to the Fox telecast, the hour and weather couldn't be beat.
We arrived at the park (not always easy) in plenty of time to grab some hot dogs and sodas and head to our seats for the pre-game ceremonies.
Some fun stuff there, with Wally the Green Monster sporting a Hawaiian shirt in honor of the balmy temperatures.
Daisuke Matusuzaka received his World Baseball Classic MVP trophy before the game. Well-deserved, but did his heroics in that tournament result in Dice-K's current trip to the disabled list? That's another discussion...
The Sox also honored Arthur Giddon (dubbed "Big Pappy" for the occasion), a local, soon-to-be 100 year old fan who had once been a bat boy for the old Boston Braves in the '20s. And there was a ceremonial first pitch from Jamaican Olympic star Usain Bolt. He was billed as "the world's fastest man," but has he met Jacoby?
As noted previously, the atmosphere at Fenway was at a fever pitch, as they say. Plenty of Yankees fans in attendance, but they can't out-scream Red Sox fans. And scream they did. A lot.
Everything that happened or didn't happen got a response. What makes the crowd yell so much? Well, let's just say that the Sox will not go broke based on the sales of adult beverages!
We had a good time, but a trip to Fenway always reminds us why we like minor league baseball so much!
Following the minor league teams in the Red Sox system gives us an appreciation of the current Sox players who have worked their way up. We had seen Ellsbury, Pedroia, and Youkilis many times as Spinners, Sea Dogs and/or PawSox back in the day. It's great to see them doing so well with the big club.
Also appearing in Saturday's game were pitchers Manny Delcarmen and Jonathan Papelbon, both of whom we have followed through the minors.
Coincidentally, both starting pitchers Beckett and Burnett were once Sea Dogs, back when the Portland squad was the Double-A affiliate of the Florida Marlins.
So, you never know if someone you see in the minors now will be starring in the majors someday!
The Sox also honored Arthur Giddon (dubbed "Big Pappy" for the occasion), a local, soon-to-be 100 year old fan who had once been a bat boy for the old Boston Braves in the '20s. And there was a ceremonial first pitch from Jamaican Olympic star Usain Bolt. He was billed as "the world's fastest man," but has he met Jacoby?
As noted previously, the atmosphere at Fenway was at a fever pitch, as they say. Plenty of Yankees fans in attendance, but they can't out-scream Red Sox fans. And scream they did. A lot.
Everything that happened or didn't happen got a response. What makes the crowd yell so much? Well, let's just say that the Sox will not go broke based on the sales of adult beverages!
We had a good time, but a trip to Fenway always reminds us why we like minor league baseball so much!
Following the minor league teams in the Red Sox system gives us an appreciation of the current Sox players who have worked their way up. We had seen Ellsbury, Pedroia, and Youkilis many times as Spinners, Sea Dogs and/or PawSox back in the day. It's great to see them doing so well with the big club.
Also appearing in Saturday's game were pitchers Manny Delcarmen and Jonathan Papelbon, both of whom we have followed through the minors.
Coincidentally, both starting pitchers Beckett and Burnett were once Sea Dogs, back when the Portland squad was the Double-A affiliate of the Florida Marlins.
So, you never know if someone you see in the minors now will be starring in the majors someday!
No comments:
Post a Comment