June 26, 2006

G73: Red Sox 8, Phillies 7 (12)

It wasn't a towering home run. It was "only" a single to left-center, so maybe this hit wasn't as grand, as dramatic. But it was still another walk-off hit for the lengendary David Americo Ortiz.

Down a run in the botom of the 12th, Coco Crisp and Kevin Youkilis both doubled to tie the game. Then after Mark Loretta walked, the Phillies decided to take their chances with Ortiz, rather than push Yook to third, loading the bases for Manny Ramirez.

Ortiz cracked a 1-2 pitch to left center, bringing home the run that cemented Boston's 9th straight victory.

***

Youkilis, 1B    Rollins, SS
Cora, 2B Utley, 2B
Ortiz, DH Abreu, RF
Ramirez, LF Howard, 1B
Nixon, RF Rowand, CF
Lowell, 3B Dellucci, DH
Crisp, CF Victorino, LF
Mirabelli, C Bell, 3B
Gonzalez, SS Coste, C
Tim Wakefield (3.82) / Cory Lidle (5.00), 1 PM

Anibal Sanchez, the former Sox pitching prospect traded to Florida in the Beckett/Lowell deal, made his major league debut in Yankee Stadium last night. He pitched 5.2 shutout innings, allowing seven hits and no walks, and striking out two.
I feel like all the time [when I was with Boston] that I was preparing for that game, Boston against the Yankees. But the Marlins are giving me the opportunity here.
The Marlins won the game 5-0, splitting a day-night doubleheader.

Jonathan Papelbon is only the second pitcher in the last 40 years to allow one run or less in his first 38 innings of one season. In 1981, the Dodgers' Fernando Valenzuela allowed one run in his first 52 innings (game log).

7 comments:

Zenslinger said...

Yaaaaah!

It's funny how Ortiz's game-winners have a different feel this year. Last year, I always felt like the pitching was so bad that David was just carrying the team. Sometimes winning games for us that we didn't otherwise deserve to win. This year, I feel like he's restoring order to the universe -- saving games for us that we shoud indeed win.

Wow, this must have been fun to watch.

Anonymous said...

Staying late at the office after an afternoon of zero productivity, watching today's winning tableau unfold on the web via MLB.com when I should have been cold calling for business.

(An editorial comment on day baseball and the World Wide Web are bad for business. If an everday occurence, the associated drop we'd see in in employee productivity would reduce our GNP to Borneo-level proportions as we would all be slaves to GameDay instead of to The Grind).

Seems like the error by Loretta leading off the 7th was the bad karma call, with the subsequent HBP and BB indicating that Wake's sterling effort might indeed go for naught. Worst case, I figured Seanez could get us out of the inning with no more than 3 runs allowed, but said thinking seems to have been wishful at best.

For those that watched, did Noriega have anything or was he the bobbing turd in today's pitching punch bowl? Seems like we got great efforts by all other hurlers; you knew that Pap was bound to give one up sooner or later.

Sorry to see Wake miss out on another W, but another great win nevertheless. As redsock so aptly coined, another day of Automatic for The People!

laura k said...

we would all be slaves to GameDay

That's what I did today. Sometimes it's hard to take: "ball is hit into play...." Yes? YES? AND?

Jere said...

"in play, run-scoring play."

Also, Youk's game-tying hit was with two outs. Key.

~**Dawn**~ said...

my drive home from work in the top of the 9th may have been the most torturous 15 minutes of my recent life. i was lucky enough to get home to see Extra Innings decided to air the game (i live in FL now so that's how i watch ,most Sox games) & talk about pacing in the living room. they about stopped my heart several times but leave it to Mr Clutch to come through again.

when oh when though will Wakefield get a W to show for his fine efforts?? that makes me insane! ;-)

laura k said...

when oh when though will Wakefield get a W to show for his fine efforts?? that makes me insane! ;-)

It wouldn't, if you realized Ws and Ls are almost meaningless. His fine efforts are still his fine efforts, and all meaningful statistics will show that.

Peter N said...

It's Tuesday, and we all are still basking in the glow of our Papi. And Youk, and Coco, and the Pesky Pole, which giveth and taketh. And we are ready, tired but ready, for the Mets, and the drama that surely wil ensue.