It was one of those plays that will be replayed on NESN for the rest of the season. Dustin Pedroia ranged about five steps to his right and swallowed up a ball hit by Vernon Wells. The ball was hit so hard, it almost took Jonathan Papelbon's head off. Without that play by Pedroia, the Red Sox worst losing streak in 5 years may have continued. A single would've scored the runner from second and given the Jay's 1-0 advantage going into the bottom of the ninth. Instead the game remained scoreless, and the Sox got a walk by Papi and consecutive singles by Manny and Youkilis to win the game.
You have to feel good for Jon Lester. Out dueling one of the best in the AL in Roy Halladay must be a real confidence booster and something Lester can build from. Speaking of Halladay, he's now the possessor of an amazing stat; four straight complete games with the last three being loses.
On a personal note, due to my life being in flux with moving and so on, I've been listening to a lot of games on the radio. It's kind of nice. Baseball, unlike most other sports, lends itself quite well to radio broadcasts. It's almost poetic. In the hierarchy of sports on the radio, I would place baseball #1, football #2. Basketball and hockey are just a mess if you try to listen to a game.
3 comments:
Baseball on the radio is a joy. I subscribed to the MLB online radio broadcasts for years, and the Giants have Jon Miller, one of the best play-by-play men in the game, at least he is when he is not wiping the drool off Joe Morgan's chin.
If I could make an observation about the pitching performance, the Red Sox youngsters, who are still going to struggle at times, seem to be adequate at keeping their team in the game even when they are pitching poorly. I am beginning to wonder if this is a reflection on the pitching coach.
I think the reason why the Red Sox have been able to guide their youngsters so well has been Jason Varitek. Obviously the pitching coach plays a major role but look at what happened to the Sox staff after Varitek went down in '06 and how successful they were when he came back in '07.
I think the Sox need to keep Varitek around as long as is reasonable. As a catcher, his body will betray him quickly when the time comes. But as long as he stays healthy and is decent at the plate, the Sox have to keep on the roster.
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