Red Sox 07 Game 54 Recap

Final

Press Pass l Box l Wrap

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
NYY	0	1	0	0	0	4	1	0	0		6	12	2
Bos	0	0	1	2	0	2	5	1	X		11	14	0

W: H. Okajima (1-0, 1.00); L: S. Proctor (0-3, 4.23)
HR: NYY: J. Posada (7), D. Jeter (4), M. Cabrera (3).
BOS: M. Lowell (11), J. Varitek (6).

► Hero - Mike Lowell - I want to be like Mike
► Goat - Captain Intangible - see that two in the last column of this game, enough said.

Idle thoughts

Basically for the last 20 hours I have been mulling over this game and how it was played. There were so many ebbs and flows as the spankees took the lead only to have it tied then after a 29 minute rain delay give up it up. Of course the rain delay affected Schilling also as he had a 50 plus minute wait. Back and forth, highs and lows, body blows followed by head shots, this wasn't a baseball game so much as it was nine round boxing match. At the end I was exhausted.

So where do we begin in recapping this fight? Do we start with the Melky home run? How about the third when the Sox used boppers followed by small ball? Do we go with the fourth when Lowell acted like a fullback leading the run up the middle of the offensive line? Is it the top of sixth inning when Posada continued his Roy Campanella type season? What about the bottom of the inning when the Sox came back once again? The answer to these questions are simply no, they were just the stepping stones in time, the pouring of the foundation. The big moment was the last lead change moment, the bottom of the seventh inning when once again Mike Lowell put an end to the hopes and dreams of a spankee sweep this weekend.

The Sox start of the inning saw them down 6 to 5 after Jeter had put the spankees ahead on his solo shot into the monster seats. The starting pitchers, Mussina and Schilling were in the showers, both having let their respective teams down by not holding leads. Ebb and flow, yin and yang, back and forth.

Ortiz led off the inning by hitting a fly ball to right that last years hero for the spankees misplayed into a double. Proctor immediately intentionally walked Manny Ramirez and quickly walked Youkilis loading the bases. Louisiana Lightning made a visit to the mound to calm down his pitcher but it would be to no avail.

Lowell hit what looked to be a routine double play ball to Robinson Cano, but as they have so often this year, the spankees made it anything but routine. Cano's throw to second caused Jeter to spin and made him rush his throw to first. With the ball being in the dirt Doug Mienkiewicz had to back off at the bag placing him in the right position for Mike Lowells thigh to meet the back of his head as the ball arrived. Ortiz scored and with the ball bouncing away from the suddenly prone first basemen Lowell scampered to second as Ramirez touched home plate for the go ahead run.

Unfortunately for the spankees Doug was out of the game as the medical staff took him off on the stretcher. Fortunately the fans gave Doug a well deserved ovation as he sat up appearing to be groggy. This collision has placed Doug on the 15 day DL though as he suffered a concussion, cervical sprain and a fractured wrist. Two runs in on a potential double play ball and you could sense the life draining out of the spankees.

Varitek was intentionally walked to set up the double play again and on the fifth pitch to Wily Mo Pena it looked like the spankees were going to get out of the inning, only to have Captain Intangible make his second and most costly error. To quote Joe Torre, "You give any clubs extra outs and it's dangerous. You give [the Red Sox] extra outs and it's suicide."
That pretty much sums up the inning as Jeter had been unable to make any outs on the play, bases were now loaded again in the inning and Fenway park was going ballistic.

Coco kept the inning going by singling to center on a ball that should have led to another out but A-Rod was in the cutoff position and since the pitcher had gone to back up the ball at home no one was at third to force Varitek. Bases still loaded and still one out with the lead now up to two runs. Collective sighs could be heard all over Joy Nation and Red Sox nation as everybody realized that with Okajima already in the game and Papel-bot waiting in the wings this game was about over.

The seventh inning still had to be finished and the Sox continued their onslaught. Proctor was replaced by Bruney and Lugo greeted him with a sacrifice fly to Melky and the Sox had a three run lead. Pedroia walked up to the plate and Fenway was absolutely rocking and rolling for the rookie second baseman. The game was now about out of reach and on the second pitch Dustin singled to center bringing home Pena. Ortiz mercifully grounded out to third to end the inning. Ten men batted in the inning and five runs scored on three hits, three base on balls (two intentional) and two errors by the most overrated player on the field, Captain Intangible. The game was over all that was left was to see if Youkilis could extend his hitting streak.

The Sox eighth inning saw another standing ovation, following a 1-2-3 outing by Okajima. After Manny struck out to leading off, Youkilis came up to the plate with his last chance to extend his streak. Five pitches later, with the last four being clearly balls, he was trotting to first and Fenway fans rewarded his patience by giving him a well deserved ovation. The streak was over, but Youkilis being Youkilis had refused to give in on his at bat. 0 for 2 for the day but with three walks. Lowell provided the final run for the Sox being doubling into center field scoring Youkilis from first. The bot finished the game by closing out the ninth on 18 pitches, the only blemish being a six pitch walk to Abreu. As everybody knows, Okajima in the eighth, Papelbon in the ninth, Red Sox win, Red Sox win.