Red Sox win! 2-1 vs D-Rays on Tuesday
Another great day at the ballpark. Randy got great seats from a co-worker and it turned out to be one of the most dramatic finishes of the year. We went with Jen (who works with Randy) and her boyfriend Dave. Very fun time.
It was Jon Lester's return to Fenway Park after overcoming cancer. Sheesh, at 23 yrs old. Anyway, he pitched one of his best games since he's been with the Red Sox. Sox were down 1-0 until the 9th inning and had a very dramatic comeback.
Oh yeah and we finally witnessed Eric Gagne being as good as he can be, for the first time in a red sox uniform.
Excerpt from "Sox and Pinstripes" blog. (hope this is legal)
Lowell dinger, Crisp's game-winning base hit key dramatic 2-1 win over Tampa Bay
At long last, Red Sox Nation got what it has been waiting for - a dramatic, come-from-behind victory marked by clutch hitting in the ninth inning. With two outs, Coco Crisp lined a game-winning single that plated Jason Varitek moments after Mike Lowell erased a 1-0 deficit in the ninth with a home run off Tampa Bay closer Al Reyes. While Lowell, Varitek and Crisp were the offensive heroes in the 2-1 win, Jon Lester, Mike Timlin and Eric Gagne were instrumental with their performances on the mound.
It was only the second time Boston has won after trailing after eight innings....
It appeared that Lester's brilliant start would be wasted when Manny Ramirez took a called third strike against Tampa Bay closer Al Reyes to open the ninth. Lowell, who with Dustin Pedroia is one of the few Sox hitters to consistently deliver in the clutch this season, launched a 2-0 offering from Reyes over the Green Monster to tie the game at 1-1. Moments later, Kevin Youkilis struck out looking on a pitch that was clearly across the plate.
With two outs, Varitek belted a drive to deep right field that was just a few feet short of a walk-off home run. Instead, the ball bounced into the crowd for a ground-rule double. Crisp, who had missed two straight games due to flu-like symptoms and had fanned twice in three at-bats in the game, lined a single into right that plated Varitek with the game-winning run.
....Eric Gagne entered in the ninth and retired the first two batters he faced. That's when Brendan Harris blasted a drive to right field that was a few feet away from a home run but bounced on the warning track and off the wall for a double. Gagne buckled down and retired Gomes on a called third strike, setting the stage for the offensive heroics by Lowell, Varitek and Crisp. He earned the win with Boston's ninth inning rally.
.....
(Sox and Pinstripes)
Comments