As a die hard Red Sox fan, the off day on Thursday was just as exciting as any other day where the Red Sox would be playing. The news about Manny Ramirez was everywhere, regardless of whether or not you were actually in Boston. That being said, those that were actually in the Boston area were well aware what was going on Thursday afternoon: Manny Ramirez is gone and Jason Bay is here.
This was the start of a new beginning for the Red Sox. And for that reason, I threw all my other obligations out the window and made it a priority to attend Friday night’s ballgame. Not only was this the first game without Manny Ramirez, but it was the Red Sox debut of Jason Bay. It was the first “drama free” game the Red Sox would be able to play. And it was the first time that Red Sox Nation would get to react to their new left fielder. Why would any Red Sox fan want to miss this? They wouldn’t. That’s why I went all out to add this to my “Red Sox Resume.”
After attempting to buy tickets late Thursday night, my card got declined and I woke up Friday morning without anything at all. After I got out of work at around 1:00 PM, I called/texted all my Red Sox friends, hoping to find someone to share the Fenway experience with me. Unfortunately I had no such luck, nor did I have any luck buying tickets again via internet or telephone. So I took the train to Boston and waited in line for a good hour and a half before buying a ticket. Although my friends weren’t with me, I quickly made some new ones. We had a lot in common: We were worried that we wouldn’t get tickets. We were upset that we hadn’t shown up earlier to get a better spot in line. But we were all very glad that we weren’t the people who were standing at the very end of the line (as time passed, the line kept growing longer).
As it turned out, I ended up sitting next to a couple of the people I had met waiting in line. Although not lifelong Red Sox fans, they were very nice people who made you glad that you had someone to share the experience with.
Speaking of the experience, let’s talk about the game! I was ready to give Jason Bay a “Welcome to Boston” standing ovation when he first came to bat, but who knew that he would get one when they announced the starting line ups?! He got another, of course, when he first came to bat, and it was a long one. After the game, Bay admitted that he felt “flattered and a little embarrassed,” as he wasn’t used to this sort of thing. He ended up walking in his first at bat, which got him another standing ovation. Three standing Os in a game? Oh don’t worry – he got another when he scored on a sacrifice fly from Jed Lowrie.
Well the game went on, and score stayed the same. Although Wakefield didn’t last as long as he usually does, he dominated through 6.1 innings, allowing just four hits. He did walk three (again, something usually won’t do more than once per game) and he struck out four. Delcarmen finished off the inning without allowing a hit.
Okajima came in for the 8th and appeared to have a 1-2-3 inning going with only a strike to go, but then surrendered a controversial home run to Jack Cust. Although originally thought to have bounced off the wall, the umps got together and ruled it a homerun. I think that all the fans in the ball park knew it was a homer, but of course the Fenway Faithful showed their displeasure when the correct call was made.
The Red Sox were unable to come back in the 9th, nor were they able to score in the 10th or 11th inning. Finally in the 12th, the man of the night, Jason Bay hit a two-out triple that put the winning run 90 feet away from the plate. J. D. Drew was intentionally walked, which left it up to Jed Lowrie. Drew was off on the first pitch, having gotten a huge lead, as Lowrie hit the ball to short. Because Drew was off on the pitch, there was no play at second, and Lowrie beat out the throw. THE RED SOX WON! Their three game loosing streak was over! And Jason Bay was the hero of the night.
Post game notes:
-Although we were all thrilled about Jason Bay’s performance, not to mention his great sliding catch in the 5th, the other hero of the night was overlooked. Jed Lowrie drove in the only two runs of the game. After his RBI single in the 12th, Jason Bay was the one being interviewed. Sure, I was as happy as anyone when Bay was put on the big screen at the end of the night. But let’s not forget Lowrie and his job well done last night.
-After all our bullpen woes this season, last night was very reassuring. For a combined 5.2 innings, the bullpen only gave up 1 earned run, 3 hits, 1 walk, and 4 strikeouts.
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