One of the most exciting games I’ve seen all year. If I could compare it to any other game this season, it would have to be one of the two Red Sox-Yankee games back in April. You can’t beat a walk off homer, but you gotta love pitchers duels that erupt in the late innings, only to have the Sox come back and win it in the 8th.
By the end of the game, perhaps you forgot all about the starting pitching. It took place between Brad Penny and CC Sabathia. Neither pitcher would get the win, which almost seems a little unfair. Penny absolutely dominated the Yankee lineup (6.0 IP, 6 H, 0 R, BB, 5 K) while hitting 98 pmh on the radar gun. Meanwhile, perhaps Sabathia would have gotten at least a no decision had he been pulled before the 8th (7+ IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 6 K). In the 8th inning alone, Sabathia allowed 2 hits and a walk – may not seem like much, but had he been pulled, his line score would have looked something like this: (7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, BB, 6 K) Now can you blame for Girardi for leaving in Sabathia? I don’t think so. Maybe he should have taken him out before he faced Drew, but it made sense considering it was a lefty-lefty match up. Without being biased, I feel like it’s unfair that the line score reflects how Sabathia did last night, just as it is unfair that Brad Penny didn’t get the win. But that’s baseball for you.
Then both bullpens had some trouble once the starters were taken out. Manny Delcarmen only made it through two-thirds of an inning, while surrendering 3 hits, 3 runs, and a walk. Not his best outing. I’m not going to be angry with Delcarmen, however, because he was one strike away from getting out of the jam. Had he done so, his line score would have looked like this (1.0 IP, 2 H, R, BB). Unfortunately the man who wouldn’t allow Delcarmen to escape was none other than Alex Rodriguez – not the easiest out in baseball.
But that’s baseball for you.
Fortunately, baseball is also great defensive plays which we saw by Rocco Baldelli and Nick Green in the later innings. Baldelli’s diving catch in the rain was amazing, and Nick Green’s spinning play was also impressive. Both kept the score where it needed to be and prevented any further runners. Hats off to both of them.
Now let’s talk some offense: David Ortiz finally had a multi-hit game where he went 2-3 with a walk and a homer over the monster. Now that’s the Papi we know and love. I think he’s back, RSN.
But in the later innings it was all about Nick Green, JD Drew, and Kevin Youkilis getting some late inning hits that got the Sox back where the needed to be. However both Dustin Pedroia and Mike Lowell were hitless the entire game and yet were able to contribute to the rally. Dustin earned a walk after ten pitches, and Mike Lowell put the boys back on top after a shallow sac-fly to left center.
And that was all they needed. Papelbon came in and shut the door for good, not to mention finally going 1-2-3 in the 9th. What a game.
Keep the Faith, RSN!
