Rain Delayed, Channel Switching Win Over NY
Game Time: 2:49Rain Delay: 2:11
What a strange finish to a very long game. Josh Beckett looked great until he tired in the 7th, Manny Ramirez either drove in or scored every run, and Jonathan Papelbon struck out A-Rod in the 8th, then K'd Giambi and Posada in the 9th.
With one victim left--Robinson Cano, who wouldn't go quietly--Papelbon had Cano at 2-2 when suddenly...NASCAR! Yes, that's correct. Fans who waited 4 hours and 58.5 minutes for the conclusion of a one run game were out of luck if they didn't subscribe to FX, where Fox moved the game for its final two pitches. Two pitches! In case you missed it, Cano ended the game with a weak infield grounder.
I'm pretty sure angry fans will light up the switchboards at Fox for the next day or two. Whatever happened to split screen or picture-in-picture? Two pitches!
Tomorrow night, Daisuke Matsuzaka vs. former Sox fan Phil Hughes. Will Dice-K continue dominating hitters as he has since returning from Japan? Will the pressure of pitching against the team he rooted for as a kid work against Hughes? Will another rain delay force ESPN to move the game to ESPN2? One thing's for sure: No matter how close tomorrow's game is, you won't see Jonathan Papelbon. Not after warming up three times through two rain delays and pitching an inning and a third.
Steve, good thing you have going on over here. #6 on the Top 100 sites? Good for you, man.
That Papelbon isn't too shabby. He might have a future in baseball. Today was a heck of a game. As a Yankees fan, Mussina was really pretty good, but his mistakes to Ramirex were killers. Baaaad decision to pitch to Ramirez in the 6th. Beckett was really dealing, though the Yankees worked him over in his last two. His ability to hit spots has vastly improved, especially the outside corner. He's smarter, which is why I think the regardless of what his offense is in 2008, count on Varitek returning. He's done wonders for Beckett.
Congratulations on the win. Keep up the good work.
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Thanks Jason. #6 is pretty cool, huh? The strange thing is that I tend to get more e-mails than comments.
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I think Beckett, given the shortened Spring Training due to his hip/back problem, is still a start or two away from where he should be. You can see it as he tires in the later innings. Varitek is beloved and he'll get an extension, though probably not a 4-year deal like Posada received.
Steve
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Well here's my comment:
I think Moose is done after this season. His fastball at 86 was slower than Beckett's changeup (87 mph). It just seems that Mussina keeps "escaping" situations rather than pitching well. He couldn't escape Manny yesterday, but was that his fault or Girardi's for leaving him in one batter too long?
I like that kid who was in for Jeter. He may be trouble in the future.
As for the Red Sox, I agree that Beckett is a couple starts away from throwing 100+ pitches per game. What's up with Papi? How long before a slump becomes a medical issue (botched knee surgery???) that no one's talking about???
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Argh. Glad you brought up how Fox switched out on the last full-count! I had to run upstairs to my hotel room, check into my laptop to get the score.
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It was a strange game, but ANY victory over the hated Yankees is a great victory!
I give tons of credit to Papelbon...it is so difficult to get ready, then sit and wait for two hours, then come out and blow away the league MVP. That was impressive!
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