It is more than clear that after last night's 10-5 win the Red Sox must still be riding a "Rocky Mountain high". Everyone in the lineup got in on the action last night (including starting pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka) led by major league rookies Jacoby Ellsbury in the number one batting spot and Rookie of the Year candidate Dustin Pedroia in the number two batting spot. The dynamic duo combined for seven hits, three runs, and four RBI's; Francona made history with the two last night making them the first rookies to bat one and two in a World Series lineup, and the fact that he did it willingly is just icing on the cake.
Josh Fogg got into trouble in the third inning when Ellsbury doubled to left field; the inning would later end with the Sox scoring 6 runs on 7 hits and running through their entire batting order. Ellsbury, Pedroia, Ortiz, Lowell, Varitek, and Lugo all scored, even Daisuke singled (scoring Lowell and Varitek) saying, "I'm a confident hitter [and], I love hitting". The controversial part of the inning came when Manny Ramirez was thrown out at home plate after being intentionally walked. Some, including Ramirez, thought he was safe; to be honest, from many angles he appeared to be safe, I guess we'll never really know.
It is also important to note that offense was not the only order of the night for the Sox. The team also made some spectacular defensive plays including a play by Daisuke in the first inning that trapped his former teammate from Japan Kaz Matsui from getting to second base. Julio Lugo made crazy plays in back to back innings; in the fifth inning he backhanded a ball in the hole and fired it to Mike Lowell for an ending inning force out at third base (the hit definitely would have scored a run if Lugo wouldn't have fielded the play). In the sixth, Lugo made a perfect play when he leapt into the cool thin air and brought a line drive hit by Jeff Baker back to the ground and into his glove. "That might have saved the game right there, Lugo's play, I didn't think he had a chance. That ball looked liked it kept rising. He got up there, and I think we were all pumped up when he came down with it," said Mike Lowell. By the end of the sixth, the Rockies had climbed within one run of leveling the score (6-5 Sox), but the Sox weren't done yet.
At the top of the eighth with Julio Lugo on base after being walked and Crisp on base after singling to center, Ellsbury again came up with a double scoring Lugo. Then it was Pedroia's turn, he also doubled this time scoring Crisp and the quick footed Ellsbury. The Sox made their score double digits in the ninth when Varitek made a sac fly to center scoring Mike Lowell who had earlier, in a very gutsy move, stolen third base.
The Sox will send Jon Lester to the mound tonight, 14 months after being diagnosed with cancer, in the hopes that he will help the Sox do something that has only been done once by an American League team in the 103 years of World Series history: sweep (The only other team that has done it by the way is the New York Yankees in the 1998-1999 season. Yankees take note: the man at the helm was Joe Torre!). Of being ahead three games to none Captain Jason Varitek siad, "We have to continue to stay focused, .......... try and outplay our opponent." Irony of all ironies, he said the same thing when the Sox were down three games to one to the Indians.
No comments:
Post a Comment