Things looked normal in the top of the first with Fassero on the hill. Johnny Damon grounded out but Carlos Febles singled. Fassero picked off Febles but hit Mike Sweeney with a pitch. Jermaine Dye flied out to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the first. Jeff Frye worked a leadoff walk and Sunday night's hero Trot Nixon provided more fireworks as he launched a 2 run opposite field home run to put Boston up 2-0. Brian Daubach flied out but Nomar Garciaparra singled. Carl Everett grounded into a force at second and Mike Stanley struck out to end the inning.
Things turned ugly in the top of the second. Carlos Beltran hit what looked to be a routine grounder to third but Valentin crumpled into a heap, allowing Beltran to reach second. Valentin reinjured his knee that's been bothering him all season and the end of last. He had to be carted off the field and hauled off in an ambulance. Not a good night at all regardless of the final score. Wilton Veras replaced him and Joe Randa doubled then David McCarty walked to load the bases. Brian Johnson beat out a double play ball to score Beltran to make it 2-1. Rey Sanchez then hit into a double play to end the inning with the Sox still on top 2-0. The Sox threatened in the bottom of the second inning. Troy O'Leary singled but Veras bounced into a double play. Jason Varitek and Frye hit back to back singles but Nixon grounded out to end the inning.
Fassero cruised in the top of the third. Damon singled but Febles hit into a double play. Sweeney grounded out to end the inning. The Sox exploded in the bottom of the third inning. Daubach flied out but Nomar walked and stole second. Everett blasted a 2 run home run to increase the lead 4-1. Stanley then jacked one out of here to go back to back. O'Leary walked but Veras popped up. Varitek doubled and a wild pitch scored O'Leary, advancing Jason to third. Frye walked and that was it for old pal Suppan. Jason Rakers relieved Suppan and got Nixon to pop up to end the inning but the Sox now had a 6-1 lead.
Fassero made the lead hold up in the top of the fourth. Dye and Beltran grounded out and Randa struck out to end the inning. Boston got another one in the bottom of the fourth. Daubach doubled and Nomar singled him to third but Everett whiffed. Stanley beat out a double play ball to score Daubach and O'Leary grounded out to end the inning with the Sox up 7-1.
Fassero dominated the top of the fifth. McCarty struck out then both Johnson and Sanchez struck out to end the inning. Rakers matched Jeff in the bottom of the fifth. Veras grounded out, Varitek flied out and Frye struck out to end the inning.
The Royals struck back in the top of the sixth. Damon flied out but Febles singled. Sweeney doubled Carlos to third where he scored on the groundout by Dye. Beltran struck out to end the inning with the Sox still ahead 7-2. The Sox got the run back against Dan Reichert in the bottom of the sixth. Nixon walked and Daubach singled him to third. Nomar singled home Nixon but Everett struck out again. Stanley walked to load the bases but rally killer O'Leary grounded into a double play to end the inning with Boston up 8-2.
Fassero returned for the top of the seventh and got Randa to ground out. McCarty singled but Johnson struck out. Sanchez singled and Sox manager Jimy Williams bounded out of the dugout. Fassero was up to 95 pitches and even though most starters around the league would at least throw 105-110 in a game like this, Joe Kerrigan and his god damned pitch count prevailed. Out went Fassero after tossing a masterful 6 2/3 innings allowing just 2 runs.
Rich Garces came on to pitch and got Damon to fly out to end the inning. Reichert came back for the bottom of the seventh. Veras and Varitek grounded out but Frye flied out to end the inning.
Garces returned for the top of the eighth and got Febles to fly out, Sweeney to ground out and Dye to strike out to end the inning. The Sox managed nothing against Jerry Spradlin in the bottom of the eighth. Nixon flied out, Daubach struck out and Nomar popped up to end the inning.
Garces came back to finish the job in the top of the ninth with Donnie Sadler playing short to give Nomar a breather. Beltran lined out as both Randa and McCarty struck out to end the game. The Sox had won 8-2.
Hero of the Night is a tough one but I'll go with Jeff Fassero. The offense was supplied by almost everyone but Fassero made it all count as he outwitted the Royals for nearly 7 innings, giving up 2 runs on 8 hits and a walk while striking out 4.
The Good:
Jeff Frye was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and a run scored. Brian Daubach was 2 for 5 with a run scored. Nomar Garciaparra was 3 for 4 with a run scored, walk and run batted in. Mike Stanley was 1 for 3 with a walk, run scored and 2 rbis. Troy O'Leary was 1 for 3 with a walk and run scored. Jason Varitek was 2 for 4. Rich Garces retired all 7 men he faced, 3 by strikeout.
The Bad:
Wilton Veras was 0 for 4 after coming in for John Valentin.
The Ugly:
Trot Nixon was just 1 for 4 with a walk but made the hit count as it was a 2 run home run. He scored two total runs. Carl Everett was just 1 for 4 but made his one hit count as he also hit a 2 run home run.
Honorable Mention:
John Valentin played third base in the top of the first inning. Donnie Sadler played shortstop in the top of the ninth.
Final Thoughts:
Great win but that's a huge loss to lose Valentin like that. Wilton Veras is the chosen one to replace him but you don't just lose one of your best players like that and not suffer from backlash. Who knows if Veras will be able to handle the pressure of playing a full season? What if he falters and they have to turn to Manny Alexander or Andy Sheets? I don't even want to think about that. Still, moving past that the Sox smacked around Suppan pretty good and having Nomar back jump started the offense a little bit. Jeff Fassero is now second on the team in wins behind Pedro and even going a mediocre 9-9 the rest of the year would give Jeff 15 wins, which is what the Sox desperately needed with Brett Saberhagen out for the year. Hopefully Jeff can continue to pitch well when not limited by those god forsaken pitch counts. The win pushed the Sox to 29-18, good for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night Pete Schourek (2-4) goes for the Sox opposite Mac Suzuki (1-0) in the second game of this three game set.
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