Wakefield, Sox Down Jays at 100th Party (5/27/01)

Today was a day for fun as the city of Boston celebrated 100 years of the Boston Red Sox with a win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Even though the Sox played their first game In April of 1901 Sox owner John Harrington decided to pick today to honor the franchise. Tim Wakefield (2-0, 2.36 ERA) survived a shaky first few innings to toss 7 solid innings to keep the Sox ahead. Down 2-1 in the fourth, Brian Daubach tied the game with a home run and Carl Everett put the Sox ahead in the fifth. Jose Offerman drove in the insurance run and Wakefield turned the game over to the bullpen in the eighth. Rod Beck and Derek Lowe slammed the door on the win as the Sox avenged yesterday's loss with a 4-2 win over the Jays at Fenway Park.

                                          Raoul Duke approves of the win 

The Jays tagged Wakefield in the top of the first inning as Shannon Stewart was plunked to start. Stewart stole second and moved to third on a grounder to second by Alex Gonzalez. Carlos Delgado grounded out to second to score Stewart to put Toronto on top. Raul Mondesi popped up to second to end the inning with the Jays up 1-0.

                                                                     Stewart scores a run

Steve Parris got the start for Toronto in the bottom of the first and Jose Offerman flied out to left to start. Trot Nixon hit one up the elevator shaft but Carl Everett singled to right. Everett stole second but Manny Ramirez grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Jays struck again in the top of the second as Brad Fullmer hit a home run all the way to Edmonton to increase the lead. Tony Bautista struck out swinging and Jose Cruz Jr grounded out to first but Darrin Fletcher singled to right. Homer Bush grounded out to second to end the inning with the Jays ahead 2-0.

                                                                Fullmer hits one out

The Sox struck back in the bottom of the second as Troy O'Leary tripled into the centerfield triangle to start. Tony Bautista booted a grounder by Shea Hillenbrand for an error to score Troy but Brian Daubach struck out swinging. John Valentin flied out to right but Jason Varitek walked. Offerman lined out to left to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                               O'Leary scores a run

Stewart hit one up the elevator shaft to start the top of the third before Gonzalez struck out swinging. Delgado walked and took second on a wild pitch but Mondesi struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the third as Nixon singled to left to start. Everett caught the Jays asleep with a bunt single to the mound but Ramirez struck out swinging. O'Leary struck out swinging and Hillenbrand flied out to right to end the inning.

Fullmer singled to right to start the top of the fourth before moving to second on a passed ball. Batista and Cruz both struck out swinging before Fletcher flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fourth as Daubach smashed his eighth home run of the season to tie the game. Valentin popped up to second, Varitek flied out to left and Offerman lined out to second to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                              Daubach hits one out

Bush struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth before Stewart took strike three. Gonzalez singled to left but was thrown out trying to steal to end the inning. The Sox took the lead in the bottom of the fifth as Nixon doubled to center to start. Everett doubled into the same spot to score Nixon to put the Sox on top before Ramirez flied out to right. O'Leary was intentionally walked and the gamble worked as Hillenbrand hit into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-2.

 

                                                                     Everett with an rbi

Delgado flied out to center to start the top of the sixth before Mondesi popped up to third in foul territory. Fullmer flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the sixth although Daubach struck out swinging to start. Valentin struck out swinging but Varitek doubled off the Monster. Offerman ripped a base hit to center to score Varitek and chase Parris. Pedro Borbon Jr came in to pitch and Offerman swiped second. Nixon grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-2.

                                                                Offerman drives in a run

Wakefield returned for one final inning in the top of the seventh and Batista popped up to second to start. Cruz beat out a bunt in front of the plate but Fletcher grounded into a double play to end the inning. Wakefield was outstanding, allowing just 2 runs in 7 innings of work. He allowed 5 hits and struck out 7.

                                                           Wakefield gets it done

Everett grounded out to short to start the bottom of the seventh and that was it for Borbon. Paul Quantrill came in and Ramirez struck out swinging. O'Leary also went down hacking to end the inning.

Rod Beck came in to pitch the top of the eighth as Bush grounded out to short to start. Stewart went down hacking and Gonzalez grounded out to first to end the inning. Hillenbrand grounded out to second to begin the bottom of the eighth but Daubach singled to center. Valentin banged into a double play to end the inning.

Derek Lowe came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning and Delgado singled to right to start. Mondesi flied out to right and Offerman made a great diving stab to rob Fullmer of a base hit. Delgado moved to second on that grounder but Batista grounded out to third to end the game. The Sox had won it 4-2.

                                                         Offerman saves the day

Hero of the Night is Tim Wakefield. He earned the win by allowing just 2 runs in 7 innings of work to keep the Sox in the game and ahead.

                                                                  Hero Wakefield

The Good:

Trot Nixon was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Carl Everett was 3 for 4 with an rbi and a stolen base.

Troy O'Leary was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Brian Daubach was 2 for 4 with a home run.

Jason Varitek was 1 for 2 with a walk and a run scored.

Rod Beck pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Derek Lowe earned his fourth save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Manny Ramirez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

John Valentin was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and stole a base.

Shea Hillenbrand was 0 for 4 but drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

Even though the Sox technically played their first game in April of 01 and won their first home game in early May, Sox brass felt today should honor 100 years of Sox baseball. At least the current incarnation delivered a win with timely hitting and pitching. Looks like the decision to demote Paxton Crawford and Tomo Ohka in favor of putting Tim Wakefield and David Cone in the rotation is working so far. Hopefully both Paxton and Crawford can turn things around for themselves in case god forbid somebody gets hurt. The offense is doing well despite not having Nomar Garciaparra and it'll only get better when he comes back. The Sox needed to win this game because they got two big games coming up at home against the New York Yankees. They dropped the two in New York earlier this week and they need to win both if they want to get back in first place. The win improved the Sox to 27-21, 0.5 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Now the Sox face the Yankees in a weird two game series as they play tomorrow night, are off Tuesday and play again Wednesday night. David Cone gets another crack at his old team when he takes the hill for the Sox up against Andy Pettite of the Yankees. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Jays Blank Sox Behind Michalek (5/26/01)

After Hideo Nomo tossed a complete game 1 hit shutout in last night for the Boston Red Sox, the Toronto Blue Jays served the same humiliation back to the Boston Red Sox in tonight' game. Chris Michalak pitched the game of his life for the Jays, stoning the Sox cold for 8 shutout innings. Frank Castillo (5-3, 3.74 ERA) was game, holding the Jays to just a single run through six innings. Then the wheels fell off in the seventh as Castillo was chased and Rich Garces allowed both runners he inherited to score and one of his own to put the game out of reach. The Jays got another run against Pete Schourek in the eighth and old friend Paul Quantrill slammed the door in the ninth. One night after getting shutout this time it was the Jays shutting out the Red Sox for the first time all season 5-0 at Fenway Park. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Castillo got the ball in the top of the first inning and Shannon Stewart grounded out to second to start. Alex Gonzalez grounded out to short and Carlos Delgado struck out swinging to end the inning. Michalak got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Jose Offerman took strike three to start. John Valentin and Carl Everett stroked back to back base hits but Everett got picked off first. Manny Ramirez grounded out to second to end the inning.

Raul Mondesi popped up to short to begin the top of the second inning but Brian Simmons singled to left. Tony Batista struck out swinging and Jose Cruz Jr took strike three to end the inning. Dante Bichette reached on an error by Gonzalez to start the bottom of the second and moved to third on the grounder to short by Shea Hillenbrand. Jason Varitek and Mike Lansing both struck out swinging to end the inning.

Alberto Castillo struck out swinging to start the top of the third before Homer Bush grounded out to third. Stewart singled to center and swiped second but Gonzalez struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                              Stewart swipes second

Darren Lewis tried to drop down a bunt in the bottom of the third but Michalak snuffed it out. Offerman and Valentin both flied out to left to end the inning.

Delgado flied out to left to start the top of the fourth and Mondesi grounded out to third. Simmons flied out to center to end the inning. Everett flied out to left to begin the bottom of the fourth but Ramirez popped up to short. Bichette popped up to third to end the inning.

The Jays struck first in the top of the fifth as Batista struck out swinging to start. Cruz struck out swinging but Castillo hit a home run all the way to Russia to put the Jays on top. Bush grounded out to short to end the inning but the Jays led 1-0.

                                                             Castillo homers off Castillo

Hillenbrand tried to start a rally with a base hit to right to start the bottom of the fifth but Varitek flied out to right. Lansing forced Hillenbrand at second but Lewis got a base hit to right. Offerman hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning.

                                                                 Hillenbrand is out

Stewart popped up to first to start the top of the sixth and Gonzalez struck out swinging. Delgado struck out swinging to end the inning and its a shame the Sox couldn't score for Castillo after he held the Jays to 1 run in 6 innings. The Sox blew their only chance to get back in the game in the bottom of the sixth as Valentin was hit with a pitch to start only to get thrown out at third on a base hit to right by Everett. Everett then got thrown out trying to move to second on a pitch in the dirt and Ramirez walked. What should have been bases loaded and 1 out ended up Bichette flying out to center to end the inning.

The wheels fell off in the top of the seventh as Mondesi got a base hit to left to begin. Simmons singled to center and that was it for Castillo. He did the best he could but the Sox bats let him down big time. "El Guapo" Rich Garces poured gas on the fire as Batista doubled off the Monster to score Mondesi almost immediately. Cruz was intentionally walked to load the bases and somehow Castillo went down looking. Bush beat out a double play ball to score Simmons and Stewart singled to center to score Batista to ice the game. Gonzalez forced Stewart at second to end the inning but it was 4-0 Jays.

                                                            "Thanks a lot Garces"

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the seventh although Hillenbrand singled to left to start. Varitek grounded into a double play and Lansing grounded out to third to end the inning.

Pete Schourek came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Delgado greeted him with a double to left. Mondesi singled to center to score Delgado but Simmons forced him at second. Batista popped up to first and Cruz Jr flied out to center to end the inning with the Jays up 5-0.

                                                           Mondesi drives in a run

Lewis doubled to left to start the bottom of the eighth and took third on the fly out to center by Offerman. Valentin lined out to short and Everett popped up to second to end the inning. Somehow Michalak had shut out the Sox through eight innings, it was the game of his life.

                                                      How do you lose to this guy?

Derek Lowe came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Castillo grounded out to third to begin. Bush struck out swinging and Bichette dropped a line drive by Stewart for a 2 base error. Gonzalez grounded out to second to end the inning. Old friend Paul Quantrill came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Ramirez singled to left to start. Bichette also got a base hit to left but Hillenbrand forced Dante at second. Varitek grounded into a double play to end the game. The Jays had shutout the Sox 5-0.

Jackass of the Night is Rich Garces. He allowed 2 inherited runners to score and one of his own to put the game out of reach.

                                                                El Jackass

The Good:

John Valentin was 1 for 3.

Carl Everett was 2 for 4.

Manny Ramirez was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Shea Hillenbrand was 2 for 4.

Darren Lewis was 2 for 3.

Derek Lowe pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Jose Offerman was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jason Varitek was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Mike Lansing was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Pete Schourek allowed a run in the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

Dante Bichette was just 1 for 4 with an error.

Frank Castillo was charged with 3 runs in 6 innings to take the loss but allowed just 1 through the first 6.

Final Thoughts:

Things aren't looking good for the Sox right now. Dropping 3 out of 4 to the New York Yankees and Blue Jays isn't the way you want to end the month of May. Not only that but getting shut out by Michalak was embarrassing. The worst part was its Boston's own fault getting runners thrown out trying to steal, getting picked off and running into outs. That seventh inning where Valentin and Everett ran themselves out in a 1-0 game with Ramirez coming up was the difference. If they stayed put then Bichette's fly ball would have scored Valentin to tie the game. Castillo pitched a good game but was let down by the offense and the bullpen. Garces and Schourek turned a 1-0 game into 5-0 pretty quick and usually Garces usually isn't that bad. All in all it was a bad game with errors, guys running into outs and not being able to score any runs. The loss dropped the Sox to 26-21, 0.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to rebound tomorrow afternoon against the Jays when Tim Wakefield (1-0) makes his second start of the season against Steve Parris of Toronto. The game begins at 2:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Nomo Throws Gem, Sox Blank Jays (5/25/01)

If Pedro Martinez is the unquestioned ace of the Boston Red Sox, then Hideo Nomo (5-3, 3.60 ERA) is the legitimate number 2. In his best start since his no-hitter against Baltimore, Nomo dazzled the Toronto Blue Jays in tonight's game. Nomo pitched a complete game 1 hit shutout while striking out 14 batters, better than any Pedro start this season. Offensively Carl Everett and Mike Lansing drove in all the runs the Sox needed as Nomo dominated. The Sox needed a bounce back win after dropping two in a row to the New York Yankees as they blanked the Jays 4-0 at Fenway Park.

                                                  Alice approves of the win

Nomo began the top of the first by getting Shannon Stewart to ground out to short to start. Alex Gonzalez dropped down a bunt but it was snuffed out by Shea Hillenbrand and Carlos Delgado struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                         Hillenbrand makes the play

The Sox struck first in the bottom of the first against Esteban Loaiza as Jose Offerman drew a leadoff walk to start. Trot Nixon doubled off the Monster and Carl Everett doubled home Offerman to put the Sox on top. Manny Ramirez struck out swinging, Troy O'Leary flied out to left and Jason Varitek took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                         Everett drives in a run

Raul Mondesi grounded out to to third to start the top of the second before Brad Fullmer struck out swinging. Tony Batista flied out to left to end the inning. Shea Hillenbrand singled to right to start the bottom of the second but Brian Daubach struck out swinging. Mike Lansing flied out to center but Offerman walked again. Nixon grounded out to first to end the inning,

Jose Cruz struck out swinging to start the top of the third before Darrin Fletcher grounded out to second. Homer Bush struck out swinging to end the inning. Everett grounded out to third to start the bottom of the third before Ramirez flied out to center. O'Leary grounded a base hit up the middle but Varitek popped up to third in foul territory to end the inning.

Stewart broke up the perfect game with a double to left to start the top of the fourth. Gonzalez dropped down a bunt to move Stewart to third but Delgado struck out swinging. Mondesi grounded out to short to end the inning. Hillenbrand flied out to center to begin the bottom of the fourth before Daubach grounded out to first. Lansing lined one off of Loaiza but Gonzalez threw him out at first to end the inning.

Fullmer struck out swinging to open the top of the fifth before Batista grounded out to third. Cruz struck out swinging to end the inning. Loaiza cruised in the bottom of the fifth as Offerman grounded out to third to start. Nixon lined out to second and Everett struck out swinging to end the inning.

Fletcher grounded out to third to start the top of the sixth before Bush struck out swinging. Stewart took strike three to end the inning. Stewart got so angry that he started tearing all his clothes off while screaming "Vete a la mierda!!" to home plate umpire Tim Timmons. Stewart was thrown out of the game and escorted out of Fenway by armed security.

                                                           Stewart gets ejected

Brian Simmons took over for Stewart for the bottom of the sixth and Ramirez grounded out to short to start. O'Leary grounded out to first but Varitek singled to right. Hillenbrand walked and Daubach flied out to center to end the inning.

Nomo turned up the heat in the top of the seventh as Gonzalez struck out swinging to start. Delgado struck out swinging and Mondesi went down hacking to end the inning. Lansing flied out to right to start the bottom of the seventh but Offerman got a base hit to left. Nixon flied out to left and Everett popped up to second to end the inning.

The strikeout streak continued as Fullmer went down hacking to start. Batista went down swinging but Cruz grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the eighth as Ramirez grounded a single up the middle to start. O'Leary got a base hit to right to chase Loaiza. Kelvim Escobar came in and Varitek walked to load the bases with nobody out. Hillenbrand popped up to second and Daubach forced Ramirez at home, but Lansing doubled to the wall to clear the bases. Offerman took strike three to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                                 Ramirez starts the rally

Nomo returned to finish the job in the top of the ninth as Fletcher grounded out to second to start. Bush popped up to Hideo and Simmons grounded out to first to end the game. Nomo went the distance and the Sox had won it 4-0.

                                                             Sox win

Hero of the Night is Hideo Nomo. He threw a complete game 1 hit shutout while striking out 14 batters.

                                                         Hideo Hero

The Good:

Jose Offerman was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Troy O'Leary was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Jason Varitek was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Shea Hillenbrand was 1 for 3 with a walk.

The Bad:

None.

The Ugly:

Trot Nixon was just 1 for 4.

Carl Everett was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Manny Ramirez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Brian Daubach was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Mike Lansing was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a 3 run double to put the game away.

Final Thoughts:

After two losses to fall out of first to the Yankees, the Sox needed just one win against the Jays to regain first place. The offense wasn't terribly exciting although they did just enough to win. Nomo has been schizophrenic this season as he's either throwing gems or stinkers with little in between. He nearly pitched back to back no-hitters and was damn near perfect in this one. What cost the Red Sox in 1999 against the Yankees (and last year really) was the lack of a number 2 starter and hopefully Nomo can keep this momentum going all season. The sooner Nomar Garciaparra comes back to complete the offense, the better. The win improved the Sox to 26-20, 0.5 games ahead of the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Jays tomorrow afternoon when Frank Castillo (5-2) goes up against Chris Michalak of Toronto. The game begins at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Mussina Outduels Pedro, Yankees Edge Sox (5/24/01)

So much for the first place Boston Red Sox. The New York Yankees proved why they are the defending four time AL Champion by taking two in a row from the Red Sox including tonight's pitcher's duel. Mike Mussina outpitched Pedro Martinez (6-1, 1.60 ERA) in a wonderful pitcher's duel that saw only three runs scored and 24 combined strikeouts. Mussina held the Sox to just 1 run in 8 innings of work while Pedro pitched a complete game 6 hitter while allowing two runs. Jose Offerman drove in Boston's only run in the third inning but Bernie Williams tied the game in the fourth with a solo shot off Martinez. Paul O'Neill drove in the go-ahead run in the fifth and that was it for either team. The Sox only real chance to tie the game was in the seventh inning but they failed. Mariano Rivera closed the door in the ninth inning and the Yankees took first place with a 2-1 win at Yankee Stadium.

                                                           Dammit

Mussina got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jose Offerman lined out to short to start. John Valentin flied out to left and Carl Everett struck out swinging to end the inning. Martinez got the ball in the bottom of the first and Chuck Knoblauch grounded out to short to start. Derek Jeter grounded out to third and Paul O'Neill struck out swinging to end the inning.

Manny Ramirez watched strike three go by to begin the top of the second and Troy O'Leary flied out to center. Jason Varitek struck out swinging to end the inning. Bernie Williams flied out to left to start the bottom of the second before Tino Martinez singled to center. David Justice singled to right but Jorge Posada took strike three. Scott Brosius struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the third as Shea Hillenbrand grounded back to the mound to start. Brian Daubach struck out swinging but Trot Nixon doubled to right. Offerman ripped a base hit to right to score Nixon to put the Sox on top although Valentin flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox had taken the lead 1-0.

                                                            Offerman drives in a run

Alfonso Soriano flied out to left to start the bottom of the third before Knoblauch singled to center. Jeter flied out to center before O'Neill grounded out to second to end the inning.

Everett struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth before Ramirez popped up to third in foul territory. O'Leary lined a base hit to left but Varitek flied out to left to end the inning. The Yankees struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Williams hit a home run to Santo Domingo to tie the game. Martinez popped up to second, Justice took strike three and Posada watched strike three go by to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                                 Williams hits one out

Hillenbrand grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth but Daubach singled to left. Nixon grounded back to the mound but Daubach moved to second on the play. Offerman struck out swinging to end the inning. The Yankees struck again in the bottom of the fifth as Brosius singled to left to start. Soriano took strike three but Knoblauch walked only for Jeter to beat out a double play ball. O'Neill ripped a base hit to left to score Brosius with the go-ahead run. Williams struck out swinging to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 2-1.

                                                                   O'Neill drives in a run

Mussina cruised in the top of the sixth as Valentin struck out swinging to start. Everett went down hacking to earn the hat trick and Ramirez flied out to right to end the inning. Martinez walked to begin the bottom of the sixth before the Yankees made a boo-boo. Varitek dropped a pop up by Justice and manage to turn it into a double play. Posada struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox blew their last chance to get back in the game in the top of the seventh as O'Leary grounded out to first to start. Varitek struck out swinging but Hillenbrand singled to right. Daubach doubled to left but Nixon struck out swinging to end the inning. Pedro did what he could in the bottom of the seventh as Brosius grounded out to third to start. Soriano and Knoblauch both struck out swinging to end the inning.

Offerman took strike three to start the top of the eighth and Valentin grounded out to first. Everett struck out swinging to earn the golden sombrero and end the inning. Mussina dazzled the Sox to allow just 1 run in 8 innings, just gotta tip your cap.

                                                        Pedro was good, Mussina was better

Martinez returned for the bottom of the eighth and Jeter walked to start. Jeter stole second but O'Neill struck out swinging. Williams watched strike three go by and Tino Martinez popped up to second to end the inning. Pedro had thrown a complete game while allowing just 2 runs while striking out 12. Its a shame the Sox couldn't score for him.

                                            Pedro goes the distance but didn't get the win

Mariano Rivera took the mound for the top of the ninth and Ramirez grounded out to short to start. O'Leary struck out swinging and Varitek grounded out to first to end the game. The Yankees had won it 2-1.

Jackass of the Night is Carl Everett. He went 0 for 4 with a golden sombrero of 4 strikeouts.

                                                        Jackass Everett

The Good:

Shea Hillenbrand was 1 for 3.

Brian Daubach was 2 for 3.

Trot Nixon was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

One of the rare times the losing pitcher ends up on the Good list but Pedro Martinez dominated the Yankees, holding them to just 2 runs on just 6 hits while striking out 12.

The Bad:

John Valentin was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Manny Ramirez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jason Varitek was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Troy O'Leary was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Final Thoughts:

Dammit! THIS is the reason why the Yankees have won 3 World Series in a row. They do it with timely hitting and shut down pitching. Pedro held the Yankees to 2 runs in 8 innings and it just wasn't enough. The Yankees picked up Mussina to offset the loss of David Cone and he came through for them. Its a shame the Sox couldn't score any runs because they just dropped out of first place with this losss. It always seems when push comes to shove in big games the Yankees always find ways to win. The Sox went into New York up 1.5 games and left in second place. Hopefully this doesn't turn into last year where the Sox plummeted like a dead deer in June. This is no time to panic but this was definitely not a good look to drop out of first this quickly. The sad part was the bottom of the order did well but the top of the order couldn't hit Mussina. Ramirez, Everett and Varitek were all but useless in this one. Hopefully they can snap out of it in the next game. The loss dropped the Sox to 25-20, 0.5 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow when they start a set with the Toronto Blue Jays. Hideo Nomo (4-3) takes the mound against Esteban Loaiza of Toronto. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Yankees Drop Cone, Sox (5/23/01)

In a series that could possibly pay dividends in the future, the Boston Red Sox laid an egg in the first game against the New York Yankees in the Bronx. David Cone (0-1, 5.63 ERA) was not ready for primetime against his old team as he was rocked for 3 runs in 5 innings. Meanwhile Andy Pettitte damn near came within an eyelash of a complete game for the Yankees, holding the Sox to just three runs. The true story was after Cone was out, the Yankees feasted on Tim Wakefield and Rod Beck coming out of the bullpen for four runs. Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada all homered for New York while a ninth inning rally fell short against Mike Stanton. It all added up the Yankees taking the game 7-3 at Yankee Stadium.

                                                  Watching first place start to slip away

Pettitte got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jose Offerman led off with an inside out flyball to right. John Valentin followed with a pop up to right and Carl Everett flied out to left to end the inning. Cone got the ball in the bottom of the first inning amidst a chorus of boos and Chuck Knoblauch struck out swinging on a nasty splitter to start. Derek Jeter doubled just out of the reach of Dante Bichette but Paul O'Neill struck out looking on a pitch on the inside corner. Bernie Williams was hit in the knee with a slider but Tino Martinez was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second as Manny Ramirez hit a broken bat bloop single to center to start. A wild pitch moved Manny to second and Bichette drew a walk. Bichette broke up a double play at second to allow Shea Hillenbrand to reach first and Jason Varitek hit a fly ball to left. Ramirez scored but Hillenbrand was foolishly thrown out in a run-down to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                               Bichette helps the cause

David Justice grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second but Jorge Posada was hit with a pitch that grazed his uniform. Scott Brosius struck out swinging and Alfonso Soriano flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the third as Mike Lansing dropped a base hit to right to start. Darren Lewis dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Lansing to second but Offerman struck out swinging. Valentin walked but Everett forced him at second to end the inning. The Yankees struck back in the bottom of the third as Knoblauch flied out to right to start. Jeter dropped a base hit just over the head of Valentin but O'Neill flied out to center. Williams then hit a home run all the way to Shea Stadium to put the Yankees on top. Martinez ripped a base hit to center but Justice took strike three to end the inning with the Yankees up 2-1.

                                                              Williams goes yard

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the fourth as Ramirez flied out to center to start on the first pitch. Bichette flied out to left and Hillenbrand took strike three to end the inning. Cone settled down in the bottom of the fourth as Posada grounded out to second to start. Brosius hit one up the elevator shaft and Soriano struck out swinging to end the inning.

Pettitte cruised in the top of the fifth as Varitek struck out swinging to start. Lansing took strike three and Lewis grounded out to second to end the inning. The Yankees finished off Cone in the bottom of the fifth although Knoblauch flied out to center to start. Jeter blooped a single to center and O'Neill singled him to third before Derek scored on the force at second by Williams. Bernie stole second base but Martinez flied out to left to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 3-1. That was it for Cone who was mediocre against his old team after 5 innings.

                                                           Cone doesn't last very long

The Sox did nothing in the top of the sixth as Offerman flied out to right to start. Valentin flied out to center and Everett struck out swinging to end the inning. Tim Wakefield was supposed to start yesterday's game that got rained out and took the mound for the bottom of the sixth. Justice struck out swinging but Posada walked and Lansing whiffed on a throw by Hillenbrand on a grounder by Brosius to put runners at the corners. The error was charged to Hillenbrand instead of Lansing and Soriano hit a sac fly to left to score Posada. Knoblauch popped up to right to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 4-1.

                                                   Nice catch Mike

Ramirez dropped a base hit into the right field corner to start the top of the seventh but Bichette hit into a double play. Hillenbrand grounded out to third to end the inning. The Yankees struck again in the bottom of the seventh as Jeter led off with a home run to Jupiter to ice the game. O'Neill grounded out to second, Williams struck out swinging and Martinez grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 5-1.

                                                          Jeter goes yard

The Sox did nothing in the top of the eighth although Varitek grounded a single up the middle to begin. Lansing grounded into a double play and Lewis flied out to center to end the inning. Rod Beck came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and the Yankees tagged him too. Justice singled to right and Posada hit a one handed home run just over the wall in right. Brosius took strike three but Soriano singled to left. Knoblauch lined to Everett but Jeter beat out a roller to third for his fifth hit of the game. Henry Rodriguez pinch hit for O'Neill and lined out to second to end the inning with the Yankees up 7-1.

                                                        Posada barely hits one out

Somehow the Sox rallied against Pettitte in the top of the ninth as Offerman drew a walk to start. Valentin flied out to center but Everett singled into the gap in center to move Jose to third. Ramirez doubled into the centerfield gap to clear the bases and chase Pettitte. Old friend Mike Stanton came in to pitch and Ramirez moved to third on the grounder to second by Bichette. Brosius made a great play to throw out Hillenbrand at first to end the game. The Yankees had won it 7-3.

                                                        Yankees win

Jackass of the Night is Tim Wakefield. He turned a 3-1 game into 5-1 to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                              Jackass Wakefield.

The Good:

Manny Ramirez was 3 for 4 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Jason Varitek was 1 for 2 with an rbi.

Mike Lansing was 1 for 3.

The Bad:

Shea Hillenbrand was 0 for 4 with a strikeout and an error.

Darren Lewis was 0 for 2.

David Cone allowed 3 runs in 5 innings to take the loss.

Rod Beck allowed 2 runs in an inning of work.

The Ugly:

Joe Offerman was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

John Valentin was 0 for 3 but walked.

Carl Everett was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Dante Bichette was 0 for 3 but walked.

Final Thoughts:

This game was a microcosm of how everything goes New York's way no matter what. David Cone pitches against his former team and craps out meanwhile Pettitte damn near goes the distance. Jeter gets 5 hits including a home run while Nomar Garciaparra is out with a bad wrist. The Sox make an error and the Yankees capitalize and the Sox do nothing after the second inning offensively. The key to the game was Wakefield and Beck failing to keep the Yankees off the board after Cone left. The Yankees have had the best lock-down bullpen in baseball the last 5 years and you can't give up 4 runs in 3 innings. Ramirez seemed to be the only one capable of driving someone in and that wasn't until the ninth inning. The less said of this game, the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 25-19, 0.5 games ahead of the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox turn to Pedro Martinez (6-0) to keep the Sox in first against Mike Mussina of the Yankees. The game begins at 1:05 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Off-Day/Rainout News (5/22/01)

After an off-day yesterday tonight's Boston Red Sox game against the New York Yankees has been rained out and rescheduled for June 4th. Its a shame because the Red Sox want to put some distance between themselves and the Yankees as we head toward June. Oh well.

                                             Gene Kelly is happy again but the rest of us aren't

In minor league news.....don't bother watching the Pawtucket Red Sox, Trenton Thunder or Sarasota Red Sox. Its not worth it. The Lowell Spinners don't start for a few weeks either so its all grumpy news today folks.

On This Day in Basebawful History:

1982 - Sox rally past Oakland A's

The Sox are back in action tomorrow night in New York against the Yankees. David Cone gets the start for Boston against Andy Pettitte of the Yankees. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Varitek, Castillo Smash Royals (5/20/21)

Jason Varitek revealed last year he was playing virtually the whole season for the Boston Red Sox with a bad wrist which is why he hit just .248 and 10 home runs. He had off-season surgery to fix it and apparently it transformed him into Carlton Fisk for a day. Varitek hit not one, not two but THREE home runs against the Kansas City Royals and drove in 7 runs to outscore the Royals by himself. On the other side of the ball, Frank Castillo (5-2, 3.64 ERA) tossed 6 innings and allowed just an unearned run to keep the Sox comfortably ahead. Manny Ramirez and Carl Everett also joined the homer parade while the tag team of "El Guapo" Rich Garces and Hipolito Pichardo slammed the door on the Royals. It all added up to a 10-3 Boston win over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

                                                       Chris Herren approves of the win

Brian Meadows got the start for Kansas City and Trot Nixon led off the top of the first with a base hit to right. Jose Offerman hit a seeing eye single in the hole at second and both runners advanced on the Carl Everett fly out to center. Manny Ramirez was intentionally walked and the gamble worked as Dante Bichette banged into a double play to end the inning. The Royals wasted no time scoring on Frank Castillo in the bottom of the first although Carlos Beltran flied out to left to start. Rey Sanchez grounded out to short but Mike Sweeney dumped a base hit to left. Somehow Bichette managed to kick the ball out of the park for an error and Joe Randa doubled Sweeney home to give the Royals the lead. Dee Brown struck out swinging to end the inning with the Royals up 1-0.

                                                       Dammit Dante

The Sox got the run back in the top of the second although Brian Daubach flied out to left. Shea Hillenbrand grounded out to short but Jason Varitek smacked his third home run of the season to tie the game. Mike Lansing grounded out to second to end the inning but the game was tied 1-1.

                                                   Varitek ties it up

Castillo settled down in the bottom of the second as Mark Quinn grounded out to third to start. Raul Ibanez flied out to center and old friend Luis Alicea lined out to short to end the inning. 

The Sox did nothing in the top of the third as Nixon grounded out to first to start. Offerman flied out to left and Everett struck out swinging to end the inning. Hector Ortiz singled to right to begin the bottom of the third but was forced at second by Beltran. Sanchez dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Beltran to second but Sweeney struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox exploded in the top of the fourth as Ramirez smashed his 15th home run of the season to give the Sox the lead. Bichette doubled to left and Daubach walked, but Hillenbrand forced Brian at second to put runners at the corners. Varitek then smashed a three run bomb to increase the lead. That was it for Meadows as Jose Santiago came in to strike out Mike Lansing swinging. Nixon grounded out to second to end the inning but it was 5-1 Red Sox.

                                                        Ramirez puts the Sox on top

Randa popped up to right to start the bottom of the fourth but Brown singled to right. Quinn doubled to left but Ibanez popped up to left. Alicea struck out swinging to end the inning.

Offerman flied out to left to start the top of the fifth before Everett grounded out to second. Ramirez doubled to left but Bichette struck out swinging to end the inning. Ortiz popped up to second to start the bottom of the fifth before Beltran popped up to short. Sanchez grounded out to third to end the inning.

Boston poured it on in the top of the sixth as Daubach doubled to left to begin. Hillenbrand singled in the hole at short to put runners at the corners and the red hot Varitek ripped a base hit to center to score Daubach. Lansing beat out a double play ball and Nixon hit a sac fly to left to score Shea with another run. Offerman grounded out to short to end the inning but the Sox led 7-1.

                                                               Sac fly for Nixon

Castillo returned for one final inning in the bottom of the sixth as Sweeney doubled to right to start. Randa flied out to right and Sweeney moved to third on the grounder to second by Brown. Quinn flied out to center to end the inning. That was it for Castillo who allowed just an unearned run in 6 solid innings and 93 pitches.

                                                         Castillo gets it done

Mac Suzuki came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Everett flied out to right to start. Ramirez struck out swinging and Bichette grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Darren Lewis took over in left for Bichette and "El Guapo" Rich Garces came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh. Ibanez popped up to second, Alicea grounded out to first and Ortiz struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the eighth as Daubach grounded out to first to start. Hillenbrand singled up the middle and Varitek plastered his third home run of the day to increase the lead. Lansing popped up to first in foul territory but Nixon walked. Nixon took second on a wild pitch but Offerman popped up to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-1.

                      Varitek does it again

The Royals got a run back in the bottom of the eighth although Beltran grounded back to the mound to begin. Sanchez tripled into the centerfield gap and scored on the Sweeney grounder to second. Randa singled to right but Brown hit a routine grounder to Offerman. Jose threw his glove at the ball and dropped an elbow on the glove for an error. Quinn popped up to first in foul territory to end the inning but the Royals were down 9-2.

                                                                   Sanchez with a triple

The Sox got that run right back when Everett pounded his fifth home run of the season to open the top of the ninth. Scott Hatteberg pinch hit for Ramirez and took strike three. Lewis grounded out to short and Daubach grounded out to second to end the inning but the Sox led 10-2.

                                                                Everett jacks one out

Hipolito Pichardo came in to finish the game in the bottom of the ninth and Ibanez hit a grounder to Offerman who dove on the ball and swam on it for an error. Alicea popped up to third and David McCarty pinch hit for Ortiz. McCarty walked and both runners moved over on a wild pitch before Ibanez scored on the sac fly to right by Beltran. Sanchez grounded out to short to end the game. The Sox had won it 10-3.

Hero of the Night is Jason Varitek. He went 4 for 4 with 7 rbis and 3 home runs.

                                                             Hero Varitek

The Good:

Trot Nixon was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Manny Ramirez was 2 for 3 with a walk and a home run.

Shea Hillenbrand was 2 for 4 with 3 runs scored.

Frank Castillo allowed an unearned run in 6 innings to get the win. He allowed 6 hits and struck out 3.

The Bad:

Scott Hatteberg struck out as a pinch hitter.

Darren Lewis was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Mike Lansing was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 5 with 2 errors.

Carl Everett was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but the one hit was a home run.

Dante Bichette was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout and an error but scored a run.

Brian Daubach was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored a run.

Rich Garces allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Hipolito Pichardo allowed an unearned run in the bottom of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

Big game by Varitek and the Sox definitely needed the win with the New York Yankees on the horizon. If Varitek is back to where he was in 1999 this offense is going to be deadly when Nomar Garciaparra returns. Nixon, Offerman, Nomar, Ramirez, Everett, Bichette, Varitek, Daubach and Hillenbrand would make even the Yankees pitchers afraid. Its only one game but if Varitek says he's healed, that's only good news. The even better news was Castillo dominating on the other side of the ball. The Sox finally have some pitchers to go with Pedro Martinez in Hideo Nomo and Castillo. If Tomo Ohka and Paxton Crawford can develop, this could be a playoff contending team in a few months. All in all it was a feel good win and hopefully more are on the way as we head to the end of May. The win improved the Sox to 25-18, 1.5 games ahead of the Yankees for first place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox travel to New York to take on the damned Yankees on Tuesday night. David Cone gets the start for the Sox against Andy Pettite of the Yankees. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Yankee Stadium.