Yankees Rout Sox, Avert Sweep (4/12/15)

Uh oh.....Clay Buchholz (1-1, 7.84 ERA) looked like an ace last time out against the Philadelphia Phillies, tonight he looked like Way Back Wasdin as the New York Yankees Not only did Buchholz stink the joint out, he looked aloof and uncaring as he refused to back up home or third on long balls hit to the outfield. A pitcher hasn't looked that disinterested since Alfredo Aceves in that 12-0 disaster that rainy night in Oakland. If that's supposed to be the ace, the Sox are in big trouble. When it was over, the Yankees had pounded the Boston Red Sox into submission 14-4 at Yankee Stadium.

                                                      Jerry Smith is sad

Masahiro Tanaka got the start for the Yankees and Mr. Mookie Betts led the game off with a fly out to right. Dustin Pedroia popped up to third and David Ortiz lined out to third to end the inning. The carnage began in the bottom of the first as Jacoby Ellsbury led off with a walk, Brett Gardner legged out an infield single and Ellsbury made it all the way to third. Carlos Beltran brought home Ellsbury with a sac fly to put the Yankees up early. Mark Teixeira walked and Brian McCann hit a grounder that Mike Napoli booted to load the bases. A-Rod got some sweet revenge for the past few games with a double to clear the bases and put the Sox in a 4-0 hole. Chase Headley poured gas on the fire with a 2 run shot and Stephen "PU" Drew got the last laugh with a solo shot to make it 7-0 just like that. Didi Gregorious flied out and the man who started the inning, Ellsbury flied out to end the inning. That was bawful....simply bawful.

                                                Get used to this sight

Could the Sox strike back in the top of the second? NO! Hanley Ramirez popped up to second and Pablo Sandoval struck out swinging, but Mike Napoli walked. Shane Victorino popped up to short to end the inning. Buchholz came out for the bottom of the second and somehow managed to get Gardner to fly out to left to start. Beltran went down hacking and Teixeira grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Sox failed to score in the top of the third as Xander Bogaerts grounded out to third to start. Ryan Hanigan flied out to right but Mr. Mookie singled to right. Pedroia grounded into a force to end the inning. Buchholz caught McCann looking to start the bottom of the third and got A-Rod to swing at air, but Headley singled to right. Drew grounded into a force to end the inning. Looks like Farrell wanted Buchholz to take one for the team to save his bullpen after friday night's marathon.

The Sox finally showed some life in the top of the 4th. Ortiz walked and two wild pitched advanced him to third, where he scored on the Ramirez sac fly. Sandoval singled to center and Napoli walked before PU Drew booted a grounder by Victorino to load the bases. Bogaerts lashed a double to score Sandoval and Napoli to cut the lead. The rally ended as both Hanigan and Betts whiffed but the Sox were on the board down 7-3.

                                                        Good work Bogaerts

Could Buchholz keep the damage minimal in the bottom of the 4th? NO! Gregorius singled to center and Ellsbury singled him over to third before swiping second himself. Gardner singled home both men as Buchholz failed to back up home, Brett taking second for good measure. Beltran then legged out a single as once again Buchholz failed to move. A Teixeira sac fly plated Gardner with the 10th run and Sox manager John Farrell had seen enough. It was bad enough Buchholz wasn't pitching well, but failing to back up bases is a sign when someone simply doesn't care. Craig Breslow was brought in and he struck out McCann looking but walked A-Rod. Headley flied out to center to end the inning but now it was 10-3 Yankees.

                                               "I tell ya fellas, we're screwed" - Farrell

One man wasn't ready to give up in the top of the 5th. Pedroia flied out to center and Ortiz grounded out to first but Ramirez smashed a 400 foot bomb to dead center to cut the lead. Sandoval watched strike three go by to end the inning but it was 10-4 Yankees.

                     "If I rip a porch off a hotel, can I put it in my pocket?" - Ramirez

Breslow returned for the bottom of the fifth and walked PU Drew to start, but he was gunned down at second by the alert Hanigan trying to steal. Gregorious grounded out to third but Ellsbury walked. Gardner grounded into a fielder's choice to end the inning.

That was it for Tanaka as David Carpenter replaced him for the top of the 6th. Napoli and Victorino both flied out to center but Bogaerts singled to left. Hanigan grounded out to end the inning. After 1 2/3 innings, Breslow was done and it was up to Tommy Layne to keep the damage minimal in the bottom of the sixth. Instead he vomited up his intestines for what seemed like the first time in his Sox career. Beltran, Teixeira and McCann all singled to load the bases. A-Rod walked to force a run and Headley singled home Teixeira. Drew hit a sac fly and the Sox luckily avoided further damage when Gregorious lined out to center. Headley was caught napping at second to end the inning with the completely out of reach, 13-4.

                                              What a rout

Carpenter returned for the top of the seventh with Chris Young now playing right field. Mr. Mookie flied out to right and Pedroia grounded out to short before Yankees manager Joe Girardi lifted Carpenter. Kyle Davies came in to get Ortiz to ground out to first to end the inning. Anthony Varvaro was brought in to pitch the bottom of the seventh with Brock Holt now playing second. Ellsbury went down swinging before Gardner grounded out to second. Young singled to left and Garrett Jones pinch hit for Teixeira. Jones grounded out to second to end the inning, whoopie.

The Sox attempted one last rally in the top of the 8th. Ramirez grounded out but Sandoval singled to center. Napoli got his first base hit of the year to center and Gregorious botched a grounder, allowing Victorino to reach first to load the bases. Could the Sox at least score a run just to piss the Yankees off? Nope! Bogaerts grounded into a double play to end the inning. So much for that. Edward Mujica was brought in for mop up duty in the bottom of the eighth with Allen Craig playing first and Sandy Leon playing third. It made sense since Koji Uehara comes off the disabled list tomorrow. McCann greeted Mujica with a solo bomb to make the final score a ten run game. Gregorio Petit pinch hit for A-Rod and singled, but Mujica got Headley to bang into a double play. Drew lined out to center to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 14-4.

Mercifully the game ended in the top of the ninth Hanigan and Mr. Mookie both looked at strike three but Holt singled to center. He took second on defensive indifference but pinch hitter Daniel Nava (for Ortiz) flied out to center to end the game. Thankfully this turd was over, the Yankees had wiped out the Red Sox 14-4.

                                                     Blah


Jackass of the Night is an easy one. Clay Buchholz absolutely sucked in every aspect possible. He lasted just 3 1/3 innings and gave up 10 runs (9 earned), also failing to back up bases to look like he didn't care.

                                                   Jackass Buchholz


The Good:

Brock Holt got a base hit in his only at-bat.

Hanley Ramirez was 1 for 3 with a solo home run and 2 total rbis.

Pablo Sandoval was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Mike Napoli was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis.

Craig Breslow tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Anthony Varvaro tossed a scoreless inning.



The Bad:

Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 4.

Shane Victorino was 0 for 4.

Daniel Nava flied out in his only at-bat.

Ryan Hanigan was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Tommy Layne allowed 3 runs in 1 inning.

Edward Mujica got tagged for a run in the 8th inning.




The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

David Ortiz was 0 for 3 but walked and scored.




Honorable Mention:

Sandy Leon played third base in the bottom of the 8th.

Allen Craig played first base in the bottom of the 8th.





Final Thoughts:

Well that sucked. The Yankees offense which had been dormant for 5 games so far, pounded out 16 hits and 14 runs off Buchholz, Layne and Mujica. The sad part is, Sox fans are going to be very angry after getting routed by the Yankees when they should be grateful the Sox have gone 4-2 to start the season on the road. Winning both of their road series is better than losing, but the Sox and their fans have a sour taste in their mouths after this one. Better to be 4-2 than 2-4 but still, this game was a disaster. If that wasn't bad enough, the Sox home opener is tomorrow against the Washington Nationals. Rick Porcello (0-1) takes the mound opposite Jordan Zimmerman. Facing the Nationals three best pitchers isn't exactly the tonic they need coming off a loss like this. The game begins at 3:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Blow Out Yankees in Hangover Game (4/11/15)

Before the game Steven Wright, last night's winner, was optioned to the Pawtucket Red Sox to make way for Joe Kelly to make his Boston Red Sox season debut. Thanks Steven.

                                         Wins game and is optioned to Pawtucket, tough life

                                                               IN

After the 6 hour 49 minute marathon the night before, the New York Yankees were in no condition to pitch this game today and the Red Sox pounced on the hapless bunch, pounding them into submission with a bunch of errors thrown in. Joe Kelly (1-0) made his  season debut by tossing 7 strong innings. The Sox have played 5 road games so far and have won 4 of them, including this one over the Yankees 8-4 at Yankee Stadium.

                                                    Happy fans

Yankees reliever/starter Adam Warren made quick work of the Sox in the top of the 1st. Brock Holt led the game off with a ground-out to first, Dustin Pedroia flied out to center and David Ortiz grounded into the shift to end the inning. Kelly made his season debut with a flurry by striking out Brett Gardner swinging to begin the bottom of the first. Chris Young popped up to Pedroia and Carlos Beltran struck out looking to end the frame.

Mike Napoli led off the top of the 2nd with a routine grounder to Gregorious but A-Rod, the "rookie" first basemen, dropped the throw. Pablo Sandoval advanced Napoli to second with a ground out. Napoli advanced to third on the ground out by Allen Craig. Daniel Nava then lofted a fly ball to Gardner who tripped and fell, the ball bouncing off his glove. Nava scooted to second as Napoli came home to give the Sox a 1-0 lead. The scorers called it a double and an rbi. Xander Bogaerts stepped to the plate then on a 2-2 pitch, catcher John Ryan Murphy was charged with a passed ball that advanced Nava to third. He was stranded when Bogaerts flied out to left to end the frame.

                                                 Sox take the lead

The Yankees struck back in the bottom of the second. A-Rod made up for his error with a single to lead off. Chase Headley flied out but Garrett Jones walked. A wild fastball juuuuuuuust a bit inside that hit the backstop advanced the runners. Murphy walked to load the bases and Didi Gregorious tied the game with a sac fly. Gregorio Petit whiffed on 3 pitches to end the inning. Good job by Kelly to limit the damage but he threw way too many pitches with the game tied 1-1.

Ryan Hanigan grounded out to second to begin the top of the third. Holt got his first hit of the season with a single to center but was erased on the double play by Pedroia to end the inning. Big DP by Warren there as he had thrown 50 pitches in only 2 1/3 up to that point. Kelly recovered with a good bottom of the third. Gardner grounded out to short, Young grounded out to Napoli and Beltran popped up to left to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the 4th although Ortiz began with a groundout to short to start. Napoli hit a first pitch grounder to first but Sandoval hit a bloop single to center. Craig walked and Nava singled home Sandoval to give the Sox the lead. Bogaerts flied out to the left but the Sox had the lead 2-1 and Warren to 77 pitches in just four innings.

                                                       Nava puts the Sox on top

Could Kelly hold the lead in the bottom of the fourth? A-Rod flied out to right, Headley struck out and Jones struck out on a caught foul tip to end the inning. 8 in a row retired by Kelly but oh wait....here comes Joe Girardi to argue the call. The umpires told him to beat it and the game continued.

Hanigan worked a walk to lead off the 5th and Holt singled him to second. The rally went down the drain when Pedroia banged into a double play and Ortiz whiffed to end the inning. Still, Warren appeared done after just 5 innings. Allen Craig made it 9 in a row for Kelly with a running, sliding catch off a fly ball by Murphy to begin the bottom of the 5th. Gregorious grounded out to Napoli and Petit struck out to end the inning. That's 6 K's for "Machine Gun" Kelly and 11 in a row retired. Just what the doctor ordered.

Napoli was now 0 for 16 on the season with a ground-out to Warren to start the top of the 6th. That was it for Warren as Justin Wilson replaced him. Sandoval grounded out to first and Craig struck out looking to end the inning. Kelly earned his 7th strikeout by fanning Gardner to begin the bottom of the 6th. Young popped up to first and Beltran flied out to center to end the inning. 14 in a row retired by Kelly and if the Sox had any kind of offense, this game would be over already.

The Sox broke the game open when Nava led off the top of the 7th with a leadoff walk. That was it for Wilson as former Sox prospect Chris Martin replaced him. Nava was erased on the force by Bogaerts. Bogaerts swiped second and advanced to third when Murphy's throw went into center field. Hanigan grounded one to 3rd, Bogaerts beat out to throw and Hanigan made a mad dash to first...SAFE! Sox lead 3-1 on the single by Hanigan. Holt singled as well and Pedroia drove in both runners with a double to deep center. Pedroia advanced to third on the ground out by Ortiz. Napoli was now 0 for 17 with a ground out to second as the Sox now had a commanding 5-1 lead.

                                                        Hanigan adds to the lead

Kelly returned for the bottom of the 7th as Alexi Ogando and Clay Buchholz began warming up. Buchholz was getting some work in before his start tomorrow night of course. A-Rod grounded out to Pedroia on the first pitch, Headley flied out to left and Jones struck out to end the inning. 17 in a row retired, 7 strikeouts, 1 hit allowed....outstanding.

                                             1 hit, 1 run, 7 K's in 7 innings...nice going.

Matt Tracy made his major league debut for the Yankees and Sandoval grounded out to short to begin the top of the 8th. Craig lined out to center and Nava grounded out.....oh wait! Sox manager John Farrell challenged the call and it was revealed Headley's throw pulled A-Rod off the bag, SAFE! The error was charged to Headley after a 2 minute 18 second delay. Bogaerts then lined one off Tracy and sprinted to first, safe. Hanigan walked to load the bases and Holt doubled to right. Nava and Bogaerts scored easy and Hanigan looked up to see nobody covering him so he ran home too. Pedroia grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-1.

                                                          Game over

With the game well in hand, Alexi Ogando came on for the bottom of the 8th inning and crapped his pants. Nava made a great running catch on Murphy in left to start before Gregorious struck out swinging. Petit got the first Yankee hit since the second inning with a single to left. Gardner followed with a single and Chris Young cleared them all with a 3 run home run. John Farrell pulled the ineffective Ogando for Anthony Varvaro. Luckily Varvaro struck out Beltran to end the inning. How big was Farrell challenging that call at first now now that the game was 8-4 Sox?

                                             Young hits one out.

Ortiz popped up to lead off the top of the 9th but Napoli walked and stole second on the strike out by Sandoval. Doesn't have a hit but keeps finding a way to motor around the bases. Craig grounded out to short to end the inning. Robbie Ross Jr came on to close the game out and struck out A-Rod to begin the bottom of the 9th. Headley grounded out to short but Jones doubled to left. Murphy grounded out to third to end the game. YANKEES LOSE, THEEEEEEEE YANKEES LOSE!

Today we have two Heroes of the Night.  First, Joe Kelly was outstanding. He threw 7 innings, allowed 1 run on one hit, struck out 7 and retired 17 men in a row.

                                            Co-Hero of the Night: Joe Kelly

Brock Holt was the other hero, going 4 for 5 with 3 rbi's and a run scored. He got on base by himself more than the entire Yankee lineup combined through 7 innings.

                                            Co-Hero of the Night: Brock Holt


The Good:

Daniel Nava was 2 for 3 with a walk, 2 rbi's and a run scored.

Anthony Varvaro retired the only man he faced.

Ryan Hanigan walked twice, scored 2 runs and drove in a run.

Robbie Ross Jr pitched a scoreless 9th.



The Bad:

David Ortiz was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Alexi Ogando gave up a 3 run bomb by Chris Young in just 2/3's of an inning.



The Ugly:

Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 5 but his one hit was a 2 run double.

Mike Napoli was 0 for 4 but walked, reached on an error, stole a base and scored a run.

Pablo Sandoval was 1 for 5 with a run scored.

Allen Craig was 0 for 4 but walked.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 but scored 2 runs.




Final Thoughts:

Usually hangover games are big trouble but the Sox rose to the challenge. They were much crisper on defense and at the plate. Joe Kelly was outstanding and through the first 5 games of the season, the team is essentially a bad night of wind in Philly away from being undefeated. Its nice to see new people step on offense every day. Last night it was Bogaerts, today it was Holt. Who would have thought the Sox would be the one sticking it to the Yankees when Boston supposedly has "no rotation"? Tomorrow night the Sox go for the sweep with Clay Buchholz )1-0) going up against Masahiro Tanaka at 8:05 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Sox Outlast Yankees in 19 Excruciating Innings (4/10/15)

This was the game that wouldn't end. It had power outages, THREE New York Yankee comebacks, 3 Boston Red Sox attempts to win and an angry umpire. All in all, the Sox suffered THREE blown saves, one in the 9th, one in the 16th, one in the 18th but held on with one last rally in the 19th to take the longest game time wise in Red Sox history (6 hours 49 minutes) 6-5 at Yankee Stadium.

                                    The Mayor approves of the longest timed game in Sox history

New York Yankees starter Nathan Eovaldi went to work in the top of the first inning, getting Mookie Betts to ground out. Dustin Pedroia stroked a single but David Ortiz looked at strike 3. Hanley Ramirez singled and Pablo Sandoval scored Pedroia with a single. Mike Napoli flied out to end the inning but the Sox were up 1-0.

                                                  1-0 Boston

Wade Miley made his season debut for the Sox and struck out old friend Jacoby Ellsbury to lead off the bottom of the first. Brett Gardner grounded out to second and Alex Rodriguez struck out swinging to end the frame.

Daniel Nava got the start in right field and he was plunked to begin the top of the second. He was stranded as Xander Bogaerts flied out to right and Sandy Leon made his season debut by grounding into a double play to end the inning.. Miley pitched a scoreless second by getting Mark Teixera to ground out to short to start. Brian McCann took strike three and Chase Headley grounded out to short to end the inning.

Mr. Mookie grounded out to lead off the top of the third befor Pedroia lined out to right. Ortiz singled  to left but Ramirez grounded out to short to end the threat. Miley remained red hot in the bottom of the third by striking out Chris Young to start. Old friend Stephen Drew grounded out to first and Gregorio Petit took strike three to end the inning. 9 up 9 down for Miley.

Sandoval led off the top of the 4th with a groundout to short to begin. Napoli grounded out to second but Nava stroked a seeing eye single to right. Bogaerts lined out to right to end the inning. Miley got Ellsbury to fly out to begin the bottom of the fourth but Gardner doubled to left. A-Rod watched strike three go by and Teixera flied out to left to end the inning.

Moving right along, Leon flied out to begin the top of the 5th. Betts doubled to left but was stranded when Pedroia flied out to center and Ortiz popped up to third to end the inning. McCann singled to left to begin the top of the fifth but was erased on the force by Headley. Miley picked off Headley but a Bogaerts blunder allowed Young to reach on the error. Drew flied out to center to end the inning.

Ramirez grounded out for the second time to open the top of the sixth but the Sox put Eovaldi on the ropes with a Sandoval single. Pablo advanced to second on a wild pitch before Napoli walked. Another wild pitch moved the runners up 90 feet when Nava singled them both home to chase Eovaldi. That would be the last Sox hit for nearly 5 innings. Former Red Sox prospect Chris Martin relieved Eovaldi and struck out Bogaerts. Petri booted a grounder allowing Leon to reach first and Betts walked to load the bases.....but Pedroia grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                        Nava drives in a pair

Miley ran out of gas in the bottom of the sixth as Petit walked to start. Ellsbury singled before he was erased on a force by Gardner. A-Rod cut the lead with single that scored Petit. Teixera walked to load the bases and that was it for Miley. Miley ended up allowing 2 earned runs in 5 1/3 innings, sad part was he was dominant through 5.

                                                        Good start but lousy finish

Robbie Ross Jr relieved Miley and allowed a sac fly by McCann to cut the lead 3-2. Headley popped up to second to end the inning but the Yankees were back in it 3-2.

Justin Wilson took over for the top of the 7th and struck out Ortiz swinging to begin. Ramirez grounded out to short and Sandoval popped up to first to end the inning. Alexi Ogando was brought in to pitch the bottom of the 7th and got pinch hitter Carlos Beltran (for Young) to pop up to himself. Drew popped up to short and pinch hitter Didi Gregorious (for Petit) flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox failed to score in the top of the eighth as Napoli flied out to right to start. Nava grounded out to second and Dellin Betances came in for Wilson. Bogaerts flied out to right to end the inning. Junichi Tazawa took over for the bottom of the 8th and got Ellsbury to ground out to second to start. Gardner caught the Sox asleep with a bunt single but catcher Sandy Leon made up for it by gunning down Gardner at second trying to steal. A-Rod struck out swinging to end the inning.

Leon led off the top of the 9th with a walk. Betts struck out swinging but Pedroia walked. Could the Sox capitalize? NO! Ortiz struck out swinging and Ramirez grounded out for the FOURTH time tonight. Just 3 outs away from a win, Edward Mujica came on to close it out. Teixera? Struck out looking. McCann? Flied out to centr. Chase Headley? BANGGGGG! A home run tied the game and just like that the Sox had their first blown save of the season. Beltran grounded out o first to end the inning but it was on to extra innings as the Yankees tied it 3-3.

                                                   Headley ties it up

Old friend Andrew Miller was brought in to pitch the top of the 10th. Sandoval popped up to second and Napoli struck out swinging but pinch hitter Shane Victorino (for Nava) walked. Bogaerts also walked but Leon struck out swinging to end the threat. Anthony Varvaro took over for the bottom of the 10th and dominated. Drew flied out to left and Gregorious flied out center before Ellsbury grounded out to first to end the inning.

David Carpenter relieved Miller in the top of the 11th. Mr. Mookie flied out to right but Pedroia singled to left. Ortiz walked and then Hanley Ramirez grounded out for the 5TH time tonight...only this one was a rally killing double play to end the inning.

                                                   "That damn Hanley Ramirez...."

The Sox refused to roll over after the missed opportunity. Varvaro returned for the bottom of the 11th and got Gardner to ground out to short to begin. A-Rod doubled to center and Garrett Jones ran for him before Teixeira was intentionally walked to chase Varvaro. Tommy Layne was brought in to face McCann and managed to strike him out looking. Headley grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox continued to do nothing in the top of the 12th against Chasen Shreve. Sandoval whiffed and Napoli watched strike three go by before Victorino popped up to the pitcher to end the frame. Things got crazy in the bottom of the 12th. The power blew in one of the towers, delaying the game for 16 minutes. When play resumed, Beltran and Drew both looked at strike three. Gregorious singled off the glove of Bogaerts but Ramirez made a running, diving catch to rob Ellsbury of a hit to end the inning.

Bogaerts singled to right to open the top of the 13th and Leon dropped his first sac bunt in his career to advance him to second. Could the Sox finally take the lead?? NO! Mr. Mookie struck out swinging and Pedroia grounded out to second to end the inning. The supposedly rebuilt offense had scored ZERO runs in the past 7 innings off the Yankee no-name bullpen. Craig Breslow took the mound for the bottom of the 13th and got Gardner to ground back to the mound to begin. Jones grounded out to first and Teixera flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox offense was still dead in the top of the fourteenth as Ortiz grounded out to second to begin. Ramirez managed to single to left but Sandoval flied out to left. Napoli whiffed again to end the inning. The Sox offense had been shut completely down for 8 innings by the no-name Yankees bullpen. Breslow returned for the bottom of the 14th and McCann was hit by a pitch to start. Headley struck out swinging and Pedroia botched a double play, but was able to get McCann at second on the force by Beltran. Drew flied out to right to extend the torture.

Could the Sox offense FINALLY wake up? Hell no! Victorino flied out to right to begin the top of the 15th inning. Bogaerts singled to left after the umpire blew a strike 3 call. Allen Craig pinch hit for Sandy Leon, mostly because Leon had caught 14 straight innings. Yankees manager Joe Girardi pulled Shreve after 54 pitches and 3 1/3 scoreless innings. Esmil Rogers came on and got Craig to ground out, sending Bogaerts to second.  Betts struck out swinging to end the inning. That's 9 scoreless innings by the Yankees bullpen with 11 strikeouts, unbelievable. In the bottom of the 15th, Steven Wright (1-0) took the mound and Ryan Hanigan took over behind the plate. Gregorious struck out swinging and Bogaerts snared a liner off the bat of Ellsbury. Gardner walked but Young flied out to center to prolong the agony.

Dustin Pedroia whiffed to lead off the top of the 16th inning but David Ortiz said enough was enough, crushing a 400 foot bomb to center to give the Sox a 4-3 lead. Ramirez flied out to right but Sandoval singled to left. Napoli earned the golden sombrero by striking out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-3.

                                                     Ortiz puts the Sox ahead

Now could Wright finish the bottom of the 16th? NO! Teixera swatted a home run on a 1-2 count to lead off the bottom of the 16th. McCann flied out to right but Headley walked. Beltran flied out to center but Drew singled Headley to third and took second on DI. Would the torture finally end? No, Gregorious grounded out to first to end the inning with the game tied again 4-4.

                                                This is the game that never endsssss

On and on they went in the top of the 17th. Victorino flied out to left but Bogaerts singled to center, his third hit since this went to extras. Hanigan grounded out to third that advanced Xander to second. Betts earned a golden sombrero with his 4th strikeout in extra innings and it was on to the bottom of the 17th. The torture continued as Ellsbury grounded out to short to start. Gardner walked but got picked off by the alert Wright. Joe Girardi challenged the call but the umps apparently want this game to continue and said OUT! Up came Teixera, the man responsible for sending the game this far....extended it to the 18th when he grounded into a fielder's choice to end the inning.

The top of the 18th inning began with Pedroia getting plunked. Ortiz flied out to leff but Ramirez singled Pedroia to third. Sandoval singled home Pedroia but Ramirez was tagged out at third on the play. Napoli flied out to end the inning but the Sox re-took the lead 5-4.

Could Wright get 3 more outs before sunrise? NO! McCann doubled to lead off the inning and John Ryan Murphy pinch ran for him. Headley advanced Murphy to third on the ground out and Ramirez dropped a fly ball in left, scoring Murphy and allowing Beltran to reach second. Drew grounded out but advanced Beltran to third. Could Gregorious finally end the torture? NO! He grounded out to second to send this to the 19th inning with the game tied AGAIN 5-5.

The Sox offense refused to go quietly in the top of the 19th. Victorino popped up to short to begin but Bogaerts then got his 5th hit of extra innings. He swiped second as Hanigan walked. On a 1-2 count to Betts, a passed ball by Murphy advanced the runners. Betts had whiffed 4 times since the 9th inning and this time his fly ball to Ellsbury was enough to score Bogaerts from third with a sac fly. Pedroia flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead again 6-5.

                                                      Herculean sac-fly by Betts

Wright came out for the bottom of the 19th to try to finish it off once and for all. Ellsbury prolonged the agony by singling to lead off the bottom of the frame. Gardner flied out to left and Young.....BANGED INTO A DOUBLE PLAY! ITS OVER! RED SOX WIN!

                                                 What a game

Hero of the Night is Xander Bogaerts. He carried the Sox offense in extra innings as well as turned the game ending double play. He was 4 for 8 with a walk and scored the winning run.

                                                       Xander is the final Hero



The Good:

David Ortiz was 2 for 8 including a solo shot in the 16th inning that should have ended it.

Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 8 with 2 runs scored and a walk.

Pablo Sandoval was 4 for 9 with 2 rbi's and a run scored, his 18th inning single should have ended it too.

Daniel Nava was 2 for 3 with an rbi before being replaced by Shane Victorino.

Wade Miley pitched 5 1/3 innings of 2 run ball.

Alexi Ogando pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Junichi Tazawa pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

Anthony Varvaro pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings

Tommy Layne pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings

Craig Breslow pitched 2 scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Edward Mujica blew the save in the 9th inning with the Chase Headley home run and forced the Sox to use their entire bullpen for the remaining TEN innings.

Allen Craig grounded out in his pinch hit appearance.



The Ugly:

Sandy Leon was 0 for 4 but with a sac bunt and a walk thrown in. He also gunned down Gardner trying to steal.

Mike Napoli was a pitiful 0 for 8 with a golden sombrero (4 strikeouts), but walked and scored in the 6th inning.

Robbie Ross Jr allowed an inherited runner to score but none of his own.

Steven Wright got the win but did it after blowing two saves.

Shane Victorino was 0 for 4 but walked after replacing Daniel Nava.

Mookie Betts was 1 for 8 with a golden sombrero (4 K's) but walked and hit the go-ahead sac fly to win the game.

Hanley Ramirez was 3 for 9 but his lapse on the basepaths and on the field almost cost them.

Ryan Hanigan was 0 for 1 but walked.





Final Thoughts:

I'll take the win but that was counter productive to say the least. The Sox game ended at 2:15 in the morning and they have to play a day game, a night game Sunday and a day game Monday. The Sox bullpen was exhausted and the pitching staff blew three saves. Still, they won. Steven Wright battled his ass off and earned the win...barely. Sandoval and Bogaerts broke through which was encouraging. Tomorrow/today Joe Kelly makes his season debut for the Red Sox against Adam Warren. Both bullpens are shot so each team is banking on their starter being effective at 1:05 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Sox Score 6 Runs in 3rd, Take Two of Three (4/9/15)

The Boston Red Sox did all their damage in one inning but it was good enough to win tonight's game and the series against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Sox scored 6 runs in the third aided by the returning Justin Masterson (1-0) who hit and pitched the Sox to victory. After it was over the Sox had taken 2 of 3 from the Phillies with a 6-2 win at Citizens Bank Park.

                                                         Happy fans

David Buchanan got the start for Philadelphia and Mookie Betts hit one to the wall in left but it died, just like Hanley Ramirez last night, it was gone at Fenway or in the summer. Dustin Pedroia grounded out to short but David Ortiz walked. Ramirez singled but Pablo Sandoval grounded out to second to end the inning. They would get another chance. Justin Masterson (1-0) got the start for Boston and in his first batter faced as a member of the Red Sox since July 2009, he got Ben Revere to ground out to begin the bottom of the first. Carlos Ruiz whiffed and Chase Utley grounded out to third to end the inning.

Shane Victorino got the start in right and he ripped a single to lead off the top of the second but was erased on the Ryan Hanigan double play. Xander Bogaerts walked but pitchers have to hit and Masterson struck out to end the threat. Masterson got Ryan Howard to ground out to third to begin the bottom of the second. Darin Ruf and Cody Asche both struck out to end the frame.

The Sox broke through in the third inning. Mr. Mookie was called out on a diving catch in left but replays showed it was a trap, unfortunately Sox manager John Farrell was in the can or something because nobody asked to review it. Pedroia grounded out but Ortiz got things started with a single into the shift. Ramirez then lined one off Buchanan who threw the ball away, allowing Ortiz to reach third. Sandoval walked to load the bases and Victorino beat out an infield single to put the Sox up 1-0. Hanigan walked to make it 2-0 and Bogaerts cleared the bases with a poke job triple to right that just fell inside the foul line. Once again pitchers have to hit and Masterson...SINGLED TO DRIVE IN BOGAERTS???

Yes Joey, Masterson singled in a run!

Masterson stood at first flexing for his teammates as the Sox now led 6-0. Mr, Mookie grounded to end the inning but the Sox had a commanding lead and had chased Buchanan.

Masterson then promptly coughed the lead up in the bottom of the third. Last night's hero Jeff Francoeur struck out but Fred Galvis reached on an infield single. Pinch hitter Odubel Herrera walked and Ben Revere moved Galvis to third with a force at second. A wild pitch by Masterson scored Galvis and Ruiz walked. Utley singled home Herrera to cut the lead. Howard struck out to end the inning but the score was now 6-2 Sox.

Dustin McGowan replaced Buchanan and struck out Pedroia to begin the top of the fourth. Ortiz walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Ramirez popped up to second and Sandoval hit a ball to the left field wall that was caught to end the inning. If this was the summer, Sandoval and Ramirez would be leading the league in RBI's right now. Masterson ran into trouble in the bottom of the 4th. Ruf grounded out to short but Asche singled. Francoeur lined out to left but Galvis lined out to Pedroia on a broken bat to end the inning. Masterson got out of the jam but was up to 71 pitches.

Victorino hit one up the elevator shaft to begin the top of the 5th and Hanigan flied out to center. Bogaerts reached first on a throwing error by Galvis. Masterson then reached on an error by Howard although to be fair, Masterson did hit a good ball into the hole at third. Betts worked the count full but also hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. Cesar Hernandez pinch hit for McGowan and struck out to begin the bottom of the 5th. Sandoval flashed the leather by snaring a line drive off the bat of Revere. Ruiz grounded out to end the inning.

Justin De Fratus took over for McGowan to begin the top of the 6th and promptly struck out Pedroia. Ortiz followed suit with a whiff and Ramirez flied out to end the frame. Masterson returned for the 6th and struck out Utley, 7th K tonight for Justin. Howard flied out and Asche grounded back to the pitcher to end the inning. 6 innings, 2 runs, 7 K's for Masterson....not bad at all.

                                              Welcome back Justin Masterson

Sandoval led off the 7th with a strikeout and Victorino was robbed of a hit by a nice play at third. Hanigan walked and Bogaerts singled. Allen Craig pinch hit for Masterson and struck out...I could have done that. Mike Napoli took over at first for Ortiz and Craig Breslow replaced Masterson for the bottom of the 7th. Asche worked a leadoff walk but Francoeur struck out. Galvis singled but pinch hitter Andres Blanco popped up. Revere flied out to end the inning.

Luis Garcia replaced De Fratus to begin the top of the 8th inning. Mr. Mookie singled and advanced to second on the ground out by Pedroia. Galvis booted a grounder to short by Napoli and Betts advanced to third. Then things reverted to last year when Ramirez struck out and Sandoval grounded out to end the inning. Another opportunity wasted. Tommy Layne replaced Breslow and struck out Ruiz to begin the bottom of the 8th. Utley grounded out to second and Howard flied out to center to end the inning.

                                   An under the radar hire in 2014 may pay dividends in 2015

Jake Diekman replaced Garcia for the top of the 9th. Victorino grounded out to short to start before Hanigan popped up to center. Bogaerts singled and Brock Holt pinch hit for Layne, but grounded out to end the inning. Edward Mujica came on for the bottom of the 9th. He struck out Ruf but Asche singled. Asche was erased on the force by Francoer. Galvis grounded out to second to end the game. The Red Sox won the game 6-2

Hero of the Night is Xander Bogaerts. He went 3 for 4 with a walk and a bases clearing triple.

                                              Xander Bogaerts, Hero of the Night


The Good:

David Ortiz was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and a run scored before being lifted for Mike Napoli.

Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Shane Victorino was 2 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

Justin Masterson tossed 6 innings of 2 run ball, striking out 7 and he drove in a run at the plate.

Craig Breslow pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Tommy Layne pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

Edward Mujica pitched a scoreless 9th inning.



The Bad:

Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 5 with two strikeouts.

Allen Craig struck out in his pinch hit appearance.

Brock Holt grounded out in his pinch hit appearance.

Mike Napoli grounded into a force in his only plate appearance



The Ugly:

Mookie Betts  was just 1 for 5.

Pablo Sandoval was 0 for 4 but walked, scored a run and made good plays at third.

Ryan Hanigan was 0 for 3 but walked twice, one for an rbi and scored a run.




Final Thoughts:

The Phillies are terrible but a win is a win. Taking 2 of 3 on the road, under National League rules is nothing to sneeze at. Opening the season 2-1 is better than 1-2 or 0-3. Masterson looked pretty good and driving in a run at the plate fired the team up. If the Sox have shaken off the hangover of last season, this season could be a lot of fun provided the pitching holds up. Rick Porcello needs to look like the pitcher he was in 2009 and Clay Buchholz needs to stay healthy.The Sox now travel to the Bronx to play the hapless New York Yankees, steel reeling from the retirement of Derek Jeter. Wade Miley gets the ball tomorrow night for the Sox opposite Nathan Eovaldi.

Sox Rally Falls Short (4/8/15)

On a hot summer night, this would be a 6-4 victory for the Boston Red Sox. Unfortunately on this cold, rainy, April night the Philadelphia Phillies came away with the victory. The Sox had their chances but couldn't cash in either by design or by the elements.When it was over the Phillies hang on to send the Sox to their first loss of the season with a 4-2 victory at Citizens Bank Park.

Aaron Harang (1-0, 0.00 ERA) was unhittable through the first six innings. Mookie Betts led the game off with a fly out to left. Harang then struck out both Dustin Pedroia and Pablo Sandoval to end the inning. Rick Porcello (0-1), who just signed an $80 million dollar extension, started the bottom of the first by getting Ben Revere to ground-out. Carlos Ruiz singled but was erased on the Chase Utley force. Ryan Howard grounded out to end the inning.

The Sox mustered nothing against Harang in the top of the second. Hanley Ramirez and Mike Napoli struck out and Daniel Nava grounded out to end the inning. Porcello hung tough by getting Darin Ruf to ground out to second to begin the bottom of the second. Cody Asche grounded back to the mound, but Jeff Francoeur singled. Fred Galvis grounded out to first to end the inning.

Ryan Hanigan struck out to open the top of the third and Xander Bogaerts grounded out. Porcello has to hit under National League rules and struck out swinging to end the inning. That's 6 strikeouts for Harang. Porcello got revenge to begin the bottom of the third by striking out Harang. Revere flied out to center but Ruiz reached on an infield single. Porcello survived the inning by getting Utley to line out to center to end the inning.

Mr. Mookie lined out to to left to begin the top of the 4th before Pedroia flied out to right. Sandoval got the first hit of the game off Harang but was stranded when Ramirez grounded out to first to end the inning. Porcello kept pace by getting Howard to ground out to second to begin the bottom of the 4th. Pedroia made a rare error by throwing a routine ball away, allowing Ruf to reach first. Ruf was erased on the force by Asche and Francoeur also grounded into a force to end the inning.

The top of the 5th was more of the same with a Napoli fly out to right, a Nava pop up to third and a Hanigan fly out to right. Porcello ran into trouble in the bottom of the fifth although Galvis lined out to short to start. Harang grounded back to the mound but Revere singled and stole second. A wild pitch moved Revere to third before Ruiz walked to put runners at the corners. Utley whiffed to end the inning.

Harang remained hot by striking out Bogaerts swinging to begin the top of the sixth. Porcello took strike three before Betts flied out to right to end the inning. Talk about a total role reversal from the first game. Who would have thought Aaron Harang would toss 6 innings of shut out ball with 8 strikeouts? The Sox pitching staff had tossed 14 consecutive shut-out innings but the Phills finally got on the board in the bottom of the sixth. Howard whiffed but Ruf walked and Asche singled. Francoeur ended the drought with a 3 run blast to left. Porcello recovered to get Galvis to fly out to center and strike out Harang looking, but the damage was done. The Phillies now led 3-0.

                                                Phillies go on top

Harang returned for the top of the 7th and the Sox tried to rally. Pedroia walked and Sandoval singled to right but Ramirez flied out to center. Jeanmar Gomez replaced Harang and got Mike Napoli to line into a double play to end the inning.

Robbie Ross Jr replaced Porcello and was given no help when Pablo Sandoval threw away a routine ground out, allowing Revere to reach third. Ross did manage to strike out Ruiz but Utley brought home Revere with a sac fly. Howard struck out but the game seemed out of reach with the Sox down 4-0.

                                              "I got it...I got it...I don't got it" - Sandoval

The Sox finally got on the board with a rally in the 8th against Ken Giles. Ruf booted a grounder which allowed Nava to reach first. Hanigan walked and Bogaerts singled home Nava to cut the lead 4-1. David Ortiz pinch hit for Ross and....struck out swinging. So much for clutch hitting. Mr. Mookie flied out but Pedroia walked to load the bases. Sandoval then made up for his earlier error by walking to force a run. With the score now 4-2 with the bases loaded, old friend Jonathan Papelbon was brought in for the four out save. Ramirez then turned on a slider and drove it 375 feet to left...but the cold, April air allowed the ball to die at the wall for the third out. That was gone at Fenway or two months from now, but for now it was just a long out to end the inning with the Sox down 4-2.

                               10 more feet and Ross would have been in position to win

Alexi Ogando was brought in to pitch the bottom of the 8th and struck out Ruf to begin the inning. Asche flied out to left and Francoeur flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox failed to rally in the top of the ninth against Papebon. Napoli flied out to left before Nava popped up to left as well. Hanigan reached on catcher's interference but Bogaerts whiffed to end the game. The Phillies held on to win 4-2.

Jackass of the Night is Rick Porcello. He served up the 3 run jack to Francoer which proved to be the difference in the game. Normally 6 innings of 3 run ball is decent, not today it wasn't.

                                               Porcello is a Jackass


The Good:

Pablo Sandoval was 2 for 3 and walked in a run.

Alexi Ogando pitched a scoreless 8th inning.



The Bad:

Mookie Betts was 0 for 4.

Hanley Ramirez was 0 for 4 and just missed a grand slam in the 8th.

Mike Napoli was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

David Ortiz struck out in his only at-bat.



The Ugly:

Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 2 with an error but walked twice.

Daniel Nava was 0 for 4 but reached on an error and scored a run.

Ryan Hanigan was 0 for 2 but walked and scored a run.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 but that one hit drove in a run.

Robbie Ross Jr gave up a run in the bottom of the 7th but it was un-earned.




Final Thoughts:

As I said before, if this was any other night, Ramirez would have hit a grand slam and this game would have been Boston's. As it is, the Phillies stole one to even the series at a game apiece. There will better days this season. Tomorrow night is the finale with Justin Masterson making his first Sox appearance in 6 years. One last thing of note, Jon Papelbon was interviewed before the game and he pretty much admitted he'd rather be in Boston right now. He came to Philly looking to win like he did in Boston and found a team that wins once every 30-40 years or so. After the game he pretty much was called out by the Philly media, I imagine this was his reaction.

Off-Day News: The Near-Miss 1991 Red Sox (4/7/15)

2015 has started out with a bang. The Red Sox were loaded with question marks going into the season and for one day anyway, the questions were answered. One of their prized aquisitions in the off-season, slugger Hanley Ramirez, blasted a grand slam to help win the game. The grand slam brings back memories of another year when the Red Sox had a lot of question marks and Opening Day answered them...for one day. Let's go back to 1991 shall we?

The 1991 Red Sox were coming off a string of 3 division titles in 5 years including winning the American League pennant in 1986. The 1990 Red Sox weren't quite as formidble as the powerhouse Oakland A's, but they still had a damn good team. The team had respected manager Joe Morgan who brought the team from implosion during the 1988 season and went on to win that season's AL East title as well as 1990's. The unquestioned ace of the staff was "Rocket" Roger Clemens who had won 21 games in 1990. They had one of the best contact hitters in the game in third basemen Wade Boggs. Centerfielder Ellis Burks was coming into his prime while left fielder Mike Greenwell finished second in the 1988 AL MVP race, losing to Jose Canseco. Catcher Tony Pena had a great clubhouse presence as well as behind the plate, plus had a reliable bat. The 1990 Sox were held together with solid but not spectacular players such as Jody Reed, Luis Rivera, Tom Brunansky, Carlos Quintana and the fading Dwight Evans. On the mound, second starter Mike Boddicker had been a solid pickup at the 1988 trade deadline as Greg Harris, Tom Bolton and Dana Kiecker had the season of their lives in the rotation. Closer Jeff Reardon was closing in on the all-time saves lead and set up man Jeff Gray was arguably the best pitcher out of the bullpen. Add in multi-purpose pitcher Dennis Lamp and the clown Larry Andersen, the team was just a few pieces away from challenging the A's for American League supremacy.

                                              Manager Joe Morgan and catcher Tony Pena

The team was at a cross-roads though, they could either try their luck with the draft or hit on the 1990 free agent class. It should be noted that the Sox had single A prospect Jeff Bagwell and Double A prospect Mo Vaughn in the system in 1990 until a late trade sent Bagwell to the Houston Astros for Andersen. The Sox elected to go with free agency, but made some serious miscalculations. Apparently Mike Boddicker and Andersen weren't important enough so they were not offered contracts. Dwight Evans would also not be able to retire in Boston, being released and picked up by the Baltimore Orioles.

The Sox struck in free agency by signing aging pitchers Matt Young, Danny Darwin and slugger Jack Clark. Darwin had just come off back to back 11-4 seasons with the Houston Astros, leading the National League in ERA at 2.21 shuffling between starting and relieving. Clark had been a prodigious power hitter and Matt Young was a durable innings eater. The team was banking on Young replacing Boddicker to compliment Clemens, Bolton, Kiecker and Harris with Darwin in the bullpen. The team figured Tom Brunansky could play right field with Jack Clark as the team's DH.  With all these pieces in place, it seemed that the team was ready to try to repeat as division champions. On opening day, Clemens pitched well and a Jack Clark grand slam led the team to victory. General manager Lou Gorman and part owner John Harrington patted themselves on the back for a job well done. They peaked 161 games too soon unfortunately.

Darwin never got out of the box, suffering one injury after another and pitching a grand total of 68 innings, going a dysmal 3-6 with a 5.16 ERA in just 12 starts.

                  Leads National League in ERA in 1990, American League batting practice in 1991


 The biggest disaster was Matt Young. Sure the Sox needed his durability but he had a career record of TWENTY-SIX games under .500. He ended up 3-7 with a 5.18 ERA in just 88 innings. Combined, Young and Darwin went 6-13 with 156 innings pitched. Mike Boddicker by himself in 1991 went 12-12 for the Royals with a 4.04 ERA in 180 innings. He pitched more innings and won twice as many games. Clark was as good as advertised, hitting 28 home runs and driving in 87 runs....only problem Jeff Bagwell ended up being National League Rookie of the Year for the Houston Astros. Hitting just 15 home runs, Bagwell still drove in 82 runs, only 5 less than Jack Clark who was 13 years older. Would you rather have an end of the line Clark or a budding star like Bagwell?

                        Lou Gorman sacrificed a hall of fame career for 21 innings from Larry Andersen

The Sox rotation apart from Clemens crumbled. Dana Kiecker was released, Darwin and Young didn't last. Mike Gardiner, Kevin Morton and Tom Bolton had poor ERA's and the only ones who pitched in were Harris and spot-starter Joe Hesketh. The bullpen took a massive hit when Jeff Gray suffered a career ending stroke after being one of the top set-up men for a year and a half. Tony Fossas was a great lefty specialist but Gray could get right handers out, Fossas couldn't.

With all the ineffectiveness, injuries and other woes, the Sox were STILL in contention in September. Unbelievably, Morgan had kept the club competitive and just within ear-shot of the division lead. The Sox had a 3 game series with the Yankees beginning on September 20th. The Sox were 2 1/2 games behind Toronto with 16 to play. Clemens won his 17th game of the year as the Sox took the opener 2-0 behind a home run from Jody Reed (who doubled in the second run as well). Toronto also lost so the Sox were only 1 1/2 games out. The following day the Sox smacked the Yankees 12-1 as Hesketh won his 11th game of the season behind two home runs from rookie Phil Plantier, another by Bob Zupzic and a two run bomb by Jack Clark. Toronto also lost so the Sox stood just 1/2 game out of first place with 14 to play. At 81-67, experts predicted if they could go 9-5 the rest of the way, 90 wins may win the division. The finale saw Kevin Morton get the start and he was handed a 1-0 lead going into the top of the 5th, which he promptly pissed away and left trailing 2-1. The light-hitting Luis Rivera clocked a 2 run home run to give the Sox a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the 5th. The Yankees re-took a 4-3 lead off Dennis Lamp and Tony Fossas. The Sox re-took the lead in the bottom of the 8th and Jeff Reardon came on for the save in the top of the 9th. Steve Sax flied out and Jim Leyritz (98 Sox) lined out to short. One out away.....andddd its gone. Roberto Kelly homered to tie the game. Here's where the 91 Sox failed, Matt Young, their big inning eater, gave up 2 runs in the top of the 10th. With two outs and Mo Vaughn at second, Jack Clark struck out to end the game. It was a heart and backbreaking loss that sent the Sox into a tailspin. They won just 3 of  their remaining games to finish 84-78, 7 games behind Toronto. 90 wins wouldn't have won them the division after all. Pretty much all the money they spent in the off-season was wasted.

                                                 Swing and miss, goodbye 1991 Red Sox

A few days after the season, Sox brass fired Joe Morgan. The Sox had took a rag tag bunch to the division title the year earlier and was a few games away from repeating, and the Sox got rid of him. With sour grapes, Morgan was quoted to saying "This team isn't as good as it thinks it is." Why were the Sox so eager to dump arguably the best manager they had since Dick Williams twenty years earlier? Sox brass was convinced Butch Hobson was the manager of the future. Jumping at the chance, Gorman replaced Morgan with Hobson despite having zero major league experience. He was a fan favorite in Boston, hitting 30 home runs for the Sox in 1977. Turns out the team respected Hobson a hell of a lot less than they did Morgan and he was in over his head. Managing a team that hadn't won a world series in 73 years had enormous pressure and he couldn't take it. Trouble began in spring training when he was filmed on national television trying to have a conversation with Roger Clemens and Roger was completely ignoring him. After two lackluster seasons, Hobson was fired.

                           Managing multi-millionaires was juuuuuust a bit different than minor leaguers

So what happened to Darwin following the 91 disaster? 1992 was better and was his old self in 1993 when he won 15 games for a bad offensive team. He started his decline at age 39 in 1994 and was released following the season. As for Matt Young, he was 0-4 in 1992 including throwing a losing no-hitter and was released. He ended his career in 1993 going 1-3 for the Indians with a final record of 55-95.

                                     3-11 in two years with the Sox, money well spent......

Jack Clark's career evaporated in 1992, filing for bankruptcy to boot. Only Danny Darwin lasted beyond 1992 which now looks like a collosal waste of money. They could have had Jeff Bagwell at first base, Wade Boogs at third and Mo Vaughn at DH by 1992. Like I said earlier, Bagwell drove in only 5 fewer runs than Clark did in 91 and could have been a franchise cornerstone for years to come. The career debilitating injury to Carlos Quintana opened the door for Mo Vaughn to be their slugging superstar for most of the 90's.

See the comparison to this year's team? They're banking on free agents Pablo Sandoval, Hanley Ramirez and the starter by committee approach rather than let their kids develop and sign a bonafide ace. Ramirez has hit his opening day grand slam like Jack Clark 24 years ago. Still, unlike 1991, the farm system is in much better shape now than it was then. Where they go from here remains to be seen, but here's hoping for a better fate than the 1991...and pretty much entire early 90's Red Sox.