Game 62: He Just Needed His Catcher

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 8, Chicago Cubs 1

...Or I need to stop watching/listening to games entirely. I missed another pitching/hitting gem, as Wakefield pitched a solid seven with one run, four hits, three strikeouts and no walks to get his fifth win. Johnny Damon was a single short of the cycle and Kevin Youkilis, playing for Ortiz on his night off, was a triple short of the cycle. Manny brought his homerun swing, ending his enormous drought...Robin described his double Saturday as "the best swing I've seen him take in a while" so maybe things are going to finally get back on track and we can look forward to a summer full of Manny points. Plus, the Sox are going back to Fenway tonight (finally) for a two series homestand against the Reds and the Pirates, so the momentum from yesterday might be maintained.

In what's presumably an attempt on the part of the front office to mark the return of the Reds to Fenway for the first time since the 1975 World Series as well as the historic Fisk Homerun, the left field foul pole will be renamed The Fisk Pole in a ceremony before tonight's game. Or, because people like balance and harmony, it'll probably be referred to as "Pudge's Poll" to match "Pesky's Pole" on the right side. Although the level of karma won't be quite the same as the home opener, Fisk and possibly Luis Tiant will be there for the ceremony, increasing the chances of Honest Abe getting revenge for '75 AND his last start all in one go. Clement has had an iffy record in the past against Cinncy, but then again, he didn't have Fenway behind him either. GO SOX!!!