Friday, August 18, 2006

Game 120: Ugly Beginnings

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 4, New York Yankees 12

I think the real tragedy of this first game wasn’t Jason Johnson’s troubles in the first, or his collapse in the fifth, which blew the game open in favor of New York. It was, by far, the inability of the offense to knock in runs when they had the chance that doomed this game to the loss column. Oh sure, Loretta got hits – three doubles that left him stranded in scoring position three times – and Hinske was golden in his Fenway debut with three doubles of his own, but we’re talking eleven men left on base, Sox batting three for 10,000 with runners in scoring position, at least one bases loaded chance blown…basically, if Wang wasn’t such a wily fox, Boston would have knocked him out of the game in the fourth with all of those potential runs, much like the potential energy in an ejection seat has the possibility of rocketing a person you don’t like out of your life, but only if you use it. But today, not to be.

Boston hasn’t won both games of a doubleheader since 2004, so I shouldn’t be surprised at the loss – it’s tradition, after all and the Sox are nothing else if not a team who likes the tradition. Still, there’s something about these Sox/Yankees games that gets me going a bit more than normal and I definitely get a little more irrational about the result; one of the few times since 2004 when I’m not able to get beyond the 162 seasons a year feeling I hate so much. Sure, it’s disappointing to lose, but it’s really disappointing to lose to the Yankees.

Keith Foulke is rumored to be coming back from the DL tonight, which means a last minute transaction to clear up some roster space. Someone will probably get sent to Pawtucket, but after Seanez's terrible job in the last inning and a third of the game (the man got four runs on his own! How?!), I really hope they just DFA him instead. It's not like he's going to pitch tonight anyway after throwing 47 pitches, so why not just get the job done? Also, I find it a bit ironic that for the second year in a row Keith Foulke is coming back to be the supposed savior of the bullpen.

So hopefully Boston will come back tonight mad as hell about losing so poorly this afternoon and do terrible, terrible things to Sidney Ponson. GO SOX!!!