This Day In Red Sox History: July 2, 1998
By Administrator | July 2, 2009
Material for This Day In Red Sox History is drawn from Bill Nowlin’s “Day by Day with the Boston Red Sox”
Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez was stingy with his old club, limiting the Expos to two hits in six innings pitched. Meanwhile, the offense pounded Carl Pavano and the Montreal bullpen, pounding out twenty hits en route ot a 15-0 win.
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This Day in Baseball History: July 2nd
By Administrator | July 2, 2009
In 1903, Ed Delahanty of the Senators, who once hit four home runs in a game, went over a Niagara Falls’ railroad bridge and drowned… the circumstances concerning the outfielder’s death were never discovered.
In 1941, in front of 52,832 fans at Yankee Stadium, Joe DiMaggio hit in his 45th straight game — breaking Wee Willie Keeler’s 1897 major league record — with a three-run home run off Red Sox hurler Dick Newsome.
In 1950, Bob Feller won his 200th career game.
In 1962, Dodgers pitcher Johnny Podres tied a National League record with eight consecutive strikeouts in a 5-1 victory over the Phillies.
In 1963, in one of the most memorable pitching duels in baseball history, the Giants’ Juan Marichal and the Braves’ Warren Spahn both pitched 15 scoreless innings… Willie Mays homered off Spahn in the bottom of the 16th to give San Francisco a 1- 0 win.
In 1978, Yankees southpaw Ron Guidry improved his record to 13-0 with a 3-2 win over the Tigers… it was the best start in franchise history.
In 1986, the Blue Jays scored three runs in the eighth inning to beat the Red Sox and Roger Clemens, 4-2… the loss prevented the ‘Rocket’ from getting a record-tying 15th consecutive winning decision.
In 1995, Dodgers righthander Hideo Nomo became the first player from Japan to be selected for the major league All-Star game.
Born Today: Tony Armas (1953), Jose Canseco (1964), Ozzie Canseco (1964)
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G78: Turnabout Is Fair Play… Red Sox Rally For 6-5 Win Over O’s
By Administrator | July 1, 2009
Red Sox shortstop Julio Lugo singles home Jacoby Ellsbury with the game-winning run in the eleventh inning of today’s game at Camden Yards… AP photo
The Red Sox turned the tables on the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon at Camden Yards. Fifteen hours after the O’s capped a remarkable comeback against the Red Sox bullpen, the Sox turned the identical trick against the Orioles ‘pen.
After amassing only four hits against Baltimore starter Brad Bergeson through the first eight innings, the Boston offense exploded for four runs in the ninth inning to send the ballgame into extra innings. Then, in the top of the eleventh inning, oft-maligned SS Julio Lugo singled home CF Jacoby Ellsbury with the game-winning run in the Red Sox 6-5 win.
In the bottom of the inning, closer Jonathan Papelbon, who was victimized by RF Nick Markakis last night, set down the side in order to register the 133rd save of his career — establishing a new team record (Bob Stanley).
With the win, the Red Sox improved to 6-1 against the Orioles this year… they are 22-9 versus the AL East this season.
The Orioles jumped out to a 1-0 lead before Sox starter Josh Beckett had retired a batter. Leadoff batter Brian Roberts walked, stole second, and scored on an rbi-single by CF Felix Pie (playing for the injured Adam Jones). DH Luke Scott homered to lead off the second inning to extend the advantage to two runs.
The Red Sox scored a run in the top of the third inning when Dustin Pedroia doubled home J D Drew, but the Orioles answered back with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning on a two-run double by Markakis. They added another run in the fourth inning on 3B Ty Wiggington’s leadoff home run.
THAT is where the scoring would stay until the ninth inning.
The O’s wouldn’t have another baserunner in the game, as Red Sox pitchers retired the final twenty-four batters they faced.
In his post-game interview, Papelbon said: “I thought today was a great opportunity for our bullpen to show the league what we’re really made of. I think we answered that with flying colors”.
Of his setting the franchise mark for career saves, Pappy said: “Obviously, it feels good. When I set out to be the closer of the Boston Red Sox, there were definitely a lot of goals in sight and this was one of them”.
Beckett retired the final twelve batters he faced. He was relieved by Daniel Bard, who struck out four batters in two dominant innings of relief. Ramon Ramirez worked the tenth inning to earn his fifth win of the season. Papelbon disposed of the Orioles with eighteen pitches in the eleventh.
Baltimore starter Bergesen was pulled after throwing 103 pitches. With Baltimore comfortably ahead entering the ninth inning, O’s manager Dave Trembley went to his bullpen: “To expect that he’s going to go back out there in the ninth with his pitches where he was… It was the right thing to do to get him out of there”.
Trembley started the inning with Jim Johnson on the mound… he walked Pedroia and then surrendered a two-run home run to Kevin Youkilis to cut the deficit in half. Trembley immediately called on closer George Sherrill after the home run… he responded by striking out Jason Bay and David Ortiz.
But he couldn’t get the third out. He surrendered a single to Ellsbury and issued walks to Jeff Bailey and Jason Varitek. With the tying runs in scoring position, Red Sox manager Terry Francona sent Rocco Baldelli into the game to pinch-hit for Nick Green… the right-handed hitter grounded Sherrill’s third pitch up the middle to drive home Ellsbury and Bailey to tie the score at five runs apiece.
In the eleventh inning, Ellsbury hit a leadoff double off fireballer Danys Baez… he scored when Lugo bounced a one-out single into left field past the drawn-in infield.
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Jason Bay struck out five times in the game… he went 0-for-15 in the series.
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Papelbon now has twenty-one career saves against the Orioles, the most he has against any team.
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Red Sox Sign Top Pick Fuentes, Four Others
By Administrator | July 1, 2009
The Red Sox have come to terms with first-round pick Reymond Fuentes, of Fernando Callejo HS, in Manati, Puerto Rico… the Sox announced that the 6-foot-1, 170-pound outfielder has been assigned to the Gulf Coast Red Sox in the Rookie League.
The Red Sox announced that they have come to terms with four other picks, as well — OF Jeremy Hazelbaker (4th round), OF Shannon Wilkerson (8th round), C Michael Thomas (12th round), and 1B Chris McGuiness (13th round).
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This Day In Red Sox History: July 1, 2004
By Administrator | July 1, 2009
Material for This Day In Red Sox History is drawn from Bill Nowlin’s “Day by Day with the Boston Red Sox”
Manny Ramirez hit his second home run of the game in the top of the thirteenth inning to give the Red Sox a 4-3 lead… but the Yankees scored two runs in the bottom of the inning — on a double by back-up catcher John Flaherty — to emerge with a 5-4 win.
The game is well-remembered by Red Sox fans due to the fact that Nomar Garciaparra pulled himself out of the lineup in the final game of a critical series with the Yankees — speculation abounded that No-mah did so as a belated protest to the club’s off-season attempt to trade the sullen shortstop to the Texas Rangers in exchange for SS Alex Rodriguez, who later ended up with the Yankees.
But the game is most remembered by ALL baseball fans for an 11th-inning catch by Derek Sanderson Jeter (yes, he was named for the Bruins hockey great). The Red Sox had men on second and third bases with two out and RF Trot Nixon at the plate… the ‘Dirt Dawg’ lofted a blooper into short left field. In an all-out sprint, Jeter caught the ball… after the catch, his momentum caused him to dive headlong into the stands. He emerged from the front row of the stands bloody, but with the ball in his glove.
The “injured” Garciaparra watched from the bench… a few weeks later he was shipped out of town in a trade that netted the Red Sox Orlando Cabrera.
Many believe that Garciaparra’s self-benching on this date sealed his fate… it was no longer a matter of IF he would be traded but WHEN he would be traded.
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This Day in Baseball History: July 1st
By Administrator | July 1, 2009
In 1859, in the first college baseball game ever played, Amherst College defeated Williams College, 73-32 (66-32 by some reports) in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
In 1902, Rube Waddell faced only 27 batters blanking the Orioles, 2–0. The 25-year old southpaw struck out the side three times by whiffing Billy Gilbert, Harry Howell, and John Cronin in the 3rd (on just nine pitches) 6th, and 9th innings.
In 1920, Walter Johnson pitched a no-hitter against the Red Sox at Fenway Park, beating the home team 1-0. Bucky Harris’ error ruined the ‘Big Train’s’ bid for a perfect game, but it was Harris’ hit which drove in the game’s only run.
In 1941, in a rain-shortened game against the Red Sox, Joe DiMaggio tied Wee Willie Keeler’s 1897’s major league record consecutive game hit streak of fortyfour… but not without controvesry. Red Sox third baseman Jim Tabor made a poor throw on the hit, but Joltin’ Joe is given a hit by the official scorer, New York World Telegram’s Dan Daniel. Many people believed the play was an error and the streak should have ended on this date.
In 1945, Detroit Tiger Hank Greenberg made a dramatic return to the game after having served four years in the armed forces. In front of an emotional crowd of 47,700 at Briggs Stadium, he homered in his first game following his return to the game.
In 1951, Indian’s pitcher Bob Feller became the third pitcher in major league history to pitch three career no-hitters… defeating the Tiger, 2-1. Detroit scored its run on a error, a stolen base, a errant pick-off throw and a sac fly.
In 1982, Orioles manager Earl Weaver moved Cal Ripken from third base to shortstop.
In 2005, Bill Holden threw out the first ceremonial pitch and led the crowd in singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame during the seventh inning stretch of the Cubs game against the Nationals. Holden, inspired by a documentary about former Cubs All-Star third baseman Ron Santo (who lost both his legs to diabetes), walked 2,100 miles from Camp Verde, Arizona to Wrigley Field. The 56-year old school teacher — with himself had two bad knees — pounded the pavement for 172 days and raised $250,000 with his ‘Walk the Walk’ campaign for juvenile diabetes research.
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In The Silo: PawSox, Sea Dogs Pasted
By Administrator | June 30, 2009
The Pawtucket Red Sox were shutout for the ninth time this season as the Syracuse Chiefs (WAS) hammered the pitching staff in an embarrasing 12-0 loss tonight at McCoy Stadium.
Starting pitcher Enrique Gonzalez had another in a long line of brutal outings for the PawSox… the Venezuelan righty surrendered eight runs on twelve hits and three walks in just five innings pitched. He has allowed three or more runs in every outing since May 12th… his Earned Run Average now sits at a season-high 5.97.
Meanwhile, Syracuse starter Marco Estrada was nearly perfect over seven innings… he allowed just one hit — a Gil Velazquez single in the sixth inning — while walking no one and striking out seven.
Freddy Guzman and Jeff Natale managed hits off reliever Jorge Sosa in the latter innings.
But tonight was all about Estrada and the Chiefs offense, which scored a pair of runs in the first, third, fourth, fifth and ninth innings, while adding single tallies in the sixth and seventh innings.
Relievers Rocky Cherry (2 IP) and Randon Bierd (1 IP) each surrendered two runs in their outings.
The Sox have tomorrow off and then begin a two-game series against first place Scranton on Thursday night (6:15 PM start time). Clay Buchholz (5-1, 1.90) will be on the mound for the series opener.
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The New Britain Rock Cats scored seven runs off former Red Sox pitcher Kason Gabbard and southpaw Ryan Mullins tossed six strong innings as the Cats defeated the Portland Sea Dogs, 9-5, in their series opener tonight at Hadlock Field.
The Sea Dogs have now dropped six straight games at home.
Gabbard (0-3) lasted only a 1/3 of an inning, allowing seven runs on three hits, four walks and two hit batsmen. He began the game with two walks and a hit batter… after striking out 3B Juan Portes, the southpaw walked 1B Whit Robbins to force home a run. LF Danny Berg then clubbed a bases-clearing double to right-center field to extend the lead to 4-0. 2B Brian Dinkelman followed with a walk before DH Erik Lis cleared the bases with a 3-run homer.
The game was, essentially, over as soon as it began.
Mullins allowed three runs on four hits over six innings pitched… he struck out eight and retired the final ten batters he faced.
DH Jon Still (2-for-3, HR, 3 RBI, BB) continued his hot hitting with a 3-run homer over the Maine Monster in the bottom of the first inning. Portland scored their other runs on CF Josh Reddick’s two-run blast off reliever Jay Rainville in the seventh inning.
Blake Maxwell relieved Gabbard in the bottom of the first inning and yielded two runs on four hits over 4 2/3 IP… he fanned a season-high six batters. He was touched up for a two-run homer by RF Rene Tosoni in the fourth inning, otherwise he had a clean outing.
RHP Chris Province and LHP Andrew Dobies each fired two scoreless frames for the Sea Dogs.
The Sea Dogs and Rock Cats play a doubleheader tomorrow beginning at 6:00 PM.
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G77: Bullpen Implodes In Unbelieveable Loss, 11-10
By Administrator | June 30, 2009
The game was over and in the records books… or so you thought, right?
The Red Sox led 10-1 as the game entered the bottom of the seventh inning, and while a rain delay had caused the Olde Towne Team to lose the services of John Smoltz prematurely, uber-swingman Justin Masterson had been dominant in the fifth and sixth innings. Nine more outs.
And then it happened.
We watched in horror as the best bullpen in baseball imploded, surrendering a nine-run lead to an Orioles team that was riding an eight-game losing streak to our beloved ballclub. Afterwards, Smoltz would say: “It’s one of those games when you shake your head and can’t believe what you just saw”.
The game would soon turn into the biggest comeback in Orioles history, as Baltimore rallied for an 11-10 victory. Previously, the biggest rally in franchise history had occurred on September 2, 1956 (the O’s overcame an eight-run deficit in Boston).
Tonight, the Orioles sent twenty men to the plate in the seventh and eighth innings. They got thirteen of their sixteen hits in those two innings… thirteen hits, a walk and six outs.
Masterson suddenly couldn’t get anyone out. He faced five batters in the seventh inning, surrendering a line drive single, a squib single that barely made it through the right side of the infield, a double off the wall in right field, a long home run to left field and a base hit up the middle.
Manny Delcarmen came in and retired the next two batters on ground balls to second base, but then surrendered an rbi-single before being pulled from the game in favor of Hideki Okajima, who allowed a single before securing the final out of the inning.
At last.
Boston-10, Baltimore-6
And then “Okaji” would replicate Masterson’s futility in the eighth inning. He faced four batters without recording an out. Takashi Saito was brought into the game with the bases loaded… he surrendered a sacrifice fly and an rbi-single.
Red Sox-10, Orioles-9.
Incredibly, in a game in which they had once had a nine-run lead, Terry Francona found himself in a position where he needed to call on Jonathan Papelbon for a FIVE-OUT save! Pappy struck out CF Felix Pie on a 94-mph fastball, but then grooved his first pitch — a fastball — to Nick Markakis. The Orioles right fielder, who had been 0-for-7 with four strikeouts against Papelbon, drove the ball into left center-field for a two-run double.
Papelbon, who had been 20-for-20 in save opportunities in his career against Baltimore, had blown his second save of the year.
O’s-11, Sox-10.
Orioles closer George Sherrill finished off the Sox in the ninth inning for his seventeenth save of the year. Papelbon, regretably, would NOT need to get five outs.
Afterwards, Pappy said: “Give the other team credit. They put pressure on our bullpen tonight and we pretty much imploded. I can’t think of any other word that describes it better”.
Neither can I.
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Orioles CF Adam Jones ran into the wall trying to catch Youkilis’ first-inning home run. He stayed in the game initially, but was later replaced by Pie in the third inning.
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Youkilis and Jacoby Ellsbury both went 3-for-5, with a homer, in the game. Jeff Bailey, who replaced the newly-DL’d Mike Lowell at 3B, batted ninth and went 3-for-4… he scored three runs.
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Bailey In Tonight’s Lineup… Lowell Headed For DL
By Administrator | June 30, 2009
INF Jeff Bailey arrived in Baltimore this morning in anticipation of Mike Lowell’s scheduled consultation with the Red Sox rehabilitation coordinator this afternoon… apparently the consult didn’t go very well because Bailey has been penciled into tonight’s starting lineup at first base, batting ninth.
Sometime before the start of tonight’s game, Bailey will need to be activated… it appears a foregone conclusion that Lowell is headed for the disabled list.
Lowell has been suffering from acute pain in his left hip for the last few weeks. Yesterday, he got an injection of Synvisc in the hip and simultaneously had 15 ccs of fluid drained from the area.
Today’s evaluation was supposed to determine whether Lowell would now need to spend time on the DL to allow the hip additional time to recover. The answer was obviously in the affirmative.
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Pedroia, Youkilis In All-Star Voting Dog-Fights With Just Two Days Left In Voting
By Administrator | June 30, 2009
With just two days remaining in the fan balloting for the All-Star Game, Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis (1,915,303) has re-taken the lead over Yankees Mark Teixeira (1,875,256) in voting for the American League’s starting lineup for next month’s Mid-Summer Classic in St Louis.
After trailing by more than 35,000 votes last week, Youkilis now holds a precarious lead of just 40,047 votes.
At second base, Dustin Pedroia (2,163,270) lopped more than 50,000 votes off last weeks deficit and now trails Texas 2B Ian Kinsler (2,170,100) by just 6,830 votes.
Red Sox left fielder Jason Bay (2,609,913) continues to hold a commanding lead over Seattle’s Ichiro Suzuki (1,802,826) in the outfield, while Sox Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury remains in sixth with 1,355,133 votes.
Joe Mauer (C, MIN), Derek Jeter (SS, NYY) and Evan Longoria (3B, TB) all hold commanding leads at their respective positions and will not be overtaken… each player has more than doubled the votes received by his closest competitor.
TWO DAYS LEFT, RSN! Let’s send Dustin and Kevin to St. Louis! Vote here.
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