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So Close, Yet So Far
September 10, 2008
9.10.
08, 2:51 PM
Rays 5, Red Sox 4
So Close, Yet So Far
Sox Lose A Heart Breaker
By: Jared Carrabis
The Red Sox were so close to first place that they could almost taste it. Just three outs away from returning to where they wanted to be. Tuesday night will go down as the most frustrating, disappointing and cruel losses of the entire 2008 season. On the bright side, there are still eighteen games left to be played. Four of which are against the (for now) first place Tampa Bay Rays.
But let's talk about Tuesday night some more, shall we?
In a game that the Red Sox were so close to winning, in a game that the Red Sox had clawed their way back within inches of victory, the Tampa Bay Rays stunned Red Sox fans with a ninth inning comeback against Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon to protect their spot atop the American League East. With the Red Sox down 3-2 going into the bottom of the eighth, the Sox offense had gotten within a run thanks to an RBI double by Kevin Youkilis and Mike Lowell's sixteenth home run of the season (second since coming off the disabled list).
In the bottom of the eighth inning with two outs and Kevin Youkilis standing at first base, Jason Bay came to the plate to face Dan Wheeler. The last 20 times these two have squared off against each other, Bay had gone just 1-for-18 striking out eight times and walking just once. This time we would see a new Jason Bay. With a 1-1 count, Wheeler delivered a 92 MPH fastball to home plate and Jason Bay smoked a screaming line drive cruising upwards towards the Green Monster. "Get up!" Bay yelled as the ball slammed off the top of the wall for a two-run home run to give the Red Sox the lead, 4-3.
Hideki Okajima had come on to record the last out of the top of the eighth inning and needed just four pitches to do so. Jonathan Papelbon was warming in the bullpen but had been used the previous two nights in a row (the most recent being a four-out save). Regardless of Okajima's low pitch count and Papelbon's recent work load, manager Terry Francona elected to go to Jonathan Papelbon in the top of the ninth inning to close this one out.
Fresh off the bus from the minor leagues was pinch-hitter, Dan Johnson. With a full count, Johnson cranked a 96 MPH fastball deep and gone to tie the game. His home run was the fourth surrendered by Papelbon this season. With a tie game and still no outs, the Rays weren't done. Back-to-back doubles by Fernando Perez and Dioner Navarro plated another run off of Papelbon and gave the Rays the lead at the expense of the utter shock and disappointment by he Fenway Faithful.
In the bottom of the ninth, the Red Sox got the tying run just 90 feet away with Jacoby Ellsbury standing at third and one of the hottest hitters on the team in Coco Crisp standing at home plate (hitting .514 with 7 RBI in his last 10 games) Crisp popped out harmlessly to end the threat in the ninth and conclude a very, very disappointing loss for the Red Sox.
The rebound towards the charge for first place restarts itself tonight when Josh Beckett takes the mound in the series finale. In Beckett's second start since coming off the disabled list, he will look to build on his last start which was a win/win situation. First, he had a great outing, allowing just four hits while striking out seven but the biggest win of the night for him may have been that he felt no pain in his elbow.
After suffering an injury with all symptoms leading Red Sox Nation to believe that Tommy John surgery may be in the ace's near future, Beckett returned with a vengeance and tonight looks to continue down the right path to dominance. Josh Beckett is a clutch performer and a big time gamer looking to build on his potential Hall of Fame credentials. No pitcher in the history of baseball that has had Tommy John surgery has ever been elected into the Hall of Fame. Of course John Smoltz and Mariano Rivera will one day be exceptions to that stat, Josh Beckett I'm sure would love to continue to pitch without having to hear about a surgery to that extent ever again.
Beckett has faced the Rays three times this season and has had success against them. The 2007 ALCS MVP is 2-1 against Tampa Bay with an ERA of 2.57 to go along with 23 strikeouts. With a win tonight, Boston will move back to within a half game behind the Rays with seventeen games left. Surely a half game lead is never safe, and with time running out, the division will be up for grabs in the final weeks of the 2008 season.
-Jared Carrabis
-Jared Carrabis
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