Papi and Manny are finally working together. Their one, two punch in the seventh helped the Sox score their third shutout of the season and put them 3.5 games over their closest competitors, the Tampa Bay Rays.
Because of Tim Wakefield's amazing outing last night, the Sox were already up three, zip when David Ortiz stepped to the plate at the top of the seventh inning. Pedroia had already come and gone when he popped out to Magglio Ordonez in short right. Then Nate Robertson threw pitches 103 to 108 to Big Papi. Three of them were balls and two Papi had fouled off. Then on pitch number 109, Papi took that ball and sent it over the shift to the seats in deep right for the designated hitter's second solo shot in as many nights. That homer put the Sox on top 4-0 and would be the end of a very tough night for the Tigers pitcher.
So Nate Robertson came out and Freddy Dolsi, making his major league debut, came in to face Manny Ramirez. Dolsi threw one pitch. That's it. Manny swung at it and sent it deep. And I mean deep. Somehow that ball ended up in the shrubs behind the 420 marker in center field. No one thought that ball would get out, including Manny. The man who usually stands in the batters box and watches his hit leave the stadium before he takes a step was sprinting from the moment that ball left the bat. It wasn't until Manny saw the ball disappear himself, that he slowed his sprint and trotted around the last three bases for the final 5-0 score.
That homer makes number seven on the season and number 497 of his career. Manny's now just three away from five hundred. And who knows, maybe we'll see number 498 tonight when Clay Buchholz faces Armando Galarraga for game three of this four game series.
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