After a shutout eight innings from Mussina and the Yankees bullpen, they brought on their closer - the Yanks version of Papelbon, only 11 years older. And as is normal for the Sox, they got to Rivera. So, after a hit, a walk, and two hit batters the bases were loaded with nobody out. It looks like the Sox will tie it up. But these are the Red Sox. And while I'm a huge fan of the team, I also know that they leave men on base. A lot.
So Coco came up to bat and for some weird reason on an 0-2 count he waved at a ball that was so far outside the strike zone, he missed and was called out on strikes. At that point I knew the game was over, because while there were still two outs left, the next two batters were Varitek and Lugo.
Varitek has been in a horrible slump. He's only been hitting .138 since June 1st and was already 0 for three in the game. He popped out to the first baseman on a 2-0 pitch. Now it's up to Lugo another batter who hasn't been doing well. He's only gotten three hits in his last 25 at bats. So while it took five pitches, he also struck out against Rivera. That means the Sox left the bases loaded, Rivera got out of a jam and got the save, and the Yanks took their first game of the four game series.
I'm sure this win made Joe Girardi happy. In case you hadn't heard, after Thursday's shutout, Joe met with his team for over thirty minutes. He wasn't happy with where they were in the standings and he let his team know it. He also let the press know it, though not in detail. That meeting accompanied by this wonderful picture on the back cover of the New York Daily News made for a Yankee team that really needed a win.
So, fine. They got their win. Now it's back to what I hope is the Sox' regularly scheduled program of winning. The Sox play their final game against the Yanks today and Wakefield's on the mound. Here's hoping the Sox can do what they did in the first two games and take the series away from the Bronx Bombers.
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