Five and Counting--Pitching Counts!

Well, after the last Baltimore game, when the Dustman rocketed around the bases in the final inning to get the Sox all the way back to win after being down six zip earlier in the game was exciting! Contribs up and down the lineup and all received well deserved salutations. Tonight's series opener against the Tigers was equally exciting to watch, but, rather than offense, it was all from the mound. The starting pitcher for the Bengals had lost his last four or five in a row and sported an ERA well up in the high four's. Bucky took the ball for the Sox and continued his brilliance of late. As it turned out, he didn't get the W, but his states were sparkling--seven innings, only four hits and seven K's. His game WHIP was 0.714--in fact, the whole Sox mound crew tonight had a game WHIP collectively of just 0.67! When you take these last two wins, you're seeing at exactly what a potential champion team looks like when it can win no matter what the situation and with a different hero each and every night. This truly is winning baseball!
So, after seven full, it's still all zeroes and very few on either team are hitting. Coke, the Detroit pitcher (so help me, that's really his name), is matching Bucky zero for zero and being just as stingy with the hits. Bucky is looking good, even when he loads the bases on a single and TWO (no typo) hit batsmen in the same inning. Jam? Sure! What to do? PITCH! Buck does exactly that and, just as quickly, no jam any more.
Finally, with Crawford on base in the 8th, Salty bangs one off the Monster and what turns out to be the winning run crosses the plate. Bard comes in and gives the team a perfect inning, only one ball leaving the infield for an easy fly out. Ninth inning: The Laser comes on to close things out. He immediately gives up a leadoff double to former batterymate Martinez. You'll recall Victor left for the Motor City for $50 mill. He noted before the game that his time in Fenway was "by far the best of his career", but money talks and Bu......, well, you know the story. Anyway, after a pinch runner replaces him on second and is moved to third on an infield ground out, Pap channels himself of four years ago. In a situation where just a fly ball will tie the game and there is only one out, Pap decides that the answer to worrying about a sac fly or worse is to make certain the ball never leaves either of two locations--his glove or Salty's. Like Bucky in his jam, Pap pitches! Next batter: K! Final batter: K! Game over--Sox win! Seems simple, doesn't it.
Just like most people, I love to watch the guys tattoo the Monster or the other walls, but, I also like watching the team's moundsmen pitch--really pitch!

By the way, totally separate from present things Sox, last weekend was my grandson--Jenn's son's--2d birthday. Got him a hitting tee, and the kid's a natural! No coaching, nothing. He takes the bat and immediately swings like he's been watching Teddy Ballgame for 20 years! Check your swing, eye on the ball, SWING! The damn ball goes rocketing across the back yard! Is Scott Boras around?