Catching Up--And a Really Sweet 16!

Well, since last we chatted, an All-Star game has been played and the Sox have had one series and started another. The series just concluded last night (actually, early this morning where it was played) was against the Rays. As expected, it was a very competitive one: first game went to the Rays, 9-6, but that Sox 6 was a strong late inning comeback that just feel a bit short. Second game to the Hose, 9-5, with the Sox in control most of the way from the middle of the game on. Then came last night's game! Facing a pitcher with a mid-4's ERA, the Sox had 11 K's against them by the end of the 8th and just 3 hits. Beckett was even better, allowing just a weak infield single in the 2d, after which he retired 22 in a row, leaving after the 8th. Unfortunately, the score was knotted at zip. This chain of events continued through the rest of regulation and into extra innings. What got very frustrating for everyone in Red Sox Nation was the way the Hose were leaving runners on base. From the 10th through the 12th, the Sox left eight runners on, including three in one of those innings that they had with no one out! It's like Tampa was saying, "We're trying to be perfect hosts and give you a game." The only trouble is the Sox weren't going to schnorr and take it. Woven in with all of this were some unbelievable plays in the field by the Sox fielders. Reddick and Jake both took off after a long drive in extras that looked for all the world like it was gone--a game winner. At the last possible second, Reddick launched himself up...up....up stuck up his glove and, as the ball seemed to disappear from everyone's sight, snared it and tumbled to the track, ball securely still in his glove.Until he popped up on his feet, no-one knew for certain where it had gone--HR, extra bases or caught. The Dustman also had a pair of unreal highlight reel plays earlier on, each robbing a Ray of a hit. In each case, he dove far to his left, bounced up while still smothering the ball in his glove, turned and fired to Gonzo for the out. The second of these, he actually launched his shot to Gonzo from his knees--same result.
With those two plays, adding in a steal and a 3-7 evening, including driving in the game's only run, Dusty ended up very deservedly being named the player of the game by ESPN. His show was a perfect example, if one were necessary, of why he's already won the Rookie of the Year and an MVP so early in his career. Oh, I forgot. The game went 16 innings, almost 5 hrs and 45 minutes from start to finish. It was zip-zip through 15, the second longest scoreless tie game for the Sox in their history. The only one longer was 95 years ago (no misprint) against the Browns (today's O's). Sox took that one too!
After JB left, each Sox hurler was just as exceptional in his own way. No-one was getting anywhere. In fact, in the entire evening, the Rays only had one man get as far as 3d--once and late. Other than that,they couldn't buy a baserunner for the most part. Finally, when the Sox got what turned out to be the winner, The Laser came out to slam the door. As soon as he took the mound, I knew from the first closeup of his focused visage that the game was in the bag. Yes, he had a plus-4 ERA, and yes, he may not be the Pap of 3-4 years ago. But, what all of the whiners out there in Fenland seem to be missing is that he had only a single blown save all year and his opposing BA is only in the mid-200's. The shot of his face said everything you had to know. When he's really, indisputably "on", he has a scowl, what I call a death stare. You'd have to be Teddy Ballgame to want to face him in that mode. In fact, that's about the only way you'd stand a chance. True to stare, three up, three down; nothing out of the infield and one K--Door slammed, Game over.