Wow. Okay. That was some way to kick things off. And today has the promise of another memorable episode in The Greatest Rivalry In Sport, with the erstwhile Marlins AJ Burnett and Josh Beckett facing off in a marquee matchup on national television. Last night was low-scoring kind of by accident and despite a ton of men on the pads. Today, one suspects, runs will be hard to come by again, but you never know. As we like to say, these teams just wear each other out. Meanwhile, roster moves from the Yanks:
-Chien-Ming Wang has been placed on the DL with a severe case of Homeritis* a "hip" injury.
-Cody Ransom has been placed on the DL for being Cody Ransom with a leg strain.
-Brian Bruney has been placed on the DL because the Yanks can't catch a break with some kind of elbow thing that is either (a) not serious or (b) a major problem.
-David Robertson, Angel Berroa, and Mark Melancon are their replacements.
*From WebMD: Homeritis: A severe inflamation of the ERA. Can be extremely painful, but generally more for the fans of the patient than the patient himself.
Comment here on all the day's action.
143 comments… add one
i’ll kick us off: nice piece by alan schwarz in the nyt today on beckett. don’t have to read between the lines much to figure out that josh beckett is probably not the best guy to hang out with at a bar.
helluva pitcher though!
usain bolt tosses out the first pitch. hopefully that’s a sign.
meanwhile, people like to pick on angel berroa, but really it’s not a character flaw that he’s lousy at baseball.
Usain Bolt – a sign that the game will go quickly?
I have to go get on a bus in about half an hour, so I’m hoping for some good Red Sox action before I leave.
Four-pitch walks are not good.
SWISH! 1-0.
Beckett not looking (sounding?) especially sharp so far. The radio guys seem to think he’s getting squeezed a bit too.
God, Beckett’s control is awful.
Jorge! a 2-out hit with risp. where were those last night???
2-0.
Finally a strike, count should be 2-2.
Homeplate ump is the brother of Randy Wolf, Joe C sez.
matsui a ground out. ate into the pitch count there but a few more woulda been nice.
Well, guess that could have been worse. Let’s get to Burnett for the first time in, oh, ever.
pedroia solid single but an easy 663 for the captain and the yanks are back to bat.
Jeter 2-out knock.
damon pops to ells.
beckett settled?
Beckett hitting the strike zone this inning… that’s more like it.
Is Mel Kiper styling his hair to look like a football helmet?
mark sanchez, welcome to ny.
Sanchez announces his retirement from football.
a walk to jd but another good inn. from aj.
Well, this game is over. The Sox were either going to tattoo Burnett early or not. They have not. Dang.
Looks like Sox only chance is if AJ gets hurt.
wow. beckett ks swish on one crazy breaking ball. off the table. swish was swinging for sommerville.
CANO!!!!!! BOMB off the PP.
4-0.
robi golfed that one. not a terrible pitch. it was outside and low–a ball for sure.
jorge follows with a ripped single up the middle.
Cano the star, I think, arrives this year.
Cano is on my fantasy team. Win-win!
In homage to last night’s thread:
Burnett>Beckett
(at least thru 2.5 innings)
I’m sticking through his half-inning. I f the Sox can’t get back in it, I have a lawn to mow…
waddayaknowrobicano!
6-0.
Robbie Cano, once again!!
beckett closing in on 90 pitches after 4. he may go another but the yanks gonna get deep into the bullpen here a day after extras. nice.
YES! Holy crap, Varitek?!?!
gotta be kidding me.
GRAND SLAM!!!! HOLY CRAP!!! JASON FREAKING VARITEK!!!!
… you know, I don’t believe that just happened.
CAPTAIN CLUTCH!!!
“More drama” indeed.
Epic fail, AJ Burnett.
That’s inexcusable.
Beckett finds his stuff. We have a game again.
“Epic fail, AJ Burnett. That’s inexcusable.”
100 percent correct.
Dr. Beckett cruising through the likely-stunned Yankees lineup in that inning. Hope to see more of him and less of Mr. Where’s the Strike Zone Again.
Oak 4, TB 1, bot 6.
Jacoby! TIE GAME!!!
ELLSBURY!!!!
WOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Pedroia now 2 for 2…. and the Sox smell blood…
A.J. Burnett just gave up home runs to Jason Varitek and Jacoby Ellsbuy. Is this really happening?
Ortiz with the double! 2/3 none out with Youk-Drew-Bay coming up!
I’m not sure, it seems entirely possible that I’m hallucinating this whole thing. Up to and including Papi’s bat coming to life with a wall ball double.
Announcer understatement: “Burnett looking very unhappy.”
Youks hit by the pitch! All loaded up!
Surely this isn’t really happening. I’m going to wake up and have to relive this whole day until this point…
Youks HBP.
Drew and these freaking double plays… *grumble*
F*ck. Leave it to Drew.
Ugh, JD, enough with the GIDPs. That’s, what, four in the last two games?
Third GIDP of the series for Nancy.
BAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! 8-6!!!!!
Let me just say, I love Jason Bay.
Sign the man, Theo!
Bay makes me not care. LOVE IT.
Why the EF is AJ still out there?
There is no doubt that the Sox are a better team, period.
We will be lucky to make the playoffs…80′s all over again. Unreal.
“a better team, period”
Right this second, probably. Yanks aren’t at full strength. I’m not comfortable saying either team is clearly stronger right now, so many unexpected struggles for so many people on both teams.
This has been an amazing pair of games. Beckett still on the mound in the sixth. He could wind up winning this thing. Unbelievable…
Shut ‘em down, Josh.
I’m sick of the excuses…there is enough talent on this team to win games, yet they don’t. This team with all it’s changes, looks exactly like last year…if not worse.
Walk = you need to pull Beckett, Tito.
Winner could pick up a half-game on Toronto today. Jays pay the White Sox tonight and it’s raining like hell here right now.
A leadoff walk is not in any way shutting ‘em down.
I wouldn’t fret SF’s…this game is over. Only thing in question is whether or not Pettitte can avoid the sweep.
Is anyone warming in the pen?
Either pen?
I wouldn’t fret SF’s…this game is over.
I reject your jinx attempts.
You were saying, krueg?
Ain’t this a f*cking game?
And Damon ties it up. Why was Beckett still in the game?
And out comes Francona, two batters too late. Shades of the ’08 ALCS.
Tito should have pulled him after he walked Jeter.
Here comes MDC.
i’m just a pessimistic fan, sorry. We’ll still blow it.
We’re all gonna need a couple of drinks after this one.
Boom! Instant two-spot.
The starting pitching has really been a cripple fight, huh, guys
Teixeira…killing me.
We really need ARod back…like now. Maybe Teixeira can relax and hit then?
Well, we were right. Beckett and Burnett certainly pitched their teams to a draw, didn’t they?
Jesus, I step out when it’s 6-0 to do some errands and miss all the fun.
Vikings drafting now at 22; Patsys next at 23.
Fins at 25…you guys better not take Maulauga!!!
Paul, are you callin’ this a pitcher’s duel? ;^)
I leave for three seconds (it feels like) and the game’s tied up. Gah.
Well, by the strict definition of the words comprised in the phrase, yes, Hudson, yes, I am. :-)
Delcarmen shows the big boys how to pitch around allowing a baserunner. Let’s get that lead back!
Our bullpen is more erratic than Hunter S. Thompson…this is going to suck.
Never fear, Melancon and Robertson are here.
Patsys deal pick to Baltimore. No word on what they got back.
Hope you are right dougie fresh…
one more pick and the Fins can grab maulauga!!!! come on falcons…pick someone else!
great job veras…not.
Ellsbury is still hot … at the plate, I mean. Um, anyway.
Heart of the lineup up with two in scoring position…
why not load them up and give up yet another grand slam…what’s the record for most GS’s given up in the first month of the season?
Juiced again…
Big Papi GS…here we go!!!
Bases loaded for Papi, who will face Coke… This would be an excellent time for Ortiz’s first home run of 2009.
It’s in the bank Paul…
Vontae Davis…i really wanted Maulauge. In Tuna I trust though! Go Fins!
Full count now. Wow. What a game!
WTF?!? Stupid baserunning Pedroia. At least we get the go ahead.
That’s some really stupid baserunning. A lead and I still feel snakebit.
Well, sac fly is better than nothing, but Pedroia stupidly tries to advance to second and is tagged out. Why would you do that with Youkilis coming up?
At least the Sox have the lead, but I could see that coming back to bite us.
I know, I feel lame complaining about anything after the team comes back from 6-0, but that was infuriating.
Patsys deal 26th pick to Green Bay.
I would really like for this AB to end with a K… thank you. :D
Seriously, THAT’S how the Sox are going to cough up the lead? That’s annoying.
Hey, Damon picked off! Well, that’s a little bit of consolation.
Chance this game ends 10-9 is zero.
Whats that 9 HRs in 2 games? The ball flies out of Fenway more than the new Yankee stadium
//Chance this game ends 10-9 is zero.
Factually correct.
And that’s without Wang…
Wow. What an incredible contest…
Yeah…for you guys!
Make it ten. *rolls eyes*
Man, and I was hoping the Sox pen would be able to hold this one down. 12-11 now.
The amazing thing here is Fenway isn’t even a home run park. It’s a doubles park with a right field that is homer-unfriendly, a center field that is very homer-unfriendly, and a left field that arguably takes away as many dingers as it grants.
I think the juiced ball theory is gaining credibility with every day.
I really want to go get something to eat, but am afraid that I’ll miss another six runs if I leave again.
Agreed on the juiced ball theory… HR’s up 6% across the league is, uh, statistically improbable. (And makes Papi’s lack of a single dinger even more concerning.)
http://www.sharingmachine.com/index.php?comic=tfd
I hate to say it but this is one of those games that SFs are glad the sox are the home team for. Last team to bat wins?!
Pedroia regains his defensive form. And we go to the bottom of the 8th….
Might this be one of the ugliest baseball games ever? It is certainly one of the ugliest I have ever seen/seen part of (didn’t get watching until about three innings ago).
Seems like a distinct possibility, though I can think of a few one-sided massacres that were uglier for the losing team.
Ellsbury able to shoplift 2nd despite a pitchout. Damn.
That was horrible by the second base ump, really terrible. They just should not miss that call.
…? ESPN gamecast just took a run away from NYY and says it’s 12-9, Boston. I wish!
and the call costs us a run. Im going to dinner now….
And he didn’t even need to steal the base, now they’re giving them out for free! ;)
Worst. Game. Ever.
Discuss.
Drew apparently saving all his hits for tomorrow… and we have yet another pitching change…
Jesus Christ, Lowell. Think I can go get my burrito now.
What a pathetic team we are…going to be another October-less year. Awesome.
Talked to Nick on the phone…he’s pondering whether or not he’ll turn to another sport from now on.
Jays, White Sox tied at 2 in the 4th.
Guess it’s not raining on the Southside.
This might be the craziest stat of the day: Tex is 0-for-1.
And who would have thought that at the end of April, both Beckett and Burnett would have ERAs well above 5.00.
Nine in a row! Wheeeeee
9-game win streak for Boston; longest in April in team history.
I clearly got no yardwork done today.
Sunday reading:
How The Yankees Landed Teixeira