I’ve been writing some lengthy posts lately, so I’ll keep this brief.
Do I miss Manny? Absolutely. Am I glad Manny was traded? Absolutely. Watching the game last night I could literally feel a load being lifted off the whole organization, especially the team itself.
There are moments that reveal the character and quality of Red Sox fans. Moments that distinguish Red Sox fans from other fan bases. Moments that make you proud to be a part of Red Sox Nation. Watching Jason Bay receive a massive standing ovation before his first at-bat was definitely one of those moments.
And the management did so much to make him comfortable, like emphasizing that he was here to help the team, not to replace anybody, and like batting him fifth instead of in clean-up. He went on to have a great night. His first two at-bats consisted of a walk, which turned into a run courtesy of Jed Lowrie, and a hit-by-pitch. He made a spectacular sliding catch in left field, committed no errors, and played the wall well. His final at-bat consisted of a triple in the twelfth inning, which turned into the game’s winning run, again courtesy of Jed Lowrie. And he looked pretty comfortable flying around the bases. Youk also did some damage, going three for six and extending his hitting streak to eight games, and Cash continued his gunning down of runners with a called-strike, throw-to-second double play.
Wakefield pitched just over six shutout innings and allowed only four hits while striking out four and walking three, but he was removed from the decision when Okie gave up a solo homer to Jack Cust. That’s pretty upsetting. For most of this season, Wakefield’s consistently given long quality starts. But because of bullpen snafus or a lack of run support, he can’t pick up many wins. I’m telling you, someone who sustains that level of performance with such uncertainty of collecting a win has to have a strong constitution. Keep it up, Wake. The rest of the relief was perfect, and who but Mike Timlin got the win. Talk about surprises.
Smile, Red Sox Nation; we won! We defeated a team that’s given us some trouble in the past, and we did it all with a new guy in left. Welcome to Boston, Jason Bay!
