Most things about baseball are better than they used to be. We’ve not nearly enough time to run through the list, so this morning I’ll just ask you to trust me on this one.
Red Sox 1, Rays 0: Pitchers’ Duel Becomes 16-Inning Marathon
There is one thing that’s certainly worse than it used to be, though: pitchers’ duels.
We just don't get to see those games any more. The hitters are too patient, the managers too cautious. Sunday night, Tampa Bay's Jeff Niemann gave up only two hits and two walks, and set a career high with 10 strikeouts. Boston's Josh Beckett was even better; Evan Longoria singled with two outs in the first inning, but Longoria would be the only man to reach against Beckett.
Nevertheless, both starters were pulled after eight innings, with the game still scoreless. Which is how what would obviously rank as a dramatic game, regardless of what happened next, became just slightly less dramatic.
Not that there wasn’t plenty of drama for everyone.
In the top of the ninth, the Red Sox loaded the bases against Kyle Farnsworth, who retired Josh Reddick on a long fly ball to escape the jam.
In the bottom of the 10th, Reddick scaled the wall in left-center field to rob Justin Ruggiano of a likely triple.
In the top of the 11th, the Red Sox loaded the bases with nobody out, but couldn’t eke out a run.
In the bottom of the 12th, Evan Longoria and Casey Kotchman both drove towering fly balls to the warning track, where they settled into Red Sox gloves.
In the bottom of the 14th, Red Sox reliever Alfredo Aceves retired the Rays on five pitches: foul-out, ground-out, three-pitch strikeout.
In the top of the 15th, B.J. Upton ran down Dustin Pedroia's drive to deep left-center field. Later in the inning, the Red Sox did get a couple of runners aboard but both were (of course) stranded (Boston's 14th and 15th stranded baserunners).
In the bottom of the 15th with one out, Aceves hit two straight Tampa Bay hitters, but retired the next two in routine fashion. By then, the Rays were already playing in their longest game, by time, in franchise history.
The Red Sox broke through in the 16th. Josh Reddick walked -- it was Boston's 12th walk in the game, and their 10th against the Rays' relief corps -- and moved to second on Jason Varitek's sacrifice bunt. Marco Scutaro reached safely on a high chopper to shortstop, Reddick advancing to third. And finally, on a 1-0 count, laser show: Dustin Pedroia laced Adam Russell's beard's fastball into right field for an RBI single. It was Boston's fifth hit of the game, and Pedroia had three of them.
Even after 15 innings, the Red Sox' premier reliever was still available, and so Jonathan Papelbon trotted in for the save. Facing the bottom of the Rays' order, Papelbon struck out Sean Rodriguez, and retired Kelly Shoppach and Reid Brignac on ground-outs (the latter thanks to a nifty play by Adrian Gonzalez). At 1:54 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, it was finally over.
This seemed like a big series for the Rays, who entered the series six games behind the Red Sox and exit the series seven behind ... with the Yankees already in town for a four-game series. If they don't make up some ground against the Yankees -- worse, if they lose ground -- management's going to have to start thinking about building a contender for 2012. Because 2011 will be nearly lost.
For more about the Red Sox and Rays, please visit Over the Monster and DRaysBay.
See More:
