What could be better than baseball at 6:00 a.m.? Almost anything, actually, but for fans of the World Champion Boston Red Sox, the early start was made worthwhile by the final result, a 6-5 extra-inning thriller at the Tokyo Dome over the Oakland A's, in a seesaw game that had a little of everything, with not much going as predicted. For example:
1) Conquering hero Daisuke Matsuzaka would shut down the A's for seven innings or so, and the Boston bullpen would finish them off.
Uh, not so fast. Matsuzaka looked nervous and wild early, allowing two first-inning runs and loading the bases in the second, before settling down and looking good in the 3rd, 4th and 5th. His final stats, 5 IP, 5 BB, 6 K, 2 runs allowed, in an outing that could have been much worse. He actually left with the lead and had a chance at a win, before Kyle Snyder came in to pitch the sixth and immediately coughed up the 3-2 Boston lead, allowing a two-run homer to Jack Hannahan.
Then, in the tenth, with the Red Sox leading 6-4 and Jonathan Papelbon looking for save number one of the season, Oakland tattooed him, scoring a run and not tying the game only because of a bonehead baserunning play by Emil Brown, who got caught in a rundown between second and third after driving in the 5th Oakland run. Papelbon eventually nailed down the save, but he looked eminently hittable.
The best performance came from unheralded Bryan Corey, pitching because Mike Timlin is unavailable, and the other Japanese conquering hero, Hideki Okajima. Both men pitched a scoreless inning for the Sox, with Okajima picking up the victory.
2) J.D. Drew would improve on his lackluster performance in 2007 in right field for the Sox.
Drew actually did help the Sox, although not in the way people might have expected. He pulled himself from the starting lineup with back spasms, clearing the way for last season's Pawtucket Red Sox (AAA) MVP, Brandon Moss, to play instead. All Moss did was go 2-5, driving in the lead run in the sixth inning and then homering in the ninth off Oakland closer Huston Street to tie the game and force extra innings. It was Moss's first big-league home run.
The man who has had trouble staying healthy for his entire career is starting out the 2008 season in typical fashion, but at least for today, it all worked out for Boston.
3) Manny Ramirez would have a monster season in this, his contract year.
This expectation, at least after one game, looks like a keeper. Manny hit the ball hard, going 2-5 with a pair of doubles and 4 RBI. In keeping with his goofball persona, Manny stood at home plate admiring his second double, in the tenth, and nearly got thrown out at second base. Some things never change.
4) Jacoby Ellsbury would hit leadoff and run wild on the bases.
After a slow start at the plate this spring, manager Terry Francona elected to take some pressure off the rookie and returning World Series hero by hitting him down in the lineup. Batting eighth, Ellsbury went 1-4 and was a non-factor offensively, but made an outstanding leaping catch in deep center field that Coco Crisp would have been proud of, crashing into the wall and barely hanging on to the baseball.
5) The Tokyo fans would be a loud and raucous bunch.
At times the Tokyo Dome seemed almost eerily silent, especially considering how loud the fans are when their own Japanese League teams are playing. They seemed knowledgeable and respectful, only really getting loud when Matsuzaka or Okajima did something special.
World Series Game Two just ended minutes ago with the Rockies falling short of getting the split at Fenway they so badly wanted. This game was a polar opposite of last night's: low-scoring and tense. A couple of observations from a guy who hasn't seen very much of the Colorado Rockies.
1) Matt Holliday must be very conflicted right now.
He had four of the five hits the Rox were able to muster, but getting picked off first base in the eighth inning was a true rally-killer for Colorado and took what little wind they had left completely out of their sails. After nearly drilling Jonathan Papelbon with a line drive for his fourth hit of the game (I'm still not convinced that ball didn't go right through Papelbon), he wandered a bit too far off the bag and stumbled and bumbled his way back, too late, for the third out of the inning when the Sox closer threw over.
Where on earth did he think he was going? With eleven steals on the season, and representing the tying run with Todd Helton at the plate, he wasn't likely to be running and if he was, blame Clint Hurdle for a serious managing blunder. Bad move on someone's part to end an inning like that.
2) With Garret Atkins and Troy Tulowitzki, the left side of the Colorado infield should be set for a long time.
Atkins seems as steady as they come at third base and has shown great range and soft hands thus far in the series, and Tulowitzki possesses a cannon for an arm. Very impressive, especially for two such young players.
3) The way Brian Fuentes short-arms the ball up to the plate, it wouldn't surprise me if he had better success against righthanded batters than lefties.
It seems to me lefthanded hitters should be able to get a good look at the ball, as he pulls it out away from his body toward right field in his delivery. For righties, on the other hand, it must be hard to pick up the ball as he seems to use his body to block righthanded batters from seeing it until it is leaving his hand. My highly unscientific theory got a boost when J.D. Drew, who has a tendency to struggle aginst lefthanded pitching, lined a solid single to right in the eighth off Fuentes.
4) I like how Yorvit Torrealba handles the Colorado pitching staff.
It was obvious young Ubaldo Jimenez was high-strung and jumpy during his start at Fenway. He looked like a guy who was maybe not ready to face the intensity of a road start in the World Series. I would have thought about starting Josh Fogg in Game Two and saving Jimenez for Denver if I was in Clint Hurdle's shoes, but in any event, you could see Torrealba numerous times going to the mound to calm the young pitcher down and keep him focused, as well as gesturing from behind the plate with his hands, telling Jimenez to slow down and take it easy. With five walks on the night, Jimenez lived on the edge virtually his entire time on the mound, and it's a credit to Torrealba as well as Jimenez that he got the results he did.
5) Where is that field-level camera located?
You know the camera that looks black and white and shows the batter through what looks like a fish-eye lens? It looks like it's placed about twenty feet down the third base line. Is it imbedded in third base? Does anybody know? Does anybody besides me care?
Hey everyone, I know it must seem like I've dropped off the face of the earth, but it's nothing like that.
I've been busy writing - two full-length novels so far, plus over a dozen short stories - and working hard to try to get an agent. If you are curious and have a few minutes, check out my website, www.allanleve rone.com.
If you're a literary agent or if you know one, by all means contact me! In the meantime, I'll be here when I can - love this forum - and as always, thank you for checking out my blog, especially considering how many great ones you could be reading instead....
