September 14, 2007

G148: Yankees 8, Red Sox 7

There are people who think baseball is boring.
Yankees - 000 101 060 - 8 12 2
Red Sox - 011 302 000 - 7 13 2

Time of Game: 4:43
It was more than a bit odd that while Okajima melted down, Tito had only Papelbon up in the pen. Especially, since he went straight to Timlin in the 6th to put out a fire.

Jeemer came in with a 5-2 lead in the seventh and a man on base. Francona was managing the pen exactly right -- bringing in the best guys with the game on the line, completely ignoring what inning they have been "assigned" in the past. But he should have had another arm up -- MDC or Gagne -- alongside Bot.

It doesn't sound like Francona talked about this too much in the post-game interview (according to commenters). On a surface level, his explanation makes sense -- who would expect Jeemer and Bot to give up six runs before recording an out? Anyone wanna bet how long it'll be before that happens again?

But considering his decisions to call on with Timlin and Okajimna, I expected Francona to not be caught with his pants down in the eighth.

***

Lineups are in comments.

***

Andy Pettitte (3.78, 115 ERA+) / Daisuke Matsuzaka (4.44, 103 ERA+)


688 comments:

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Rob said...

'Tek has 10 hits against Rivera, tied with Edgar Martinez for the most hits against him.

SoSock said...

Damn, Damon
He actually got a real hit this time.

Amy said...

Yeah, I don't get it either. Isn't that we got Gagne? I mean, he hasn't been too dependable. But that did seem like the exact situation to use him.

Last of 9th against Rivera. Let's go.

Jere said...

When they showed Clemens and Mussina, and Remy said "a little experience there, huh?", did anyone say "Cut it out, Remy" to their screen in the same way Rutsy said "Cut it out, Audrey" after the swimming waitress scene?

nick said...

Longest Game 9 Innings At Night
AL Baltimore 13 vs New York 9 4h 22m
09-05-1997

NL Los Angeles 11 at San Francisco 10
4h 27m 10-05-2001

(baseball-almanac.com)

but we'll hit the 4:45 anyhow.

SoSock said...

JD's been pretty good here lately.
Be interesting to see how he does with the heat on

Rob said...

It's baffling. It's confusing like when they didn't intentionally walk Carlos Pena and he hits a three run dong the other night. The Sox came back to beat the Rays, but still. I don't second-guess Francona much, but I'm very curious as to what he has to say about this.

Jere said...

nice job Drew. Hall of Famer!

Rob said...

Wow. I screamed "YES!" a little too loud there, when the ball went under the Canoe.

IT'S A START.

Amy said...

Drew on. I again atone for saying mean things about him all season.

SoSock said...

DREW !!!
It's a start!
Now Baker blaming the field!

allan said...

cano -- gold glover like hgh.

drew -- on fire!!!

keep it going.

Rob said...

Drew's GOT to get to second! That's all we need. GET HIM TO SECOND. Take the DP out of it.

Jere said...

that pitch is fucking high

Unknown said...

tek do. not. chase. high.

allan said...

high strike -- dumbo has to stand up to catch it.

Jere said...

Tek sends a SASE to....

Amy said...

TEK. Please be smart. DO something. NO K. Wow, Tek argues with ump. WOW. Come on. Come on. Be a hero. Why doesn't someone teach him NOT to swing at high pitches?

SoSock said...

SASAHE _ Damn!

Amy said...

SHIT, TEK.

thatdietcokegirl said...

C'MON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jere said...

you know, Tek does know how to bunt. I guess you have to let him swing away, but still.

allan said...

fuckin 'Kaptain.

Rob said...

GET DREW TO SECOND!

allan said...

remy: fruitbat always has better velocity later in season than he does at beginning. hmmmm.

Amy said...

TWO down. COME ON. LBJ! Where is Laura when we need her?

Jere said...

inside the parker to win it, come on

Rob said...

oh man.

allan said...

she's watching. sans 'puter.

Rob said...

Now I'm sick to my stomach.

Amy said...

FUCK THIS.

Colin said...

Great...just great. Now we'll never hear the end of this. Thank you very much Oki. I honestly couldn't give a shit about your past games...you really blew this one. Thanks...thanks a lot.

Jere said...

shit. I'm there tomorrow, I will bring them better luck.

Unknown said...

ok. that was a huge huge ckoke and i am upset.

Rick (f/k/a westcoastsox) said...

Ah well, get 'em tomorrow with Beckett. Still 4 games up in the loss column with 14 to play.

thatdietcokegirl said...

*stony pissed-ness*

Amy said...

My daughter promises me that they will win tomorrow.

thatdietcokegirl said...

houseboat party below my apartment = irrational STFU from me thru my window.

*party carries on merrily*

Unknown said...

shit. i can hear all the dicks yelling outside. now i gotta listen to this all day tomorrow.

allan said...

Now we'll never hear the end of this.

The season is not over.

I honestly couldn't give a shit about your past games

This game is now past.

We'll get it back tomorrow.

Rob said...

Bullpen and Managerial loss tonight.

Yankees: 12 LOB
Red Sox: 11 LOB

So, sure. Missed offensive opportunities, but come on. I'm not the manager, I don't even play one on tv. But the bullpen use tonight was very strange all around. Even if Papelbon got 'em 1-2-3. It would have been weird.

Colin said...

And now I'm too pissed to sleep. Once again bullpen blows it, and nowhere in hell do I see Oki anywhere near RotY. Pap I'm ashamed. You guys are better than this. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!

I really wanna see Beckett embarass these assholes.

And fuck ESPN...for eternity fuck you and your cock-smoking chumps in the announcer booth.

David said...

i don't care how big of a lead they have, if they can't figure out how to win a meaningful game they will be out in division series.

thatdietcokegirl said...

My daughter promises me that they will win tomorrow.

aww. i believe her :)

Jere said...

SportsCenter leads off with panic talk. Terrible job.

Jere said...

"houseboat party below my apartment = irrational STFU from me thru my window."

YOu shoud've heard what I called the girl in the Kia commercial.

Rob said...

Can you believe that in the same week, the Red Sox have overcome their largest defecit and then blown their largest lead?

nixon33 said...

way to go red sox

i dont really care about this series, i mean i do but what im really concerned about is if we end up meeting the yanks in the playoffs. we beat them when all thier pitchers were hurst, and then proceeded to lose every series.
i dont care how you break it down...i PERSONALLY dont have much confidence in this team vs. the yanks.

thatdietcokegirl said...

SportsCenter leads off with panic talk. Terrible job.

psht. o'plz. it's nothing like that. just..sucks to have a 6 run lead in the 8th at home and have yr best arms blow it just like that. fuckin sux. and i swear it's fixed (but saying that is always fruitless, but..shit).

that's all that is espn.

Amy said...

Francona looks quite upset on postgame show. No explanation of where Gagne was in his thinking. Just says he figured with the lead and Pap ready to go, Oki would be fine. Oh, well, we all make mistakes. Who would have expected Papelbon to be so ineffective?

allan said...

Alright, I'm leaving work in the next few minutes.

So hold those rants for 30-40 minutes or so. I should be up and running again down in the SockCave at about 1:00.

allan said...

Either that or good night!!!

Get some sleep -- day game after a night game and all.

thatdietcokegirl said...

i dont care how you break it down...i PERSONALLY dont have much confidence in this team vs. the yanks.

same. and there was no buzz in the crowd either. they still believe we suck next to them, that's why..
(and we clearly feel the same way)

Rob said...

Nobody's mentioned Gagné at all in the press conference. It just sounds like he's not the set up man anymore.

thatdietcokegirl said...

YOu shoud've heard what I called the girl in the Kia commercial.

haha, maybe i don't wanna know ;p

(god, although i hate that commercial and it's stupid straight-culture dumbed-down fuckyness)

allan said...

and there was no buzz in the crowd either. they still believe we suck next to them, that's why..
(and we clearly feel the same way)


speak for yourself.

listening to nesn, the crowd was rocking all night. and they may have been at their loudest when bot was trying to get out of the jam having blown the lead.

i was pretty thrilled that the crowd stayed loud all night. they don't always. but they did before tiz hit the walk off and they did tonight.

they believe. why wouldn't they?

Jere said...

I agree with redsock. Talk of 'no buzz' is completely incorrect. Wait til someone at the game confirms it.

thatdietcokegirl said...


speak for yourself.


i was referring to nixon and i.

bah i'm just pissed ok? it's srsly ruined my whole evening lol.

it's ok to be pissed and angry at the way the game turned out. it sucks and i'm not gonna all 'focus on the positive' (untill maybe a few hours from now or something) right now, i'm fucking ducking pissed!! ;D

SoSock said...

Guess this won't get posted till after Allan's home and I'm in bed but -
This really bothers me. I share Nixon's concern.
1st Series - 3-0
2nd Series - 2-1
3rd & 4th Series - 1-2
5th Series - 0-3
This series - feels like 2 losses after just the 1.
We HAVE to be able to beat these bastards!
I know it will make a difference when Manny is back, but we had a great chance tonight with the 1 guy I had no confidence in on the mound, and blew it. If we get a gift like his start was and don't capitalize,..... well, it rattles my confidence. And I'm normally one over-optimistic SOB.
OK - that's out of my system, now let's KICK ASS tomorrow.
See ya Sunday - (Wedding tomorrow)
:(

allan said...

it's ok to be pissed and angry at the way the game turned out. it sucks and i'm not gonna all 'focus on the positive' (untill maybe a few hours from now or something) right now, i'm fucking ducking pissed!! ;D

you are absolutely right.

and i'm making a serious effort to not come on with the "stop moaning and look at the bigger picture" stuff.

you feel how you feel.

allan said...

so no one seems impressed we easily set a new record for comments tonight? :>)

nixon33 said...

this series is just to save face i guess. it'd have been nice to make a statement and win the first game and set the tone...but like i said im more concerned about the playoffs.
i hope our lineup looks good tomorrow.

Rob said...

Tomorrow runs are going to come at a premium. The marquee matchup of the series, Beckett and Wang. Tiny mistakes can make or break the ballgame. I wonder how it would work if you showed them some different arms at the end of the game. The last Red Sox/Yankees matchup, Okajima and Papelbon gave it up as well. Maybe MDC and Gagné?

One thing that's concerned me tonight more than anything is the lack of talk about Gagné. Is he not the setup man anymore? It looked like he wasn't available, but then the ninth inning comes along and poof. There he is.

Tomorrow is going to be a huge game for Beckett, and he knows it. He's going to be pumped. You just watch. He's gonna stop them. But he's got to be smart about it. Pitch. Be aggressive. Challenge them. He of all people can do that. And the Red Sox need some serious innings out of him.

I think I can go to bed now. It's taken over an hour to digest this game to the point where I can perhaps go to sleep.

It's gonna be a big one tomorrow.

thatdietcokegirl said...

and i'm making a serious effort to not come on with the "stop moaning and look at the bigger picture" stuff.

you feel how you feel.


thank you.

now that i've simmered down i have looked at the bigger picture stuff. we're mid-sept, we're 4.5 games up and they aren't. ok. i know.

but we've just had our asses handed to us again by them when this was so our game. despite our records, it would just be nice to pwn them when we actually play eachother for a change.

allan said...

Can you get your ass handed to you in a 8-7 game? I'm not sure.

Faux and ESPN -- I guess I'll be watching on mute for two days.

nixon33 said...

well they did hand it to our two best bullpen guys...albeit a comeback.

beckett will get the job done tomorrow, he is fucking in the zone for this one tomorrow. he wants to win tomorrow more than anyone on the team. he is angry. he is the stopper.

allan said...

On my drive home, I was reminded of what I wrote after the 2005 season ended -- and the birth of my new attitude:

"When Edgar Renteria ended the second consecutive Red Sox season with an infield grounder, I went out to walk my dogs, and I was somewhat surprised at how I felt. ... I didn't mind all that much. Sure, winning is better than losing. I'd rather be anxious and pacing, waiting for Game 4 to start. But it seems that within my baseball heart, the glow of 2004 has failed to dim. ...

The short series was frustrating --- the White Sox outplayed our boys in every facet of the game: pitching, hitting, fielding, baserunning -- but there was no real angst over the final result, certainly no weight of history on the shoulders. Later on in the evening, I actually said: "Hey, you can't win them all."

Which is pretty funny, coming from a lifelong Red Sox fan. And yet: Do you know how good it feels to say that? ...

I think about that and I think about what happened to bring me to this place, and I have to smile. Soon, some other group of fans will be celebrating, but ... I'll be damned. The ripple effects of 2004 -- and the promise of 2006, now a mere dot of light on the horizon, but soon to come into clearer view -- will keep me quite warm through another winter."

***

Not that 2007 is over. Hell, in more than a few ways, it's just beginning.

But I know take a longer view --a wider view. Losses suck, but as long as they aren't the season-ending kind, they are all only one game each. And there is a game tomorrow.

I know not everyone here feels that way -- or feels that way immediately after a loss.

I'm wondering if it could be age. Do the old-timers here feel more like I do? Does waiting so long for 2004 -- being a fan for 30 or 40 years rather than 5 or 10 -- make a difference in your overall perception and state of mind?

(And why am I starting a serious discussion with comment #667?)

nixon33 said...

well fucking done redsock.
we will win tomorrow, for you
well done sir

allan said...

I shouldn't be quoting an end of season post, but frankly, I was shocked at how I felt that night and I see clearly now that it marked a HUGE shift in how I see my team.

Again, one of those things I never could have seen coming. (Like also rooting for the Sox to lose for years. Should I admit that?)

It's probably healthy to not fume and vent for 3 hours after a tough loss. :>)

But if you gotta fume, you gotta fume.

It is ON, by the way!

thatdietcokegirl said...

Can you get your ass handed to you in a 8-7 game? I'm not sure.

well..i think if yr up by 6 runs in the 8th, yr best pitchers out there, etc., and you end up losing the game...it's sorta an ass-handing, yeah.

they swept us in the last series and they swept us in the 5 game series this time last year. they've kinda handed our ass to us a little bit i think.

but yah, fuck it. beckett tomorrow. i hope he's stag-on (lol, what?)

allan said...

Then again, reading this post by SoSHer Rough Carrigan may get my blood pressure up:

I don't know why a pitcher whose out pitch is a changeup/splitter and who also features a good curve but only an unremarkable 87-89 mph fastball would have any trouble in an inning where this was the pitch selection:

Fastball, Fastball, Fastball, Changeup, Fastball, Fastball, Fastball, Fastball, Fastball, Fastball, Fastball, Fastball, Fastball, Fastball, Fastball, Fastball, Fastball, Curve. (I believe those were the identifications on the board at the park and I'm only guessing at the number of pitches. But, all but 2 were identified as fastballs. Way to mix it up, Captain!)

I wanted to stick an ice pick in Tek's ear. I tried to think of a justification for this pitch selection. It might be justified if he had good control of his fastball but not his other pitches. Only he didn't have good control of his fastball. There was no reason to prefer it to his curve, which he usually controls pretty well.

I don't know if Tek's so into being mr. tricky that he's calling insanely inappropriate pitches just to be tricky or what. But he did not help Okajima. He did quite the opposite.


And wtf happened to Clay?

allan said...

Hmmm, some SoSHers think Lopez should have faced Shemp and Tito brought in Jeemer too early.

Not sure I agree with that. But he absolutely needed to have Pap and someone else up after the 1st HR.

It sounds like he did not have anyone up at that point.

allan said...

SUT: Halladay for Cy Young.

"That's thinking outside the bun."

nixon33 said...

yeah im kind of confused about the whole bucholz thing. they say they are only going to allow him to pitch 13 more innings total? are they saving him for the playoffs then?

Jere said...

My girlfriend is dreaming sweet dreams right now, having gone to bed with the Red Sox ahead. She heard from bed the back-to-back homers, but we were still up 3 with six outs to go. And I've been dealing with what ended up happening for almost 3 hours. Just weird to think of. She'll find out the sad truth in the morning. Then I'll tell her how we blew the lead about ten minutes after she fell asleep.

Ah, the 674th comment.

About the whole "do you feel as bad" debate: I definitely had a good two decades of being a Sox fan knowing we hadn't won in a long time. And 2004 gave me something I know I'll think of with fondness for the rest of my life. I really never thought about Sox fans who started in '02 or something, saw two good seasons, then a championship. I can't even imagine what that's like. So, yeah, for me, I get just as pissed as I always did, but I know I finally got to see what I always waited for at the end of the day.

Still, it was never about the winning. If it had been, I never would've made it to 2004 in the first place.

allan said...

how we blew the lead about ten minutes after she fell asleep

Scapegoat!



(2:52 am. Time for sleep.)

nixon33 said...

jere, i know what you mean. being a sox fan for over two decades, i cannot even begin to think what it is like to become a fan in recent years and be recieved by a championship.
but whos keeping score, right? im as pissed as you are and thats what it was like for a very long time. (still is). i cant imagine if we hadnt won in 2004 what this whole season would/will mean.
im pretty excited to see what happens.
maybe this is a reverse of yankees vs. sox bullshit.
maybe its the yer where the meaningless games (season) are taken by the yanks, and again we get the last laugh in the post season when it fucking counts.
( im a bit drunk)

johngoldfine said...

About how one feels as an old fan vs. relatively new or younger one: I saw my first game at Fenway in 1960 or '61. and I'd love to say that that long view actually gives one a long view, but I haven't got much perspective. Last night's game still tears me up.

Josh Wilker said...

"Does waiting so long for 2004 -- being a fan for 30 or 40 years rather than 5 or 10 -- make a difference in your overall perception and state of mind?"

That loss tears me up too, and last night all I could do was rage and fume and then try (for my sanity) to disconnect (forget about it Jake, it's Chinatown), but this morning it helps to have the '04 team picture on my wall. Plus a lead in the division. Plus Beckett on the mound today.

Amy said...

Boy, you guys sure stayed up late (at least on East Coast time).

Just to respond to RedSock's question about long time fans: I have been a fan since 1975, and I also feel like I have the cushion of 2004 that eases the losses somewhat, which I certainly did NOT feel in 2003 or before. But last night's loss was such a painful one. I had trouble falling asleep and woke up thinking about it. But today is a new day, and though I am feeling anxious about the next two games. I will remain hopeful and all rah-rah for the rest of the weekend.

Jim said...

It took the Blow Jays exactly 2 batters to beat Bruney the night before. First time Snuffer has given up 3 successive hits in his career, first LH homers given up by Jeemer, biggest lead coughed up by Sox 'pen all year, blah, blah, blah. Shit happens. The more I watch this game, the more I realize it.
I've been a Sox fan since '53, most of those years having to hunt for a newspaper that even carried a game account, let alone Sox-specific stuff. Now, there's so much info you need a filter.
It's tough to put things into perspective after a week of seeing the 7-run come-back, Papi's first walk-off, then that disaster last night, which, really, the Yanks gift-wrapped for the first 7. Beckett steps up today and we kick Fat Billy's ample ass tomorrow and all is forgiven. Or bad bounces, flares and infield cheapies kill us. Or 420-ft. bombs on 0-2 counts. Shit happens. Just don't mention the '64 Phillies.

Unknown said...

picking up on redsock's comment about the glow of 2004. I totally get that, and in fact have basked in that same glow. and yes, it does protect me from a level of pain during losses. but i live in nyc, and the history of THIS particular pairing sometimes challenges my ability to stay zen. also, i am very disciplined in my restraint in taunting yankees fans or getting into much baiting (ala Matt Damon-Letterman). However, all season long I have had to endure constant taunts of how the sox start many years well and then can't make it to the stretch. this whole year i have been quietly taking that crap because despite it all, we had the best record in baseball- for months! Let the record do the talking. and it talked, for a long time, loud and cear.
the recent losses to the yankees, and the way we've lost in the late-season really tax my ability to stay positive.
this is a little shout out to folks: how can i retain the "win some lose some" attitude that redsock so beautifully articulated with the walking of his dogs?
in other words, i gotta be ok with them getting swept. i gotta be ok with them actually falling down at the finish line. i gotta be ok with the yankees possibly winning the division. otherwise i'll just chew myself up and go right back to the horrible new england-er default fatalist-pessimist which was so gloriously lifted from me just 3 years ago...
thanks for reading that huge spew. i just had to ge t it off my chest, and I am in NYC for christ sake. i just need some peeps!

allan said...

bray, i think it's just personal. like i said, i was pleasantly surprised to feel like "we'll get 'em next year".

but i'd realize that we are up 4.5 with 14 games left. that's a sizeable lead. we have a 96% chance of winning the division and a 99.98% chance of making the playoffs.

you don't have to be alright with a possible sweep -- that would suck on a grand scale. but if it happens it happens, and you've got to roll with if you're a fan (or quit on the team).

also -- i lived in new york from 1987 (10 weeks after the loss to the mets) through 2003 to august 2005. i know exactly what you mean.

a win will bump us back up to 5.5 with 13 left. so today, we win.

Amy said...

I said it last night, and I say it again: I love your attitude, Redsock. It just lifts me up. Can't wait til 3:55. Go, Beckett! Go,Sox!

Josh Wilker said...

bray,
I lived in NYC from '90 to '03 and know that's the hardest place to take losses like this in stride. In fact, it's impossible, at least it was for me, as each bad loss to the Yanks stung me down to the kid inside (10 years old in '78). Now I live in Chicago, so it's easier to remember that for those of us who for so long prayed for The Year everything from now on is being played with house money. (Which is not to say losses can't still hurt or that we all don't want the boys to run off a Harry Hooper-era string of World Series triumphs, just that now we can let that roulette wheel spin and enjoy it without fear of ever being flat broke again.)

laura k said...

so no one seems impressed we easily set a new record for comments tonight? :>)

i was

laura k said...

lived in NYC from '90 to '03 and know that's the hardest place to take losses like this in stride

The owner of this blog (and I) lived in NYC from 1987-2005. What made the losses easier to take was 2004.

laura k said...

When Edgar Renteria ended the second consecutive Red Sox season with an infield grounder, I went out to walk my dogs

I'm the only person who almost cried when they saw this post, because I know what dogs those were, and who's not here.

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