Amalie Benjamin, Globe:
Over his eight-game hitting streak, which coincides exactly with David Ortiz's absence from the lineup, Drew has put up a .519 average (14-for-27). But it's more than that. He has been hot for nearly three weeks, hitting .400 (22-for-55) over his last 18 games with five home runs and 14 RBIs, pushing his average for the season from .281 to .318.In addition to the .519 average since June 1, Drew has slugged 1.148. And since being moved into the #3 spot, Drew is 9-for-17 (.529), with a 1.754 OPS.
At some point last season, I began insisting in game threads that Drew was "on fire". I went back to find out when it started and discovered that it began much later in the season than I would have guessed. The first use of "on fire" came on September 11.
Drew had gotten one hit in each of his last three games and five of his last seven -- a modest streak of success barely worth mentioning (5-for-20, .250 in those seven games). But in Game 146, with Boston trailing Tampa Bay 8-1 in the 4th inning, Drew followed Mike Lowell's single with one of his own. A four-game hitting streak! I was half-joking when I posted:
drew is on fire!The Red Sox began to come back. Drew singled in the fifth, walked in the sixth and homered in the seventh.
Tue Sep 11, 9:21 PM
JD DONG!!!I kept it up:
ON FUCKIN FIRE........
Tue Sep 11, 10:34 PM
if only it was that easy.You get the idea!
DREW!!!! ON FUCKIN FIRE!!!!
Wed Sep 12, 8:22 PM
DREW -- ON FIRE, FOLKS!!!!
yook outdekes slappy at third!!!!
Fri Sep 14, 10:29 PM
ON FIRE
Sat Sep 15, 5:45 PM
DJ Werd on base yet again.
ON FIRE, I tell you.
Sat Sep 15, 6:34 PM
... As I am reminding everyone Drew is -- ON FIRE!!!
Sun Sep 16, 6:43 PM
Last 14 days: .351/.490/.541
Last 7 days: .529/.652/.765
ON FIRE!
:>)
Sun Sep 16, 6:47 PM
Drew FC
ON FIRE!!!!!!
Sun Sep 16, 9:52 PM
In the 15 games from the first "ON FIRE" to end of the regular season, Drew hit .396/.492/.736.
And that's why J.D. Drew's JoS nickname is "ON FIRE".
"On Fire" was not in the Glossary! Jeez. ... It is now.
ReplyDeleteI always thought "on fire" came from one of those discussions we had about whether a guy can be "hot" or whether it's all just random. And I was saying how a roulette wheel or dice can't be hot or streaky, but a player can because he's human. That stuff.
ReplyDeleteI don't think so. At first, I was being a bit silly, meaning "I don't care what you see, he is on fire!" even though he really wasn't -- I posted an ON FIRE after he hit into a fielder's choice -- though it turns out he was actually starting to hit at the same time.
ReplyDeleteyowch.
ReplyDeletethis is just about as dorky as it could possibly be.
And I say this as a dork myself.