Rays - 001 000 020 - 3 3 0Beckett -- 7-2-1-3-10, 93 -- began the season beautifully, throwing 11 pitches to three batters in the first, and striking out two Rays.
Red Sox - 103 001 00x - 5 9 0
In the bottom half, after Ellsbury struck out looking, Pedroia gave Boston a quick 1-0 lead by clubbing an inside pitch over the Wall. Ortiz lined Shields's next offering into center for a single and after Youkilis flew to right, Drew went the other way, doubling off the Wall, and Bay walked. With the bases loaded, Lowell let Shields off the hook by popping out to Navarro on the first base side of the plate.
After a perfect second (on only five pitches) and with one down in the third, Beckett had retired the first seven Tampa Bay hitters on only 18 pitches, 15 of them strikes. But he then hit a bump or two. The 8-9 hitters walked (Gross was nearly thrown out while stealing second) and Iwamura singled to followed with a hit to left to load the bases. Crawford jumped on the first pitch and flew out to the track in center, bringing in Gross and tying the game. Longoria flew to right to end the threat.
The Red Sox stormed back immediately. Shields walked FY on four pitches and after Ortiz flew out to right, Yook singled to left (breaking an ugly 0-for-18 against Small Game James). Drew's hard grounder to first -- Pena dove towards the line, saving a hit and serious damage -- brought home Pedroia, Bay's single scored Yook, and Lowell's double to left scored Bay. Boston led 4-1.
Beckett was cruising -- striking out two batters in each of the fourth and fifth -- when he walked Iwamura to start the sixth. Crawford doubled to left-center. Beckett got Longoria to foul out to Varitek back by the screen and, with Javier Lopez and Ramon Ramirez warming, he caught Pena looking and got Burrell to ground easily to third.
Varitek homered down the right field line in the sixth, giving Boston a 5-1 lead. (That deserves its own paragraph.)
Hideki Okajima relieved Beckett and began the eighth by hitting Bartlett and walking Iwamura. He struck Crawford out on three pitches and was pulled for Justin Masterson. After an uncontested double steal put runners on second and third, Longoria sliced a single to right, scoring both runners and cutting Boston's lead to 5-3. Masterson slipped a strike three past Pena -- his fourth K of the day (he saw only 15 pitches) -- then got Burrell to fly to right. Jonathan Papelbon pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out the final two batters.
***
The lineups that were expected (below) are the actual lineups. Terry Francona talks a little bit about his batting order here.
***
Let's begin again / Begin the begin ...
Opening Day!
James Shields (2008: 3.56, 125 ERA+; Spring 2009: 14.1 IP, 8.16 ERA) / Josh Beckett (2008: 4.03, 115 ERA+: Spring 2009: 27.2 IP, 3.25 ERA)
Lineups:
Red Sox against Shields / Rays against BeckettRays Red Sox
Akinori Iwamura, 2B Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Carl Crawford, LF Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Evan Longoria, 3B David Ortiz, DH
Carlos Pena, 1B Kevin Youkilis, 1B
Pat Burrell, DH J.D. Drew, RF
Matt Joyce, CF Jason Bay, LF
Dioner Navarro, C Mike Lowell, 3B
Gabe Gross, RF Jed Lowrie, SS
Jason Bartlett, SS Jason Varitek, C
***
Happy 91st birthday, Bobby Doerr!
***
355 comments:
1 – 200 of 355 Newer› Newest»I saw them for the first time 10 days later in Burlington, VT!
wooooooooooooooooooooooo
This is one of the years!
Kilgore has the lineup:
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Kevin Youkilis, 1B
J.D. Drew, RF
Jason Bay, LF
Mike Lowell, 3B
Jed Lowrie, SS
Jason Varitek, C
Everybody: This timeline of the AL East is pretty cool. However, I immediately noticed an error in the team order for one of the years. Can you find it? Hint: it's within the last decade.
I love that lineup. No Coco Crisp, No Julio Lugo. Guys with a lot of upside, and then the Captain in his rightful place at #9.
Time for Tampa to get ef'd in the A.
"I love that lineup". Me too. Yet instead of it being called "murderer's row" and people talking about them breaking run records, we have to hear all about how "suspect" and full of holes it is and how they'll have trouble scoring runs. I don't get it. Are people just jaded? I could see people having these worries if we were a team with absolutely no pitching that was counting on our O to pull us through. But we have possibly the best pitching staff top to bottom in baseball!
Time for Tampa to get ef'd in the A.
Fernando Perezed in the Willy Aybar?
Also, Vermont has marriage equality now. It's an awesome day to play baseball ("today").
LET'S FUCKING GO!!!!!
I love watching Yankees failing sobriety tests.
Rays
Akinori Iwamura, 2B
Carl Crawford, LF
Evan Longoria, 3B
Carlos Pena, 1B
Pat Burrell, DH
Matt Joyce, CF
Dioner Navarro, C
Gabe Gross, RF
Jason Bartlett, SS
Answer to above question: Globe lists Jays behind Red Sox in 2006. (Now with correct link.)
I love that lineup.
I like having a rookie SS batting 8th who had a 1.057 OPS in spring training.
I like having the league MVP in there and the 2nd runner up two spots behind him, and who's in between? Middling good player named Ortiz.
I like everyone in the lineup except Varitek, and he's going to improve offensively this year.
You might worry some about the health of our lineup, but it's difficult not to like the lineup. I think Lowrie's going to have a near-Pedroiaesque year, that Dusty and Youk will fall off only minimally if at all.
And I have to work through Opening Day. Fuck!
ONE HOUR!
Also, Vermont has marriage equality now.
Equal rights for everyone.
What a concept.
Equal rights for everyone.
What a concept.
Not if you had the unfortunate circumstance of being born in a different country.
Jere: Drunk Tank Yank
Not if you had the unfortunate circumstance of being born in a different country.
Well, that's your own fault, isn't it?
Any commentary on pre-game stuff would be welcomed by those of us outside NESN range. EI will presumably click on at 4.
Well, that's your own fault, isn't it?
Precisely my point.
CHB was on NESN, I wasn't paying attention to him. He said that the fun's been sucked out of opening day because of the rainout. I then cut my ears off so I can't provide any more updates.
Caron, Eck and Cafardo discussing CC's shitty start yesterday
Ceremonies beginning
Rays being announced...."Cultural assimilation rep"
Castig and Orsillo doing the introductions.
Good applause for Kapler.
Watching Royals/White Sox -- Ococ up.
Rays done, Orsillo now announcing the Red Sox. All the other positions going on now, trainers, clubhouse managers, other coaches etc.
Crisp GO, Royals led 2-1 in the 6th.
Speaking of crisp, some coach is wearing 10 now. Not sure who though.
Here they come through the grandstands. Baldelli up first, great applause
Good applause for Smoltzy as well.
Pedroia's got a beard goin on.
Too much applause for Varitek.
YAYAYAYAYAY!!!!
(sorry... had to get that out of my system.)
I'm at Thom's today, so I'll NOT be keeping the laptop open at the bar, but I wanted to check in with everyone just to say...
GO SOX!
Annnnnnd here come the mandatory pre-game group rights of submission.
Mute on.
Ten minutes!
Time to make tea.
Damn, still at work, but 10 minutes or so to go til the game starts. Hope to join you all later! GO SOX!!!
Hi all. :)
G'day L. Ready for another fine year I trust?
Ted Kennedy and Jim Rice coming in on a golf cart from CF to throw out the first pitch(es)
Rice driving with Kennedy riding shotgun.
I like how Rice is actually driving the cart.
Pissed off I cannot see this. GRRR.
Hello, everyone who said hello!
Hello, 2009 Red Sox.
Hello Zen!
I like how Rice is actually driving the cart.
You're just begging for a Chappaquiddick joke, aren't you.
Kathryn Tappen telling me I need to take care of my teeth.
I just meant usually when guys get driven out, they're not actually at the wheel, like Rice was. I thought that was cool.
NESN IS ON!
Thank god for my horribly injured back. I had to leave work early. Upside to my backside.
tamper.
Allan are you watching on MLB.tv?
Ugh, exam at 9am tomorrow. Haven't started studying. Oh well - BASEBALL!
I'm still at work, but it's opening day in New England and I'm psyched.
NESN with the shitty camera.
Well if the rest of the season is to go as the first pitch did then good.
no, NESN on tv.
Hello from London, England, where MLB TV is sucking more than Jaws after a visit to the dentist! We have no sound. Some would say this is a blessing.
I'll probably be half an hour behind you lot, as the new MLB TV is a joke. According to them Curt Schilling is a real doubt for Game 6.
At this rate he'll have 27 K today!
HEAT!
Wasting an 0-2 on first batter. Good sign of things to come. ANd then Ks him swinging!
World Series, pffft. These guys suck.
sweet play on the short hop by Jed
Jedi!
Great curveball.
Great start! Now lets put up 10!
man, that was a beautiful half inning.
sit down E-rod! Beckett looking fucking awesome. I can't believe I'm watching real baseball!!!!!
!!
Yeah! 2k OTW inning to begin!
GDGD is reporting Josh's fastball at 94-96.
Time for say HI to Big Game James!
So far I'm liking the 09 season.
HI!!!!!!
*sigh*
I missed him.
(I was saying hello to the TV, of course.)
Peewee Dong!
The shadows are weird on FY's GDGD photo.
And here was me thinking it was me you were saying hi to l-girl..
We now have a high pitched beep instead of Remy.
Damon is coming up to bat in Game 7... we are catching up...
just as I suspected......Pedroia hits a dong.
speechless
FY!
NO MVP, HUH? FY begs to differ
Fuck fuck FUCK Yeah!
Fuck Yeah!
Hello all. I'm at work and setting up camera for a meeting. no game for me for now. but after 5....
later.
MLB TV - You Star. You froze....
Papi with a solid hit. Pile on. I don't wanna be behind in any game this year.
twoney
for Drew-ny
Firestarter...
Was DJ's hit a wall ball?
yes Wall
twoney
for Drew-ny
careful, that's close to sterling territory.
Sorry, Lord, it was Ellsbury My Love. But hello to you too. :)
Wall ball, yes.
GDGD has a thick, fuzzy outline of a strike zone this year...I suppose to not show up the umps when they don't call one that seems like a strike (or vice versa).
Walque!
honestly, Bay was coming up, and I was thinking of him when I said twoney. So I quickly tried to cover it up by doing a rhyme, acting like I'd done it on purpose.
Lowell with bases loaded.
Loaded for Lowell.
Bay's GDGD photo is a pile of pale atop a spindly neck.
really god change, Lowell thought he was goin' yard but missed
shit. 3 stranded.
I didn't see Drinkwater OR Kapstein behind the plate.
Squander.
27 pitches, though.
Ha, Jere, I was wondering about that!
Maybe we should spell it Jasoun Bay.
expanded GDGD says for lowell:
hates to face: four-seamer
loves to face: four-seamer
...
thanks!
I still have silence on my feed, and dread looking at this board as we are about an hour behind...
I saw that love-hate relationship on the four-seam on somebody yesterday in the O's game.
Drinkwater now there.
Pena tried to check on the high heat, but K
becKKKett!
expanded gdgd is $20. doubtful purchase, but it apparently comes with no ads.
thanks for the one pitch out, Burell.
Cy motherfuckin Young
thanks for ANOTHER 1 pitch out! Ha! OTT
$20 for no ads is a great deal. $20 for the whole season? Do it!
I love it when we pitch five-pitch innings.
5-pitch inning.
Beckett has two perfect innings, 3K, 16 pitches, 13 for strikes.
Is it too early to say, "Goddamn!"
LOOK OUT Bob Feller!
Come on Jed lugo coulda done that. Hell, he woulda done that.
good to hear remy in mid-season form in his inability to read the ads.
encouraging. Line shot by Tek, but caught.
don says tek hit 5 dongs so his stance work paid off.
come on, don, you were in florida, you saw tek hit .216 with a .241 OBP lasr month. he sucked.
Yay, we get real batters next inning.
another quick out for Josh
Fuck. 7 pitch walk.
oh please....now ads in game cut away from the park to show pics of bathtubs. FUCK THAT!
meaning during-inning ads
BASEBALL! Can't really thread because the laptop is in the shop and this is Harv's netbook which is too small to thread with. But wanted to say hi. Enjoy the game!
Lincecum's first inning of the year includes a walk, HBP, and wild pitch. No one scores.
I don't like this inning as much.
Well shit.
Hi Amy, get that laptop fixed !!
sack lunch
Throw strikes, asshole.
just the one for TB. I'll take it.
Well, that could have been a lot worse. Time to get some runs boys!!!
Hey all!!!
I'm having such fun with the wonder of MLB TV... We now have sound!
4 pitch BB to Dustin
Shields is giving Pedroia nothing.
5 balls in a row to start inning
6
and Papi swings after 6 balls in a row. not a big fan.
wow kennedy's still got a better arm than eckstein.
foist and thoid
Youk!!!
time for some fire!!!
yook now 1-for-19
Shields went to the mouth. Free ball for us!
2-1 us on the groundout
Got the run home at least.
3-1
Back to see Bay knock Yook in!
Siungle!
If Pena was playing anywhere near a normal 1B, that's a groundout, instead, RBI single
Lowell with a good ol' double! 4-1!!!!!
The doctor is in for 2009!
!!!!
Big game (not) Shields!!!
All right, Mike!
Was there a play at the plate?
pedroia on pace for 324 runs scored
doctor!
no way, two outs, high fly ball, scored easily
DESTINY CALLING!
Man, I hate typing on this thing and I have small fingers....
Anyway, we are on a roll!
And what's with this automatic ball business?
Lowrie gets a line drive (in the boxscore)--a faster man MAY have had a shot at scoring, but not Lowell
That looked painful for Lowell...
pitch count ..... rising
Tek dong please.
you can't blow on your hand/lick fingers on the rubber. Or it's a ball. Sometimes the umps allow going to the mouth on a very cold day, in which case they tell you ahead of time.
At least he's hitting it well...
Bleh. 67 pitches.
Happy Opening Day, everyone! Stopping in to say hello, see how the game thread is going and.... This is too much for me to go back and recap. Good to see, though!
Isn't that a difficult habit for pitchers to have to break?
Right off it seems like a goofy rule to me but I haven't read about it or anything.
Sheilds pitch count: 67-41.
aww. that red sox NESN commercial has the papelbon jerk-off celebration in it.
Pena Ks swinging at the curve
Josh'd better have composed himself during all that.
HOCP!
And a K. Much better.
Beckett back on the fuck train. Or whatever.
8-pitch inning.
Hmmm...maybe we can say that having more than one 12-pitch or less perfect inning in a row is known as being "on the fuck train".
It's nice to have a new, fledgling JoS term here on Opening Day. On the fuck train. Provided it sticks.
Time for the laser show.
Willie Mays Hayes here
6 Ks for JB
7 K
Hello Seven.
What is fuck train? I like it.
I hate these losers. I wonder if the media will hype the rays as much after today.
Liking that change so far!!!
Big Game Jackass
OTT
Dealing.
Beckett's barking at himself walking off the mound after a good inning. Mid-season form!
Now that perfect inning did take 14 pitches from Beckett...but I still feel like he's on the fuck train.
Maybe he thinks that last fastball was a rather good pitch for Bartlett to hit and that he's lucky he didn't get all of it.
no one picked them to go 162-0, andy.
time for a tough inning then
This is so exciting. I fucking love baseball.
Keep on walkin'
Strike one to Bay looks waaaay outside on GDGD.
Bleh.
Feh.
Crawford is arguably the best fielding left fielder...
NOthin Youk could do there
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