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August 12, 2009

Tazawa Grabs First ML Win; Wakefield Will Make AAA Rehab Start on Friday

Junichi Tazawa has had two eventful games to begin his major league career:
As soon as I signed with the Red Sox, I was thinking about the day that I pitch here. It is really a nice ballpark, and I was very excited about it. ... I didn't expect to be in the major leagues so quickly. ... Trainer Masai Takahashi warned me that Papelbon may throw the ball [into the stands], so I was kind of on the look out for it, but didn't know how to get it. Brad Penny gave me the ball and I have no idea how he ended up with it, but I am just glad that I have it.
Terry Francona:
Under the circumstances, I thought he was exceptional. I thought he showed exceptional poise. There were a lot of things that happened out there and he stayed out there for five.
Tazawa -- 5-4-3-2-6, 98 (1 ER) -- retired 10 of the last 11 hitters he faced. He also said he had never been involved in a brawl before. He is the fifth player to make his major league debut with Boston this season.

Kevin Youkilis:
If I was an ultimate fighter I think I would have had a plan. But I didn't plan for that to happen. ... A lot of times guys pitch inside. There's times I get hit, but I think the last two days are different. I think there's intent there to hit.
Yook:
Two days in a row, and the way it was going, I had enough of it. At some point, you have to protect yourself as a hitter and your teammates. I felt like I had to do what I had to do.
John Farrell:
First and foremost, we threw a couple of fastballs up and in to Miguel the last couple of nights. There's a reason why he wears an arm pad. There's a hole up and in there that many pitchers try to exploit. ... The pitch tonight, if you looked at the replay, that was actually between home plate and the batter's box. Yes, it was elevated. But it wasn't like it was thrown at him. It was execution of a pitch. He's on top of the plate ... We have to pitch accordingly to that.
Victor Martinez:
That pitch, did you see that pitch? It was right at his back. That pitch looked like it had some bad intentions.
Jason Bay:
Everybody has a breaking point. And I don't blame him.
Mike Lowell:
If I was Youk, I don't think I would have been too happy getting smoked two days in a row.
Lowell became the first Red Sox player to come off the bench and hit two dongs since Joe Foy on June 9, 1967.

Tim Wakefield will start for Pawtucket on Saturday. It will be the first minor league rehab start of his career.
I think I'm ready to pitch now, but if I go out there and something happens, it screws with the whole team. I don't think it would be a smart thing to do.
George Kottaras will begin his rehab on the same day. ... Tests on Jed Lowrie's left wrist showed only a mild nerve irritation. ... Hideki Okajima has a stiff neck. ... The Rangers and Cardinals have shown interest in John Smoltz.

Daisuke Matsuzaka threw a 40-pitch bullpen session (all fastballs) yesterday in Fort Myers. He will throw all of his pitches in his next two sessions: 55 in three days and 65 three days after that.

13 comments:

  1. I hate to miss him for 5-7 days or however long Yankee Bob gives him, but it was still awesome to watch. A cartoon is here

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  2. Great cartoon! I really enjoy your stuff. I hope Allan posts the one you sent him.

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  3. And it was totally awesome to watch!!

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  4. Smoltz cleared waivers. They have until Sunday to trade him, release him or outright him to the minors.

    We may not have seen the last of him. He could go try to fix some shit in Pawtucket and be in the pen on 9/1.

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  5. Thanks L-girl! I know Allan doesn't like to offend us delicate JoS readers with sweary words, so maybe he won't post it....

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  6. So I take it you are not the same James who works for MLB.

    Commenter James who works for MLB, if you did not get an invite to JoS1 it's because we didn't realize there were multiples Jameses! Hopefully we invited you both on the blog anyway.

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  7. I WISH I worked for MLB if that counts.

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  8. We have a commenter who works for MLB?

    And a cartoonist as well! I also enjoyed the cartoons (and not just the Red Sox ones) on James' website.

    Although I usually hate the brawling, I actually thought this one was pretty amusing. If I were Youk, I would have been very angry. Perhaps I wouldn't have thrown my helmet, and I definitely wouldn't have tackled someone (since that would just be stupid!), but I understood the emotion behind it. Also, I kept thinking of the brawl that started with Tek pushing his glove into ARod's face and how that turned things around that season (or at least seemed to energize the team). Perhaps this will be a turning point as well.

    I can't wait to see Wake pitching again.

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  9. But...but the cartoon is potty mouthed!

    What about the chiiiiiildren?!?!

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  10. After the brawl, the Sox sputtered along at 5-5 until August 7, when they caught fire. From August 16 to September 8, they went 20-2!

    (Just a general correction, not a correction of Amy. I swear!)

    I agree: it's "turning point" time!

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  11. Rosenthal says Smoltz has refused a minor league assignment.

    Well, fuck you very much, John.

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  12. No problem for me being corrected! I learned long ago that I am wrong more often than I am right about most things, especially remembering specific details of things.

    But going 5-5 was likely better than what they were playing like right before the brawl. And in terms of the Yankees, it certainly showed that the team was not just going to lie down and take it.

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  13. Eh, maybe not. Looks like they were playing .500 ball for a while before and after the brawl.

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