|
 |
|
TROT NIXON |
MANNY ARRIVES AS THE
YAWKEY ERA CRASHES & BURNS
Trot's grandslam leads the Sox
back
June 26, 2001 ... Heartened
by yet another rousing comeback victory, the 32,185 fans streamed
home in bliss, with their Red Sox three games up on the Yankees in
the American League East. After witnessing Trot Nixon's dramatic,
game-tying grand slam in the seventh inning and a magical two-run
rally in the eighth, the Sox overtook the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for a
7-6 victory in the Fens.
The fans
could be forgiven for relegating starter Pedro Martinez to an afterthought. But
anyone who took Pedro for granted committed a monumental oversight. The linchpin
of the Sox rotation appears certain to land on the disabled list today with pain
in his pitching shoulder, an injury that should send tremors from Yawkey Way to
every corner of Red Sox country.
In his
second outing since he missed a start with shoulder tendinitis, Pedro lacked the
velocity on his signature fastball because he was restricted by the shoulder
pain. And he was gone after throwing 81 pitches in 4 2/3 innings. He allowed
four runs on four hits and a walk, as his ERA rose to 2.26, the highest it has
been since Sept. 4, 1999.
So Pedro
will join Nomar, Jason Varitek, and Carl Everett among the sidelined stars. But
the Sox have so far proven themselves to be the most resilient team in baseball.
And they accepted the latest setback as defiantly as they did the rest.
The comeback
kids managed to extinguish the Rays yet again even though they had their backs
to the wall after Pedro's pain-shortened stint. He tried to convince Williams to
let him continue when he fell under siege in the fifth, but the manager wouldn't
have it. Pedro relented. But he got betrayed by the reliever, Rolando Arrojo,
who cleared the bases the three-time Cy Young Award winner left loaded by
surrendering a two-out grand slam to the first batter he faced, Greg Vaughn.
That gave the Devil Rays a 5-1 lead with their starter, Worcester's Tanyon
Sturtze, pitching effectively.
Indeed. The
Sox have feasted on Devil Rays relievers as they have built their astonishing
winning streak. Like Pedro, Sturtze left with the bases loaded in the seventh,
though there was only one out. After Brian Daubach's single and Lou Merloni's
walk, Scott Hatteberg drew a walk on four pitches to load the bases. At that,
Sturtze gave way to Travis Phelps. Nixon crushed the second pitch from Phelps
405 feet to dead center to tie the score, 5-5. The slam was the second of
Nixon's career and his 11th homer of the season.
It felt
worse for an instant when the Devil Rays seized a 6-5 lead in the eighth as
Aubrey Huff homered off Rod Beck, setting up the Sox reliever to play the goat
for the second time in three days. But the Sox scored twice in the bottom of the
eighth off rookie Victor Zambrano. Daubach, newly shorn of his Amish-style
beard, tripled home Shea Hillenbrand with the first run. After Daubach's triple,
Merloni and Chris Stynes each drew walks off Zambrano, loading the bases for
Hatteberg. And Zambrano walked Hatteberg on four pitches to let Daubach score
the game-winner.
Derek Lowe
shut down the Devil Rays in the ninth for his 14th save. |
