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POKEY REESE |
THE "IDIOTS" REVERSE THE CURSE
The Red Sox rout the Padres
June 10, 2004 ... With
the Red Sox leading, 3-1, and runners on second and third in the fifth inning, San Diego manager Bruce Bochy decided to intentionally walk Manny Ramirez, loading the bases for Nomar Garciaparra. The shortstop, in his second game since returning from an Achilles' injury, made Bochy pay as he doubled in his first two runs
of the season with a drive high off the Wall to break the game open as the Sox scored five runs in the inning en route to a 9-3 rout before 35,068 at Fenway Park.
The Garciaparra enhanced Sox lineup, which supported a seven inning, two-run performance by starter Curt Schilling, saw the red hot Ramirez (three hits, three RBIs) belt a two-run homer, and second baseman Pokey Reese (on his 31st birthday) had a home run among his
three hits from the No. 9 spot. David Ortiz had four hits to pace the 13-hit attack.
It was clear after Schilling settled in (he allowed a run in the first) that the jammed-packed house at Fenway, which gave Garciaparra another rousing ovation, would appreciate the night's work a little more than it did the 8-1 shellacking at the hands of the Padres the
night before. The Sox seemed to survive two scary moments with Garciaparra. He was hit by a pitch in the seventh inning off the side of the left knee, and in the ninth, he fielded a grounder and stepped on the second base bag awkwardly with his right ankle. But he did stay in the game until
the end.
It was a night when all of the sarcastic undertones from Wednesday night's game seemed a distant memory. First baseman Andy Dominique, who made a costly error in the loss, sat in favor of Millar. The only painful aspect of the win was watching Lenny DiNardo trying
to close the game in the ninth. He loaded the bases before retiring Jay Payton on a ground out to Garciaparra for the final out.
Schilling's painful ankle has certainly become more of an issue in recent weeks. The question is, can the Sox get Schilling through the season without him having to miss time? The five-time All-Star was throwing hard in all seven innings; his fastball peaking at 95
miles per hour and consistently at 94. Schilling, who improved to 8-3 with a 3.03 ERA, has had to take a Marcaine shot on his painful right ankle in most of his recent starts. He said the medical staff timed it differently last night so it would last deeper into his outing, and Schilling
thought the game plan worked well. |
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