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THEO EPSTEIN &
TERRY FRANCONA |
THE "IDIOTS" REVERSE THE CURSE
The Sox close out the first half with a loss
July 11, 2004 ...
The Red Sox suffered a stinging loss yesterday in their last game before the All-Star break. There was no escaping the fact after a couple of questionable calls involving Reese and Bellhorn and a pitching lapse by Foulke contributed to a 6-5 defeat before 34,778 at Fenway Park.
The loss dropped the Sox seven games behind the Yankees in the American League East, their largest deficit at the break since they faced an 11-game gap in 1998. But just as the '98 Sox went on to win the wild-card berth, the '04 crew entered the break feeling pretty good about itself,
despite the unfortunate first-half finale. The Sox lead the A's by one game in the wild-card race.
The Sox showed some of the resilience yesterday that distinguished them last year. Trailing, 5-2, in the seventh, they surged back on a two-run homer by Doug Mirabelli and Damon's tying shot, which extended his hitting streak to 16 games.
But then Foulke ran into trouble. Starting the eighth inning, he surrendered a single to Rod Barajas, a double off the Monster to Michael Young, and a sacrifice fly to left by Alfonso Soriano for the decisive run. Foulke's futility left the Sox to try to climb back against All- Star closer
Francisco Cordero, whose slider is nearly as nasty as his fastball, which topped out at 99 miles per hour.
Too late. The game was over. The first half was history. And the Sox scattered across the hemisphere, preparing to reconvene Thursday for a six-game swing through Anaheim and Seattle.
Sox fans donated $18,765 and more than 11,500 pounds of non-perishable food in the 13th Red Sox Wives Can and Cash Drive over the weekend to benefit the Greater Boston Food Bank.
The locker room, quiet to begin with (there was no music playing after the loss) became even quieter as players quickly dressed, put the game behind them, and began their three-day break. Curt Schilling gave David Ortiz a ride to the All-Star Game in Houston on his chartered jet. But
Ortiz, who is scheduled to participate in the Home Run Derby, needed to do the rest. Kevin Millar hitched a ride with Schilling and Ortiz in returning home to Beaumont, Texas. |
