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“DIARY OF A WINNER”
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THE "IDIOTS" REVERSE THE CURSE August 23, 2004 ... The powerful Red Sox offense, which last week had the Nation checking Yankee box scores for the first time in weeks, was rendered all but powerless last night by the artistry of Blue Jays lefthander Ted Lilly. Painting corners with a palette full of fastballs and breaking pitches, the 28-year-old Lilly fanned a career-high 13 (two shy of the most against the Sox this season), and notched a streamlined 3- 0 win before a crowd of 27,145 at SkyDome. The loss ended Boston's winning streak at six, and left the hordes of Sox fans who made the trip here from New England wondering whether the players had tossed their red-hot hitting shoes into the cool waters of Lake Ontario. Lilly set a Blue Jays record when he fanned six batters in succession across the first, second, and third innings. David Ortiz, Kevin Millar, Doug Mirabelli, Bill Mueller, Gabe Kapler and Mark Bellhorn - hitters 4 through 9 - now fill out that small chapter of history in the Toronto media guide. Meanwhile, Martinez, with only one loss since May 16, had a fine night, too, one that might have been different had he not made a couple of costly mistakes in the first. He left an 0-and-1 fastball up high that leadoff hitter Reed Johnson crushed for a homer. Two pitches, and down, 1-0. Orlando Hudson then followed with a triple and came home with the 2-0 advantage when Vernon Wells launched a sacrifice fly to right. Before exiting after the seventh, Martinez set down the final 14 Jays he faced, following Eric Hinske's run-scoring single in the third. The early trouble, he said, came from feeling "too strong" and being unable to find his usual release point. Otherwise, it was a decent night, but not quite in the Lillysphere. Lilly had some nifty defensive help, too, including a gorgeous pick by third baseman Hinske off a Manny Ramirez hot-shot grounder in the fifth. For the most part, though, his success was rooted in one perfect offering after another, and he constantly kept the Sox hitters off balance. The Sox didn't have their No. 1 catcher, Jason Varitek, in the lineup. He moved to the sidelines, opting not to appeal the four- game suspension he incurred for a July 24 fight with Yankees star Alex Rodriguez. Mirabelli moved in for a rare start with a pitcher other than knuckleballer Tim Wakefield. Martinez, touched for only four hits, fanned 10 - the 98th time he has reached double figures, which moves him ahead of the legendary Sandy Koufax for fourth all time on the 10-plus list. |
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