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HR #48 |
A SAD END TO A
RECORD SEASON
Julian Tavarez
pitches well
September 10, 2006 ...
On an afternoon that David Ortiz hit his career-best 48th home run to
draw within two of the club record held by Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx,
it became increasingly apparent that Boston's fall from playoff
contention shouldn't disqualify him from MVP consideration, not when
he is a virtual lock to lead the AL in home runs and is odds-on to
lead in RBIs as well. Ortiz's numbers likely would even be better if
he hadn't missed eight games after what were described as heart
palpitations.
In today's
9-3 Red Sox win over the Kansas City Royals, Julian Tavarez could be seen
frequently making a gesture of another sort, reaching inside the top of his
uniform jersey and producing a gold cross and another religious medal. And
today, Tavarez thanked the fans, raising his cap high over his head no more than
two strides into his walk back to the dugout after manager Terry Francona lifted
him with a 5-3 lead in the sixth.
Tavarez shut
out the Royals for five innings (just as he had shut out the White Sox for six
in his previous start), setting down the first 10 Kansas City batters in order
before the Royals in the sixth went single, walk, single, and Emil Brown's
two-run double. But his performance was enough to earn him his first win as a
starter since Aug. 30, 2002, when he was with the Marlins.
Center
fielder Coco Crisp said he aggravated his surgically repaired left index finger,
the one he fractured while sliding into third base for a stolen base in
Baltimore the first weekend of the season, and he sat out yesterday.
Francona
planned to play Manny Ramirez until the left fielder informed him that his right
knee was sore. Since missing 10 of the previous 11 games with what doctors said
was patellar tendinitis, Ramirez had gone 2 for 16 (.125) with one extra-base
hit, a double, and one RBI, while whiffing seven times. |
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