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MIKE NAPOLI |
BOSTON STRONG -
THE ROAD TO REDEMPTION
Mike Napoli 's walk-off leads the
Sox on the day of the
Boston Marathon bombing
April 15, 2013 ...
Mike Napoli won't be nominating
his walk-off swing from Monday for his season highlight reel. But
the result was something he will cherish. The slugger was well out
in front on a sinker by Rays reliever Joel Peralta but he somehow kept his
hands back long enough to drive the ball off the Green Monster with one
out in the bottom of the ninth. Dustin Pedroia scored from first on
the double, giving the Red Sox a 3 to 2 win over the Rays in the annual Patriots' Day game at Fenway Park.
Roughly an hour after the game, the Red Sox's walk-off win quickly became an afterthought as the city experienced a tragic explosion at the Boston Marathon. At least two explosions went off at the finish line, resulting in multiple deaths and injuries to dozens
of people. As the Red Sox boarded the bus to the airport for their trip to Cleveland, sirens could be heard outside of Fenway Park. From the press box, a helicopter could be seen circling near the top of the Prudential building. The finish line of the marathon is within a mile of
Fenway Park. The Red Sox were able to depart from Logan International Airport and landed safely in Cleveland.
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THE BOSTON MARATHON BOMBING |
As for the game, it was the second walk-off win in three days for Boston. For Napoli, it was his third career game-ending hit, but first since last July 23. Napoli's clutch hit quickly switched the momentum for Boston on Jackie Robinson Day.
With Joel Hanrahan nursing a right hamstring injury, Andrew Bailey got his first chance to close this season, coming on with a 2-1 lead in the top of the ninth. The former closer did not take long to blow the save for Ryan Dempster, who pitched brilliantly.
Desmond Jennings led off with a single and then stole second. Ben Zobrist hit a liner to left that Jackie Bradley Jr. couldn't snag on the dive. The RBI single made it a 2-2 game.
The Sox starting pitching, with a 1.99 ERA and 84 strikeouts, has been the best in baseball after ranking 25th last season. Clay Buchholz, who flirted with a no-hitter Sunday, and Dempster are the first Red Sox pitchers to strike out at least 10 batters while
allowing two or fewer hits in consecutive games, according to Elias.
David Ortiz was scratched for the second straight game in his rehab stint at Pawtucket. He was seen riding a stationary bike in Pawtucket's locker room and jogging in the outfield before the game. Ortiz is still scheduled to be activated when the team returns from
Cleveland Friday for a weekend series vs. the Royals. |
