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“DIARY OF A WINNER”
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BOSTON STRONG - September 6, 2013 ... First, the Red Sox roared back for a furious comeback on against the Yankees. Then, they simply stomped on their rivals. In the midst of their best stretch of baseball this season, the Sox took it up even another notch in this thrilling 12-8 victory. The Sox trailed, 8-3, after six, but Mike Napoli lofted a game-tying grand slam with two outs in the seventh against Yankees lefty reliever Boone Logan. For the second night in a row, it was Shane Victorino who came up with the hit that broke the Yankees' spirit in the late innings. This time, he clubbed a two-run homer to left in the eighth to snap an 8-8 tie. Felix Doubront struggled mightily for Boston, giving up three hits, six runs and six walks over 3 2/3 innings. But the subpar start by Doubront wound up being nothing more than an inconvenience for the Red Sox. David Ross started the five-run rally in the seventh with a leadoff single. With one out, Victorino laced a single. Pinch-hitter Mike Carp walked to load the bases. An infield hit by Dustin Pedroia drew the Sox a run closer. Yankees manager Joe Girardi called on Logan to face David Ortiz. Initially that worked, as Big Papi struck out for the second out. But Napoli was a different story. The right-handed slugger continued his season-long torment of the Yankees by getting just enough of a 3-2 pitch for a game-tying grand slam to right. The ball hit the very top of the wall and bounced into the seats, out of the reach of a leaping Ichiro Suzuki. It was the second grand slam by Napoli at Yankee Stadium on the season. His three grand slams in 2013 leave him one shy of Babe Ruth (four in 1919) for the club record. After rookie Brandon Workman mowed through the Yankees with a dominant bottom of the seventh, the Boston bats went back to work in the eighth. On a night the Yankees were without top two relievers David Robertson and Mariano Rivera, Preston Claiborne was entrusted to keep the game tied. But Middlebrooks drilled a one-out single and Victorino, after falling behind 0-2, clubbed a 1-2 slider over the wall in left. Later in that eighth, Daniel Nava drew a bases-loaded walk and Stephen Drew had an RBI single, giving the Red Sox nine unanswered runs.
In a non-save situation, Koji Uehara came in and retired the last three batters, striking out two. It is now 27 straight batters that have batted and walked back to the bench after having faced Koji. How rare is it that Koji Uehara has retired 27 consecutive batters dating back to Aug. 17? The right-hander is the first reliever in team history to pull off the feat, topping lefty Tom Burgmeier's previous record in 1980. Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen retired 27 straight batters from July 23-Aug. 8 this season. The last reliever to retire more than 27 batters in a row was the Giants' Sergio Romo, who got 31 consecutive hitters out from July 4-Aug. 6, 2011. Mike Napoli reached base in all five plate appearances, with a single, double, two walks, and the tying grand slam. Over his last 11 games he is 16 for 39 (.410) with eight extra-base hits and 13 RBIs. Yesterday, Napoli singled off Mariano Rivera with two outs in the top of the ninth inning. That led to the Red Sox tying the game en route to a 9-8 victory in 10 innings. Over the past three games, the Red Sox bats have generated 41 runs and 50 hits. The Red Sox are scorching hot, with 11 wins in their last 13 games and 12 in the last 15. They hold a 7 1/2-game lead over the Rays in the American League East. It isn't just how much they are winning. It is the way they are winning. Center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury was out of the lineup because of a sore right foot. He aggravated the injury when he stole second base in the 10th inning Thursday. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who has missed four games with a sore lower back, did some hitting and throwing before the game and looks ready to return to the lineup. Pedro Martinez made a surprise visit to the Red Sox clubhouse had hugs and handshakes for all the players he encountered. Martinez is now a special assistant to general manager Ben Cherington and spent time this season working with prospects. |
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