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“DIARY OF A WINNER”
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A
POWERFUL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM
May 8, 2007
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Youkilis hit his third homer in the first, Pedroia hit a three-run home run in the second, Lowell hit a three-run home run in the third, and Varitek hit the next pitch from Zambrano to knock him out of the game. There's no fade evident in Beckett, who gave up a home run on his first pitch, to Alex Rios, and a double to Adam Lind, the next batter, then allowed the Jays just three more hits before he was lifted after seven innings. He became just the sixth Sox pitcher to win his first seven starts. The club record is eight, shared by Babe Ruth (1917), Dave Ferriss (1945), and Roger Moret (1973). George Winter (1901) and Mickey Harris (1946) are the others who won their first seven. But Beckett, while low-keying his start, was enthused about the night enjoyed by the offense, especially Varitek, who had four hits. In addition to his third home run Varitek had three singles, matching a career high for hits he had achieved five times, the last Sept. 20, 2005, at Tampa Bay. Varitek also walked. Pedroia's home run was his first of the season, and came after a two-out single by Varitek and a walk to Coco Crisp, giving the Sox a 4-1 lead. Lowell's home run, his fifth, also was the happy climax of a two-out rally, Manny Ramirez singling and J.D. Drew drawing a walk after David Ortiz lined into a double play. After Lowell hit one into the left-field seats, Varitek hit the next pitch over the fence in dead center, giving the Sox an 8-1 lead. Julio Lugo, who entered the game in a 1-for-15 funk, doubled home Boston's final run in the eighth. Lugo led off the game with a base hit but was out trying to stretch it into a double. The Blue Jays are in freefall. The last time they played the Sox, on April 24, they routed Julian Tavarez in Fenway Park, 10-3, to draw to .500, 2 1/2 games behind the Sox. They've been a disaster since, winning just three of a dozen games, to fall into last place in the AL East, 8 1/2 games behind the Sox. They're nine games back in the loss column, and while it's just May, that's a lot of ground to make up. Tonight was their seventh loss in a row - they lost all six games of a trip to Cleveland and Texas - and their homecoming was not a happy one, as a $2 Tuesday crowd of 41,203 was not shy about voicing its displeasure. The Jays are reeling from the loss of their closer, B.J. Ryan, which has embroiled general manager J.P. Ricciardi in controversy, the Worcester, Mass., native having admitted on his radio show last week that he hadn't been truthful in spring training when he said Ryan's back was hurting, when in fact it was his elbow. Ryan is on the 60-day disabled list with a strained ligament in his left elbow. Since their last visit to Boston, the Blue Jays' offense has been mostly quiet (.238), and the aces, Roy Halladay and A.J. Burnett, couldn't stop the bleeding, Burnett losing in both Cleveland and Texas while Halladay was bombed in Texas. While the Sox came into the game ranked just 11th in fielding percentage (.979) after a record-setting performance in 2006 (.989), they had allowed only seven unearned runs. Only Minnesota, with six, had allowed fewer. Kevin Youkilis left the game with what was described as a bruised left quadriceps after being hit by a pitch in the sixth. He was hit in the same muscle Sunday in Minnesota. Youkilis has been hit five times this season, a team high. |
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