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A SEASON IN THE DRINK
(CHICKEN & BEER) ...
A walk-off in the ninth inning for the Sox
May 1, 2011 ...
Carl Crawford was essentially the worst hitter in the American League
when he arrived at Fenway Park today. Among qualified players, he had
the third-lowest batting average, the lowest slugging percentage, and
the lowest on-base percentage. But he left a hero.
Crawford
grounded a single into center field with two outs in the bottom of the ninth
inning, scoring Jed Lowrie from third base to give the Red Sox a 3-2 victory
against the Seattle Mariners. As Crawford rounded first base he was chased down
and embraced by his teammates, with Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, and Jacoby
Ellsbury leading a frenzied charge from the dugout.
There have
been only rare good days for Crawford since he signed a seven-year, $142 million
deal with the Sox in December. An uneven spring training led to the worst start
of his career as Crawford hit .155 in April and scored just six runs. His
on-base percentage was a paltry .204. Francona twice has benched Crawford and
last week dropped him to eighth in the batting order to try to ease the pressure
on him.
That
Crawford had a chance to win the game in the ninth inning was unexpected. With
one out, Lowrie hit what looked like a routine fly ball to right field. But
Ichiro Suzuki, a 10-time Gold Glove winner, lost the ball in the sun. It struck
him on the right leg and rolled into the corner, allowing Lowrie to go to third
base with what was ruled a triple. With the infield in, Marco Scutaro grounded
to third base. Crawford was next. Crawford took two fastballs from Jamey Wright,
the second a strike. A third fastball was hit hard up the middle, bouncing off
the mound and through to center.
Crawford's
diligence has impressed his new teammates. He is one of the first players to the
park every day and is thorough in his preparation. That only served to make his
slump more confounding. That was reflected in the celebration. The players
seemed to be in a race to be the first to hug Crawford.
The victory
came on a day when the Sox sent 44-year-old spot starter Tim Wakefield out to
face reigning Cy Young Award winner Felix Hernandez. Hernandez allowed two runs
over seven innings and struck out 10. Ortiz had a two-run double in the third
inning. Wakefield, making his first start of the season, left the game with a
2-0 lead with two outs in the sixth inning. Bobby Jenks tarnished that
performance by walking in two runs. Despite having pitched one inning over the
previous 12 days, Wakefield threw 76 pitches. He gave up one run on three hits
and a walk.
After Jenks
melted down, Matt Albers and Jonathan Papelbon (1-0) were perfect for three
innings. With some help from the sun, that set the stage for Crawford.
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