August 2009
Byrd is the Wyrd
…or “word” for those that don’t get. Yeah, so it’s my own take on rhyming and writing.
It w
as
actually ironic that in his first start of the 2009 season, Paul Byrd
was facing the Toronto Blue Jays. In a span of three consecutive starts
(1 with Cleveland, 2 with Boston after we was traded in a waiver wire
deal) in August of 2008 he faced those Blue Jays. 5 of his last 10
starts of 2008 were against the Blue Jays as well. He was 2-2 with 1
no-decision in those 5 starts. So what were the expectations today? 5
innings? 3 runs? Keep the game close against Blue Jay ace Roy Halliday?
I think all of those would have been more than what the Red Sox would
have like to get out of Byrd. What did they get?
How about 6
shutout innings. 3 hits allowed to go along with 3 walks. I don’t even
think a performance like that entered anyone’s mind, not even Byrd’s.
What a follow up to Clay Buchholz’s splendid start the night before. It was a great lift for the Red Sox tattered starting rotation, and
hopefully this is something Byrd can build off for the rest of the
season.
However, Byrd was not the only who made a big impression in their 2009 Red Sox debut. This guy was outstanding as well:
Newl
y
(well, it was almost a week ago now) acquired reliever Billy Wagner
final appeared in his first game as a Red Sox. He showed how nasty of
lefty he can be. He struck out the side, around a double in while
pitching the 8th inning. 11 of his 16 pitches were for strikes. Not
more you could have expected from him either. He will be a great weapon
to have in that bullpen down the stretch and during the playoffs (being
optimistic the Sox will end up winning the wild card) as well.
It
was a great way to end the homestand with a sweep of the flailing
Toronto Blue Jays. The Sox now head on a 7 game road trip to their
house of horrors in Tampa Bay and then the Windy City. This will be an
opportunity to knock the Rays right out of the wild card race, as well
as put the final nail in the White Sox playoff coffin that the Yankees
started closing up this weekend.
Go Sox!
Chip In
It is that time of year again, when the wonderful people associated with baseball, make a difference in trying to exterminate the terrible disease of cancer. If you are willing, please take the time and contribute anything, from a quarter to whatever you can.
Most of us have been affected by this terrible disease, either directly or indirectly. The stories that these cancer patients, survivors, and family members are heartwarming / heartbreaking all at the same time, but immensely amazing. If you can’t contribute, please take the time to listen. We all can make a difference, and even a little bit of a difference matters.
Me? I am not associated with WEEI/NESN/Red Sox other than being a fan. However, I have tried to contribute in some way in each of the 7 previous telethons. Sometimes, it was just buying a T-shirt. Other times it was donating my tips from working the games during the days of the telethon. Other times it was saying a prayer for the patients, families, and doctors who have to go through this fight. My mother has overcome colon cancer, but that is not the only motivation. Hearing the children speak, the parents speak, or the doctors speak about this call me to action. Eventhough it leaves a tear in your eye, or a heavy heart. A difference is really bing made. I mean just check this out:
Amazingly, a couple of years later he came back and sang the anthem again. This time, after his rendition, he dropped the mic and took an impromptu (he was egged on earlier in the day talking on the radio, so maybe it ended up being planned, but I am not sure) run around the bases. What a moment that was, and I’m not sure there was a dry eye in the ball park.
Thank you for letting me plug this and GO JIMMY FUND!
Youk in the Wrong, Tazawa Overshadowed
Now, I was there firsthand tonight. However, as I was working, I am not sure how everything transpired. I know Miguel Cabrera got hit near the wrist OR on the knob of the bat area. I know Victor Martinez was not happy getting an inside fastball thrown to him. The first inning and a half took so long to go by, that all I knew it was 8pm.
A fan seated in the last row of the 3rd base field box seats had just stopped me to buy some ice when Youkilis got plunked and all bedlam broke loose. Youk charged the mound, the whole park was on there feet as dugouts and bullpens emptied out. Chants of: “Youk, Youk, Youk.” From my view, it look like Youk had a nice take down and the excitement was electric in the little band box. The umpired then held a conference as another chant of “Throw him out” went up. The umpires then through out Porcello.
A little later, another on-field fracas took place when Terry Francona came out to agure with the 2nd base umpire after he called Drew out trying to steal second. Francona was hot, and as he turned to head back to the dugout, he got tossed by the ump. Francona went off more, and the crowd started a “Terry” chant. Any replays I saw, showed that the play was CLOSE, but I think the umpire got the call right.
After I got home, I caught some of the discussion on MLB Tonight. Mitch Williams and Joe Magrane were discussing the incident. Both of them agreed that Porcello did not throw intentionally at Youk. Williams had said the pitch was a two-seam fastball. Magrane or Matt Vasgersian (I think it was Matt) said wouldn’t you throw a four seam fastball if you were going to hit someone. Williams said, “Yes, plus it would hurt more.” Now, I don’t really know the difference between a 2 seam and 4 seam, but in my opinion, he was not trying to hit Youkilis. They also made note of Porcello’s reaction after he threw the pitch. You can tell from his reaction, that he is upset that the pitch hit him. I agree with Williams and Magrane, after further review.
During this discussion, MLB Tonight showed the incidents in last night’s game where Brad Penny hit Cabrera. This was followed by Edwin Jackson hitting Youkilis in the ribs with a pitch. That was OBVIOUSLY intentional. Youkilis would have been less in the wrong charging Jackson. However, Jackson isn’t a 20 year old rookie, so maybe Youkilis was a little apprehensive about charging Jackson.
Even worse for Youk, he got tossed down to the ground by the rookie. I was actually looking forward to be able to see the incident when I got home, because it looked like it was a good take down by Youk from my view along the 3rd base line. Unfortunately, Youk was wrong to charge the mound, and ended up getting thrown down and I would judge as the loser in the brawl. Finally, to add insult to injury, the Sox are going to lose his bat for anywhere from 5 – 8 games.
Oh yeah, one last thing. This incident overshadowed the performance of rookie pitcher Junichi Tazawa. Tazawa got his first career win. He went 5 innings, allowing 3 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 6. He was probably a Nick Green error (another one?) from allowing zero runs, thus probably being able to got 6 or 7 innings. In the first, Tazawa got Carlos Guillen to ground into what seemed like an inning ending double play. However, Green’s throw was terrible, and the Sox weren’t able to even get 1 out, never mind the 2. This allowed a run to score, and eventually 2 more scored.
However, Tazawa pitched well despite the errors, and shut down the Tigers the rest of the night. This is looking like a nice signing for the Red Sox. He pitched well in his debut in New York, despite giving up the game losing HR. He’s got good stuff, and I’m looking forward to seeing more from him.
In the end, even though Youkilis was wrong to charge, that incident may have been a spark plug because later that inning, Jason Bay CRUSHED (and I mean CRUSHED) a 3-run HR to tie the game. Also, luckily, for the Sox, they may end up being able to absorb Youkilis’ upcoming suspension with the likes of Mike Lowell. He may be showing the lingering effects of his hip injury, but the guy can still hit. He and Tazawa (along with Bay’s bomb) were the stars of the game, but the Youkilis brawl stole the show and is what everyone will be talking about the next day or so.
Go SOX!
PS. Sorry for my long absence. You may read more about that in the future. 
GremEQ
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