It was,
indeed, as Tito put it, a “heartbreaking” loss.
But it was
also one helluva game.
Credit
where credit’s due: The team piles onto a plane in the wee hours Monday morning
after Alex Rodriguez sealed a series win with a barely-there homer in the ninth. They then fly
across the North American continent, sleep fitfully, and then suit up for another game. A
game which lasts three hours and 45 minutes.
And they
never quit.
Dan Haren
was dealing. Seven and two thirds, just four hits and two runs.
And our
fifth starter — or is he fourth, with Wake’s recent woes? — hangs tough long
enough to keep us in it.
Then it’s
time to get to work. A homer from the big man in the seventh. A double from the
other big man in the ninth, followed by a timely RBI single from our
pinch-hitting catcher.
Then a
pinch-run from the queasy Coco Crisp, who was nonetheless nearly at second
before Alan Embree let go of the pitch, and crossing home plate as Wily Mo
bounded into second.
Alas, we
got overzealous. Another Ortiz double, and suddenly Wendell Kim was back behind
third base. Dustin
Pedroia was out by a mile, the catcher’s glove smacking him rudely in the
face.
(Congrats
on yr award, big guy.)
And then we
had a feeling. The bullpen had pitched just well enough. And lucky enough: I
don’t think I’ve ever seen a pitcher and his teammates celebrate so much in the
middle of a game as they did after JC
Romero pulled that Houdini-like escape in the ninth.
But Kyle
Snyder, as good as he’s been for us, is not untouchable.
And that
was that.
The entire
bench of exhausted players was itself exhausted.
It was a
noble effort.
But you
can’t win ‘em all.
Let’s just
hope Dice-K can win his.
As much as
any team with the best record in baseball and a 10-game lead in the standings
needs a win, we need this one tonight. (Sorry,
Lenny.)