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Sale Robbed Of A Win In Dominant Performance

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Two words come to mind to describe Chris Sale‘s performance Thursday against the Blue Jays. One word is “dominant.” There’s just no other way to describe a gutsy, 8.0 full innings of work that saw four hits, no runs, one walk and 13 strikeouts.

The other word to describe Thursday’s game is “criminal,” in that it is hard to imagine not coming away from that kind of effort without a win. But that’s what happened. 

After the game, Sale was philosophical about it. He said he told pitching coach Carl Willis that he was prepared to stay in the game for the bottom of the ninth to protect the one run the Sox had mustered against the Jays in the top half of that inning. But Manager John Farrell saw it differently, choosing instead to go with closer Craig Kimbrel, who admittedly was lights out over the past weekend and well rested after two days off.

Kimbrel immediately coughed up a solo home run to Kendrys Morales and the game went to extra innings. 

In the end Kimbrel walked away with both a blown save and the win after Mookie Betts drove in three with a bases clearing double in the top of the 10th.

“I’m going to want the ball ten times out of nine,” the ever-quotable Sale quipped postgame. “[but] at the end of the day, he’s the manager,” Sale said referring to Farrell’s decision to go with Kimbrel, adding that with Kimbrel’s “electric stuff, I like the odds there.” 

Sox leave opportunity on the table

Sale was simply outstanding against a foundering Toronto team. Not since Curt Schilling in 2004 had a Red Sox starter racked up 13 strikeouts while allowing no runs and not more than one walk. Combined with Kimbrel’s five strikeouts over 2.0 IP, the Sox tallied 18 total punchouts, a new season high for a game of any length, and the first time Boston has struck out that many Blue Jays since a 6-5 win in 11 innings on May 10, 1996. 

Sale’s ERA, 1.25 to start the day, is now down to 0.91 after four starts. Sale’s 42 strikeouts thus far in 2017 are the third-most for any pitcher since 1893 over his first four games with a team according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

The Sox exit Toronto with a series win, 2-games-to-1. Really, though, nothing less than a sweep should be considered acceptable against this downtrodden AL East foe that has now lost five straight series to start a season for the first time in franchise history.

But the Red Sox couldn’t capitalize on the Jay’s misery. Boston was shutout Wednesday thanks to two errors and in spite of a formidable outing from Rick Porcello.

The Sox seemed headed for another shutout Thursday, held scoreless through the eighth on the strength of starter Marco Estrada‘s excellent 6.0 IP. Estrada allowed just three hits and two walks but no runs and struck out seven. Less efficient than Sale, he was forced from the game after 106 pitches. But a parade of Jays relievers (Joe Biagini, Joe Smith, and Roberto Osuna) were just as successful at keeping the Sox off the board. That is, until with two outs in the ninth, Mitch Moreland hit his club-best 11th double of the season off Osuna and was then driven in on a Xander Bogaerts single.

After Kimbrel allowed Toronto to tie the game in the bottom of the nine, the Sox faced reliever Jason Grilli. With two on and two out, Andrew Benintendi walked to load the bases and Betts hammered the bases clearing double that would finally seal the Jay’s fate.

“A win’s a win,” Dustin Pedroia said after the game, but also noted that run support for Sale is in order. “We will,” he predicted, “we’ll do a better job of that.”


Vázquez has historic night

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The weakened Red Sox offense, so hobbled by the flu, exploded for eight runs Tuesday to put Baltimore back in its place after the Birds arrived at Fenway having won four of their last five. Orioles skipper and chief grump Buck Showalter declared himself tired of hearing about Boston’s flu problems, though no doubt some Sox fans were feeling the same way.

Happy to be home after a short and tough 1-3 road trip to Detroit, the Red Sox set new season highs Tuesday for both hits (15) and runs (8). Five Red Sox batters had multiple hits with two a piece for Dustin Pedroia, Mookie Betts, and Chris Young, and three hits for Andrew Benintendi. But the standout performance of the night belonged to catcher Christian Vázquez, who collected four hits, including a triple, and his first career stolen base.

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Vazquez’ achievements Tuesday were historic, making him the first Red Sox batter to reach safely in each of his first seven plate appearances of a season since Ted Cox in 1977.

The last Sox player to match Vázquez’s stolen base and four hits to include a triple was Jacoby Ellsbury on the Fourth of July 2011 against the Blue Jays. Vázquez is now just the 12th player in franchise history since 1913 with these achievements in a 9-inning game.

Unique among catchers

Since at least 1913, no Red Sox catcher has put together the kind of game Christian Vázquez did on Tuesday. Indeed, the last Sox catcher with four hits of any kind and a stolen base in the same game was Johnny Peacock on September 21, 1938. Coincidentally, Peacock’s game that day came against the forerunners of Orioles, the St. Louis Browns. Two other Boston backstops, Gene Desautels and Rick Ferrell, had similar games in 1937 and 1935, respectively, but unlike Vasky’s, none of those other games were played at Fenway.

With his unique collection of hits and a stolen base, Tuesday’s game put Vázquez in the company of Baseball Hall of Famers Yogi Berra, Al Lopez, and Bill Dickey. Vasquez is now one of just 16 major league catchers in the past 105 seasons with 4H/3B/SB. The last was the Indians’ Andy Allanson in 1986.

Pomeranz solid in first Fenway Win

“I feel like I waited forever,” said Sox starter Drew Pomeranz of his first home win after Tuesday’s game. Pomeranz worked 6.0 solid innings allowing four Baltimore hits and one earned run with a walk and six strikeouts. He’s now 4-0 with a 1.17 ERA over his last four straight first starts of a season.

At one point Tuesday, Pomeranz sat down 12 Orioles in a row. And when Baltimore did get on base, Pomeranz held them hitless four times when they put men into scoring position. His .150 opponents’ AVG overall with runners in scoring position since the start of the 2016 season is the best such mark in the majors (minimum 100 at-bats).

More Doubles for Moreland

New Sox first baseman Mitch Moreland doubled in a fifth straight game Tuesday, extending a new career high streak for him. He’s now tied with Dave Stapleton for the club’s longest such streak by a first baseman since at least 1913.

Dustin Pedroia, meanwhile, collected his 16th career game with four or more RBI. Pedroia’s four RBI on Tuesday came over three separate plate appearances. Pedroia’s current hitting streak makes him the first Red Sox hitter to hit safely in each of the club’s first seven games since J.D. Drew hit in nine-in-a-row in 2007.


Post-Papi Era Starts With A Win

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The first game of the Post-Papi Era was a satisfying Red Sox win in a rare visit to Boston by the Pirates for the start the 2017 campaign. 

Amid the pomp and ceremony of a new Sox season there were Patriots and fireworks (thanks to an Andrew Benintendi blast over the right field wall), and even well wishes from David Ortiz himself, albeit through social media, not in person.

The Sox, held scoreless into the fifth inning, suddenly erupted for the entirety of their runs, all coming with two outs. After a triple by the club’s 2016 triples leader, Jackie Bradley Jr., a fleet-footed and highly motivated Pablo Sandoval beat out an infield single that put the Sox on the board. A surprising bunt against the shift by Sandy León put two men on in time for a 384-foot blast off the bat of Benintendi. 

After the game, Manager John Farrell said the decision to bunt was León’s. “We want our guys to play the game,” Farrell said. “That’s an attack on Sandy’s part that he’s worked on, and it worked here today.”

At 22 years, 271 days old, Monday’s home run made Benintendi the youngest Sox player to homer on Opening Day since Mookie Betts two seasons ago. “For a guy of his stature,” Farrell noted of the latest rookie phenom, “there’s such great timing and fluidity to the swing, he creates easy power.”

Porcello Solid

The 2016 American League Cy Young Award winner, Rick Porcello, did not disappoint in his first ever Opening Day start. Porcello allowing three earned runs on six hits with a walk and five strikeouts. His 6.1 innings of work marked his 42nd consecutive start with at least 5.0+ IP, the longest such active streak in the league and, after 56 such starts by Luis Tiant, the second longest by a Red Sox pitcher since 1913.

Porcello had held the Pirates scoreless for 23.0 IP before allowing 3 ER in the seventh on Monday. With the win he improved to 3-0, 1.23 ERA in four career starts against the Bucs.

Porcello was followed by Matt Barnes, Robby Scott, Heath Hembree, and Craig Kimbrel, who collected his 20th straight save. For Barnes, the outing marked his 100th career appearance.

Hits Keep Coming

Even without the Large Father, the hits kept coming for the Red Sox.

Every Boston batter but Mitch Moreland connected for at least one hit Monday. Xander Bogaerts and León had two apiece. 

In all, the Sox amassed 10 hits starting, one would hope, a new string of double-digit hit games. In 2016, fully half of Boston’s games featured 10+ hits, the most of all the major league clubs. 

Dustin Pedroia, unquestionably now the leader of a large body of stats for active Red Sox, was 1-for-4 on Monday, his 11th straight Opening Day at second base for Boston. Pedroia’s is the 2nd-longest consecutive Opening Day start streak at any position in club history, trailing only Carl Yastrzemski’s 12-start streak in left field (1961-72). The game also marked Pedey’s 1,399th major league game, tying him with Dom DiMaggio for 11th on the club’s All-Time Games Played List. He’ll need 147 more to meet Jason Varitek at #10 on that list.


Milestones for 2017 Red Sox

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Here are some upcoming career milestones Red Sox players will cross and close in on in the 2017 season:

  • 1 double to Xander Bogaerts‘ 100th.
  • 1 game for Dustin Pedroia to tie Dom DiMaggio for 11th most in club history (1,399).
  • 1 home run for Hanley Ramirez‘ 50th as a Red Sox.
  • 2 games to Pablo Sandoval‘s 1,000th.
  • 4 doubles to Mookie Betts‘ 100th.
  • 4 errors to Sandoval’s 100th.
  • 5 times grounding into a double play for Pedroia to tie Jackie Jensen for 10th most in club history (146).
  • 6 doubles for Pedroia to tie Bobby Doerr for 6th most in club history (381).
  • 7 batters struck out to Rick Porcello‘s 1,000th.
  • 9 walks for Pedroia to tie Johnny Pesky for 16th most in club history (581).
  • 10 home runs to Ramírez’ 250th.
  • 14 extra-base hits for Pedroia to tie Manny Ramirez for 8th most in club history (537).
  • 16 home runs ties Pedroia with Reggie Smith at No. 17 on club’s all-time list (149).
  • 21 walks to Chris Young‘s 500th.
  • 24 stolen bases to Ramírez’ 300th.
  • 25 RBI for Pedroia to tie Wade Boggs for 17th most in club history (687).
  • 25 games to Ramírez’ 1,500th.
  • 26 doubles to Young’s 300th.
  • 29 doubles to Jackie Bradley‘s 100th.
  • 30 doubles for Pedroia to tie Boggs for 2nd most such seasons as a Red Sox (9).
  • 38 runs scored to Ramírez’ 1,000th.
  • 42 games to Robbie Ross‘ 300th.
  • 59 runs scored to Sandoval’s 500th.
  • 102 games to Pedroia’s 1,500th.
  • 117 total bases to Young’s 2,000th.
  • 125 strikeouts to Bogaerts’ 500th.
  • 126 runs scored to Pedroia’s 1,000th.
  • 131 times on base to Mitch Moreland‘s 1,000th.
  • 131 assists to Ramírez’ 3,000th.
  • 136 strikeouts to Bradley’s 500th.
  • 205 assists to Pedroia’s 4,000th.
  • 213 total bases to Ramírez’ 3,000th.
  • 240 total bases to Bogaerts’ 1,000th.
  • 271 total bases to Betts’ 1,000th.
  • 536 batters faced to Chris Sale‘s 5,000th.

World Series Resumes Tonight

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It’s the final weekend of baseball as the World Series begins again, this time in Chicago, with the Cubs and Indians knotted at 1-1. In eight of the last ten series that were tied at one game apiece, the winner of Game 1 (in this case, the Indians) has won the championship. Indeed, Game 1 winners have won the Fall Classic 70 total times (63.1% of the time), including 12 of the last 13 and 17 of the last 19 times.

In their long franchise histories, both the Cubs and Indians have eight times before found themselves in a 1-1 tie in a best-of-seven postseason series. In the previous seven times the Cubs have won just one of those series (the 2016 National League Championship Series) while the Indians won the whole thing four times (though they’ve lost each of their last three such series).

The 2016 series is guaranteed at least three more games with starts by Kyle Hendricks, John Lackey, and Jon Lester for Chicago versus Josh Tomlin, Corey Kluber, and Trevor Bauer for the Indians, respectively.

Mookie Betts


Gold Glove Finalist Mookie Betts
flickr photo shared by Keith Allison under a Creative Commons ( BY-SA ) license

On to some news and notes now for Red Sox fans:

  • Gold Glove finalists for defensive excellence were announced this week and the hometown team were well represented by Dustin Pedroia, Mookie Betts, and Jackie Bradley. The Red Sox were one of eight teams this season with at least three nominees. The Cubs and Tigers had an MLB-best four finalists each. Gold Glove winners will be announced November 8.
  • It’s the offseason so that means a perennial check in on Pablo Sandoval‘s weight. Here’s the latest.
  • What a postseason already for one-time Red Sox Andrew Miller. The Indians reliever has racked up 24 strikeouts already, the second most in a single postseason by a reliever since Francisco Rodriguez collected 28 with the Angels in 2002. Miller’s 13.2 scoreless postseason innings are eighth most in major league history. With his next out Miller can tie Hall of Famer Whitey Ford in 1961 for seventh most such innings. The all-time record is by Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson, who went 27.0 IP in the 1905 postseason. Red Sox great and Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez had the 17.0 scoreless postseason innings in 1999, good for fourth most in MLB history.
  • Of the 50 players on the Indians and Cubs roster just six have World Series experience, five of those with the Red Sox: Coco Crisp (2007), Mike Napoli (2013), Lackey (2013), Lester (2007 & 2013), and David Ross (2013). Ben Zobrist also experienced the Fall Classic before with the Rays in 2008 and the Royals last season.

And finally, while today is October 28 and the nine year anniversary of the 2007 Red Sox Championship, it’s hard to believe that 12 years ago today we were still dazed at the reality of the first Sox Championship in 84 years. Re-live the memories through the eyes of the New York Daily News, which thoughtfully re-posted their story from that day in 2004.