Wake Against The Dodgers: A Saturday Spectacle

Yep. It's June 29th, and I'm finally getting around to writing about a game that happened on June 19th. So, I'm ten days behind. I've got a lot to write about, and I didn't want to miss the entire month. Here we go. Bear with me.

It was one of those games that you weren't really sure what was going to happen. We had Wake on the mound, and the Dodgers offered up Vincente Padilla. Looking at the numbers that the two have posted so far in the season didn't reveal anything. They usually don't, but I look at them anyway. With Wake, as we all know too well, you absolutely cannot tell what you're going to get. Even if he has a clean inning or two, implosion could be right around the corner. Or he could end up pitching nine clean innings. For the most part, Wake handled himself admirably against the Dodgers. No, he didn't get the win, but he didn't get the loss, so I'm content. I cannot go over his entire pitching performance for you, because I don't remember it all that well, and to pretend I do would be disingenuous. What I can give you is Wake's line... 6.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K's. He also allowed three SB's, which is about on par for what you'd expect Timmy to allow. His most notable SB of the night was to our very special guest, Manny. But I'm not here to talk about Manny.

I'm not even really here to talk about Timmy, thought I always love to go on and on about him.

I'm here to talk about the laser show. You saw it. I saw it. It never fails to impress me.

After a game that saw Manny Delcarmen blow Wakey's game, and saw the Red Sox commit FOUR ERRORS (which is just a travesty no matter how you look at it... and I'm looking in the direction of Beltre, Hall, and Scutaro), this was a game that we looked determined to lose. It had all the makings of an ugly game, and I was sort of expecting to walk away with the loss. But Munchkin, ever the restorer of faith in the nation, came up to bat with two on and two out in the ninth inning of a tied game. He looked absolutely lost against Broxton, swinging at pitches he had no business swinging at, but then Broxtond did the most amazing thing... he lobbed one right down the middle of the plate, and Munchkin knew exactly what to do with that. A single to right field scored Daniel Nava from second, and Pedroia got to celebrate his first career walk-off hit. Amazing to think that with all our little Munchkin has accomplished, that he has never before gotten the chance to get mobbed and beaten joyfully by his team mates. Maybe he's gunning for Papi's title as the best clutch hitter on the team? Wouldn't surprise me.

This win could have been avoided. All Broxton had to do was throw a pitch low and out of the strike zone (cause we know Munchkin likes to hit the high fastballs). The count was 1-2, and he absolutely could have wasted a pitch or two in that AB. But I'm not a pitcher, so I'm not technically qualified to say what was called for on that occasion. Whatever was going through his head, I do not know. But I'm glad it went, because we got another ticket to the laser show. Can't complain about that. And wins? Can't complain about that either.

My goodness, I love Pedroia.