Nicely Seasoned Game: 8th Inning Got A Little Salty Though

Yes, it DID take me all night to come up with a title that bad, and I'm proud of it. Another thing I'm proud of? The Sox. Despite their aversion to winning in front of me, they all put their big boy pants on yesterday and managed a tough win... and I didn't have to leave the park!

Well, I mean, I left eventually. Pretty sure they wouldn't let me sleep there even if I wanted to, and no I don't want to.

So last night's game. It was a lot of fun, even if the first seven innings were offensively frustrating. I don't blame them for not hitting. They probably couldn't see the baseball with all that fog. I couldn't see the left field grandstand from the right field grandstand, and it wasn't because my eyes are that bad (they're not yet). It was pretty crazy, folks. I don't believe I've ever seen, or not seen, Fenway that foggy. Insanity.

But there was so much more than fog! There was baseball... at least I'm pretty sure of that! There was pitching (probably!) and hitting (very likely!) and even the occassional walk (that happened, too!). Dahmer actually pitched very well. He had a no-hitter going into the 4th, but his pitch count was getting very high very quickly. He made it through seven, throwing 127 pitches and only allowing four hits. That's about as good a performance as you're going to get out of him, and it was VERY appreciated. Bard came in for the eighth, threw one pitch, and then the tarp came on the field. It was a short delay, only about a half hour, and it was a pretty pleasant rain delay. It gave the boys a breather... a chance to collect themselves. They obviously needed it because all of the scoring in the game happened in the 8th.

There wasn't much scoring, of course, with a final of 1-0. With two outs, Crawford walked and Salty doubled him in. I may or may not have threatened to get law enforcement involved if Salty didn't get a base hit. Well, he must have heard me because he managed to hit it just far enough to score Carl from first. I considered giving the RBI to Varitek, but after a discussion with my friend, we decided to give Crawford credit for the RBI because he had to run all the way from first. He earned it.

Heart attack theater commenced in the 9th, with Paps allowing a double to V-Mart. Oh, V-Mart. I didn't give you a standing ovation, but I clapped loudly and heartily for you every time you came to bat. Maybe I should have clapped less heartily in the 9th. Luckily, a ground out and two strikeouts later, Dirty Water was playing, and we all left happy. Can I give Tek credit for the win? If so, Tek has the best winning percentage of all catchers this year. He's 1-0. Show me any other catcher who is 1-0. I dare you.

Beckett. Verlander. Tonight. And while I may not know what Josh was doing at Logan Airport yesterday, I know what he'll be doing on the field at Fenway tonight. Entertaining me. And that's why I love him.