Mark Teixeira's bat got hot right in time for the post season. He hit 2 homeruns, including a grandslam. Jones also hit a homerun, while Betances made his first major league start, going 2 innings and not allowing a run. In the meanwhile, over in Baltimore, the Orioles were playing what must have seemed like the world series to them. When all was said and done, the Red Sox couldn't stave off the Orioles in the 9th, and Papelbon took the loss on a walk-off single by Robert Andino. This now proves that Andino is actually a prophet, having foreseen his future success when he took his profile picture at the beginning of the season:
Picture SourceThe Bad
We lost. Not in any real sense, but still.
The Ugly
Dropping a 7 run lead has to go here, but at the point the Rays were rallying, our regulars were on the bench, our bench players were on the field, and our best releivers were at their respective homes, or at least should have been considering that none of them were going to pitch today. You have to tip your hat to the Rays. They came back from a 7 run deficit to win the game in extra innings. It was kind of epic the way the Rays were playing into extra innings while the Red Sox had a rain delay also extending the outcome of the game later into the evening. When all is said and done, the Rays completed their epic surge while the Red Sox completed their epic collapse. I'm sure the Mets could offer some words of consolation in this time.
What a Great Way to End the Season for the Babies
Three homeruns between Teixeira and Andruw Jones. What a great way to end the season for the Children's Health Fund. That's $6 for the babies.
Mark Teixeira 39hr = $78
Curtis Granderson 41hr = $82
Russell Martin 18hr = $36
Alex Rodriguez 16hr = $32
Jorge Posada 14hr = $28
Robinson Cano 28hr = $56
Andruw Jones 13hr = $26
Brett Gardner 7hr = $14
Nick Swisher 23hr = $46
Derek Jeter 6hr = $12
Francisco Cervelli 4hr = $8
Eduardo Nunez 5hr = $10
Ramiro Pena 1hr = $2
Eric Chavez 2hr = $4
Jesus Montero 4hr = $8
Chris Dickerson 1hr = $2
Total = $444
6 comments:
I confess I did not follow either the Sox or Yankees game to completion, going to bed with the Sox up 3-2 and the Yankees up 7-0. When I checked the scores this morning I thought I was hallucinating, especially when I saw "L-Papelbon."
Then I saw "L-Proctor" and knew that it had to be real!
This will never get old.
http://www.nesn.com/2011/01/2011-red-sox-will-challenge-1927-yankees-for-title-of-greatest-team-in-major-league-history.html
Excuse me while I gush about the Rays.
The Rays have a $41 million payroll, second lowest in baseball. They cut about $30 million from their 2010 payroll. They lost Crawford and nearly their entire 2010 bullpen. They got nothing out of Manny Ramirez. And yet they're in the playoffs with 91 wins and a roster of mostly home-grown players.
Then consider that this is the Rays' third playoff appearance in the last four years, even though they play in baseball's toughest division and always have a low payroll.
If Moneyball hadn't already exhausted the idea of the small-market team winning against all odds, the Rays would be the stuff of books and a movie. This is a team that plays in a horrendous stadium, draws no fans (fewer than 30,000 on a night when they could clinch!) and can only sign bargain-priced free agents, and yet repeatedly succeeds against the $200 million Yankees and $160 million Red Sox. They are a brilliantly-run team and I hope they win the Series if the Yankees don't.
I totally agree with you Rich. Tampa Bay is a great team
Now excuse me while I gush about Alfredo Aceves.
Cashman made some fantastic moves and non-moves this season. He used Nova, Colon, Garcia, Wade and Ayala to stock the rotation and pen with quality performers for essentially nothing. He stuck with Gardner rather than throw money at Crawford or Werth. He never made an impulse trade and the Yankees still have their best prospects as a result.
But Cashman made one big mistake (even if we blame Levine for Soriano): failing to retain Aceves. The Yankees had struck gold with him and there was no excuse for letting him leave, especially when Cashman had done so well at making other value signings.
Aceves put up a 2.61 ERA this season in 114 innings, at a salary of $650,000. So he was easily one of the best deals in baseball. But what he did for the Sox in these last few days was unreal. Starting with the night game on Sept. 25, Aceves appeared in 4 straight games and threw over 7 total innings of 1-run ball, with that run coming in a game the Sox won. That run was the only one he allowed in a span of 9 starts.
Aceves is one of those rare relievers who not only knows how to pitch, but will do whatever the team requires of him and will pour out his heart in the process.
From my perspective, the only bad thing about the Sox' collapse is that Aceves won't get the credit he's due. If the Sox had won the Wild Card, Aceves would have been a hero, and deservedly so.
Finally, kudos to the Alejandros for raising so much money for the CHF!
I have to a agree on every count Rich! I never saw that article on NESN, and I have to say its hilarious! I've been a long time admirer of what the Rays have been doing, and honestly, just wait for the 2014 Rays. That's about when we'll start seeing the results of this years draft where they earned multiple draft picks for losing all those type A and B players to other teams. If the Rays had won in 2008 world series or end up going this year, Disney is bound to make a movie.
Aceves is one player I think we shouldn't have let go. They said they were scared of his back problems, but for a player who made under a million dollars, it seems like a risk worth taking. Ironically, they did not have similar trepidation over Soriano's shoulder and elbow problems, and they threw $35 million dollars at him. But with how well our bullpen has been, letting Aceves go is a mistake that hasn't come back to bite us.
And thanks for the kudos! Now with Cano as the homerun club Captain, the CHF will probably find it much easier to raise money. At least I hope so!
Post a Comment