Empyreal Environs

Game 71: June 22, 2005
Red Sox (41-30), 5
Indians (37-33), 4
W: Keith Foulke (5-3)
H: Scott Sauerbeck (7)
H: Bob Howry (10)
BS: Arthur Rhodes (1)
L: Bob Wickman (0-2)

As I’ve said before, “David” means “beloved,” and Ortiz is the most loved, and not just by Red Sox fans. So far he has garnered the most votes of any All-Star Game candidate with nearly 2 million votes. With 2 outs and on the first pitch, Ortiz doubled to right in the 1st inning. Although he didn’t end up scoring, what I liked most about this appearance is that he slid into second base feet first. I didn’t have my heart forcibly removed from my throat seeing another one of his head first dives. Ortiz is slipping, however, his only other hit being another double on the first pitch to Jody Gerut again. No RBIs tonight? No home runs? I expect a full dissection of his skid by Steve Buckley or Dan Shaughnessy any minute now, their poison pens poised to puncture the Ortiz mystique. John Olerud and Edgar Renteria both hit home runs to pick up for the slacking Ortiz.

The early innings saw a field etched in half sun, half shade from pitcher’s mound to plate. The chiaroscuro of the Jake may have affected fielding; both Manny Ramirez and Jay Payton made late breaks on fly balls. Alex Cora’s leadoff fly ball out in the 3rd inning was nabbed by Ramirez, but the ball shaded more into Payton’s territory. It was difficult to tell if it was a “Manny being Manny” moment or if it could be attributed to the lighting. After Manny caught it, he sort of spread his arms out, whirligig-like, and it looked briefly as if he were a Little Leaguer making a surprising catch. “Look, I caught one, ma! Whee!”

Wade Miller left in the 5th inning with more than a little sound and fury as he thought Larry Vanover was squeezing him. His line, 6 hits, 2 runs (1 earned), 3 walks, and 4 strikeouts, is a bit circumspect because of this tight strikezone. If you’re like me, you had a Bryce Florie flashback when that liner came whistling back right toward Miller’s head; his reflexes were thankfully sharp enough to avoid injury.

After Bill Mueller hit into a double play in the 5th inning, Don Orsillo pointed out that Mueller leads league in grounding into double plays with 14, and Renteria is not far behind with 12. With the tendency for both these players to hit up the middle, increasing the chances for a double play, it is best that they are separated in the lineup. We all know, when those ground balls sneak up the middle, eluding the limbs of pitchers and gloves of infielders, good things have happened.

Jason Varitek always seems to fall victim to high fastballs. He couldn’t lay off the high heat with the bases loaded, full count, and 2 out in the 6th inning. Ironic, because he so often exploits this vulnerability when he’s behind the plate, often flagrantly taunting by basically standing up as if to say, “Come on, you know you want to swing.”

The Cleveland Indians’ bullpen is a repository for former Boston relief pitchers, featuring Sauerbeck and Howry. (Perhaps they’d like to take Alan Embree out for a spin again.) Facing these former Red Sox hurlers, as well as Arthur Rhodes, Olerud and Mueller led a 2-run resurgence in the 8th inning with RBI singles. The comeback was underway in the 9th with leadoff hitter Payton doubling a 2-1 Wickman pitch into center. Grady Sizemore (he of the porn name, as 12eight points out) didn’t come up cleanly with the ball, so Payton proceeded to third base, where he was driven in by Renteria to score what would the winning run.

The Red Sox are now 10-7 in one-run games and swept the once incendiary Indians. Cleveland Indians? Who are Cleveland Indians? We have no respect for that team. We are Red Sox.