Empyreal Environs

Game 144: September 13, 2005
Red Sox (84-60), 3
Blue Jays (72-72), 9
L: Matt Clement (13-5)
W: Scott Downs (3-3)
H: Justin Speier (7)
2.5 games ahead in the division
1 game losing streak

That was a bad game.

When your opponents’ 9-hole hitter gets a key home run in the 2nd inning against the pitcher that has been the team ace in function if not in name, you know things won’t be going your way. It was as if Gabe Gross took out all his childhood trauma caused by his surname on the 0-1 pitch Clement laid out for the right fielder. Grody, dude. Gag me with a runcible spoon.

Let’s not talk about it too much, okay? All right, great. Moving on.

Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy tried to be more entertaining than usual since the game was not. Remy talked about how players don’t want their individual records broken. He said that those ceremonies public relations departments create when someone’s record is about to be broken aren’t appreciated by the record holder, calling them “a bunch of baloney.” The player whose record is being broken usually fake smiles throughout the pomp and circumstance, he claimed. This led to discussion of Remy’s 4 steals in a game Red Sox franchise record.

Orsillo: You still have great speed today.
Remy: Getting out of the ballpark.

Looking up Remy’s record, I found these other notable records held by Red Sox players:

• Most hits in succession: Mike Higgins, 12 in four games in 1938
• Most 2-base hits, career: Tris Speaker, 792 from 1907 to 1915
• Most 2-base hits, season: Earl Webb, 67 in 1931
• Most 2-base hits, season by a rookie: Fred Lynn, 47 in 1975
• Most bases on balls, game: Jimmie Foxx, 6 in 1938

The Red Sox aren’t getting what they paid for from Edgar Renteria. Interesting to note that Derek Jeter and Renteria together make just a few million more than the rest of the list of shortstops below combined. Although his errors are galling, I would prefer to have Renteria’s production in the lineup, even in light of his cohorts’ higher fielding percentages and range factors. We all know what a dubious statistic range factor is, however.

Jeter’s range factor has been improving since 2004. In 2003 it was a career-low 3.75 and the next year it rocketed to 4.46. It’s a huge benefit to have the best shortstop in the American League playing to your right, it seems. Eckstein’s range factor was 3.83 last year with Anaheim; he definitely seems to have benefited by having perennial All-Star Scott Rolen next to him for part of the season. Perhaps part of Renteria’s problem is adjusting to his new infielders?