Empyreal Environs

Game 53: June 3, 2006
Red Sox (32-21), 2
Tigers (37-19), 6
L: Tim Wakefield (4-7)
W: Jeremy Bonderman (6-4)
S: Fernando Rodney (7)

Both Detroit pitchers involved in last night’s game have have hit songs as their namesakes. Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy” is about a teenager who shoots himself in front of his class while ABBA’s “Fernando” is about a man that was part of the Mexican Revolution against the tyranny of President Porfirio Díaz. Songs with women’s names usually aren’t statement songs; these ditties are typically mawkish motifs designed to get the composer and/or lyricist laid.

Which is perhaps why Chris Berman uses song lyrics in his pathetic nicknames. “You’re with me, leather,” just doesn’t cut it, even when you’re a flagship anchor of the worldwide leader in sports. Although lately, in terms of bulk, he and John Kruk seem to comprise more than their fair share of the entire fleet.

Of the Red Sox batters, only Alex Cora, Doug Mirabelli, and Trot Nixon, were able to unravel the riddle of Bonderman. Nixon drove in a run in the first inning to give his team a short-lived lead. Cora led off the eighth inning with a Comerica triple and eventually scored on Coco Crisp’s ground out to second.

In contrast to the dearth of Boston hitting, all of the Tigers’ runs were the result of the longball. Tim Wakefield, despite pitching seven quality innings with a line of six hits, three earned runs, two walks, and six strikeouts, was burdened with his seventh loss of the season. He relinquished a third of the homers he did on August 8, 2004, a game in which the Red Sox were able to out-muscle their fellow charter members of the American League.

The Red Sox were in the game until Julian Tavarez conceded a three-run home run to Magglio Ordóñez in the bottom of the eighth. As heartening as it is to see a historic franchise regain its prominence, it could have continued to do so against the Royals and Twins of the world rather than the Olde Towne Team.