Regal
| Game 114: August 5, 2008 | |||
 Red Sox |
8 | W: Josh Beckett (10-8) | 65-49, 1 game winning streak |
| Royals | 2 | L: Brian Bannister (7-10) | 53-61, 1 game losing streak |
| Highlights: Beckett attained double digits in wins at last. In 2007 he was one of the first in the league to reach 10 wins on his way to 20. This year has proved to be a struggle for consistency and run support, but a perfect balance was struck last night. Beckett went six and two-third innings with a tally of four hits, two earned runs, two walks, and two strikeouts. One of the runs was allowed by Mike Timlin, but the mop-up man settled in to shut down the home team lineup in the eighth. In a mere nine pitches Chris Smith dismissed three Royals, securing the win. | |||
Kauffman Stadium ground rules state:
Foul poles -- above surrounding fenceline is a home run. Below surrounding fenceline is in play.
Ball going into dugout, camera bays or hitting padded protective railings along dugout is out of play.
Ball hitting guy wires supporting backstop screen is the same as ball going into stands.
Batted or thrown ball that hits tarpaulin area cover is in play.
Thrown ball lodging in or under backstop protective canvas and remaining: 2 bases; Pitched ball: 1 base.
Furthermore, the page for Universal Ground Rules incorrectly states that Kauffman, along with Yankee Stadium and U.S. Cellular Field, have no specific ground rules of their own.
At any rate, all the rules are strangely mute on the padded walls of the outfield. So neither page came handy for the sixth inning of last night’s game. Jason Bay’s leadoff hit to left-center was knocked on top of the wall by Mitch Maier and then pulled back into the field of play by left fielder Ross Gload. After the spectacle in center resolved, Kevin Youkilis scored, Mike Lowell advanced to third (painfully), and Bay stood at second.
Lowell and Bay scored on Jed Lowrie’s fence-hugging triple. He was rewarded for his achievements by being moved into the two slot for tonight’s game. Who-lio Lugo who? Lowrie also smothered a sharp grounder by John Buck in the second far to his right, verging on Lowell’s territory. He popped up with a quickness and made an unerring throw to Youkilis for the out.
Other rookies contributed as well: Jacoby Ellsbury swiped his first base since July 1. Emboldened by his steals, in the sixth Ellsbury tried to score on Alex Gordon’s fielding error. Jason Varitek crossed the plate but the center fielder was thrown out at home.
It was Bay who got the accolades in the form of a foam pie in the face from David Ortiz. If that is the reward for going 4-for-5, hopefully Bay enjoys menthol freshness and won’t be dissuaded from future stellar showings.
