Overthrown
| Game 86: July 10, 2009 | |||
| Royals | 0 | L: Brian Bannister (6-7) | 37-49, 1 game losing streak |
 Red Sox | 1 | W: Jon Lester (8-6) S: Jonathan Papelbon (23) | 52-34, 1 game winning streak |
| Highlights: The Royals took the suspense out of a perfect game bid with leadoff batter David DeJesus walking in the first inning and there was no no-hitter to hope for with Mark Teahen’s infield single to short in the second inning. But on the other side of the country another southpaw, the Giants’ Jonathan Sanchez, threw his team’s first no-hitter since September 29, 1976. John Montefusco no-hit the Braves in Fulton County Stadium with Atlanta’s Jerry Royster’s fourth-inning walk keeping The Count from a perfect game. | |||
Derryl Cousins doesn’t seem to be the ornery type but in the fifth inning he ejected Jacoby Ellsbury faster than, well, an Ellsbury trying to score from third. Replays showed that the Red Sox center fielder eluded Miguel Olivo’s tag. But what was Mark Kotsay, who doesn’t have the best wheels since returning from the disabled list due to a calf injury, doing running for second?
Ellsbury implied that Kotsay was supposed to be caught in a rundown so that he could score, but that claim is unlikely given Terry Francona’s aversion to sacrificing outs, particularly with two outs remaining in the inning.
Home plate umpire Cousins unintentionally helped the local nine by ejecting Ellsbury. In the seventh center field substitute Rocco Baldelli cleanly fielded Olivo’s fly ball on the warning track and hurled the ball to Dustin Pedroia on one hop. The relay was on target and nailed Mark Teahen at the keystone sack. The 8-4 double play, a twin killing Ellsbury would be unlikely to execute, staunched the incipient Royals rally.
Kotsay grounded a single up the middle to kick off the eighth and Francona, noting his utility man’s mobility issues, pinch ran Aaron Bates. This late in the game warranted giving up an out to get the runner into scoring position, and Nick Green successfully bunted Bates to second.
The combination of a former MVP in the box and a runner on second perturbed Brian Bannister. He sent a pitch to the backstop and Bates was 90 feet from breaking the scoreless tie. Pedroia was all over Bannister’s middle-middle change-up, caroming it off the middle of the left field wall for the singular run of the game.
NESN mistakenly cut to commercial in the sixth; someone in the booth failed to notice that Kevin Youkilis reached on Willie Bloomquist’s throwing error with two out. Luckily for them they didn’t miss the entirety of David Ortiz’s at bat, which was a strikeout anyway. Imagine the endless stream of complaints had they failed to capture Papi’s 301st blast.
As Bill Cosby said, “I’m trying to watch the game, you’re bothering me.”
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