Yankee Doodle Do or Die
With two down and the count 3-2 in the first inning David Ortiz tried to bombard Monument Cave with his home run ball, his 21st of the season. In Nouveau Stade Fasciste the open-air museum is protected from onslaught by netting, so circuit clouts no longer bounce impertinently amongst the marble slabs.
The Yankees answered back in the bottom frame of the first with a two-run shot off the bat of Mark Teixeira. The first baseman took advantage of one of the few poor pitches hurled by Clay Buchholz, who notched his 12th victory with his 7⅓ innings, 9 hits, 3 earned runs, and 4 strikeout outing. He can celebrate his win along with the birth of his first child, a daughter he and his wife Lindsay named Colbi, born a mere two days ago.
The visitors took back the lead second. Javier Vazquez, who never looks comfortable against the Red Sox, failed to peel off on Mark Lowell’s infield pop-up to Francisco Cervelli. Vazquez’s battery partner dropped the ball, allowing Lowell to reach first safely and Adrian Beltre to take third. It seemed like Vazquez was trying too hard to make the play himself, as if he had something to absolve himself of, such as Johnny Damon’s grand slam in Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS.
The Yankees starter struck out Ryan Kalish on three pitches but then walked Jed Lowrie to load the bases. Vazquez gave up a free pass to Jacoby Ellsbury, who hasn’t been impressive at the dish since his return, to knot the game 2-2. Marco Scutaro mashed a double to left to plate two runs, granting his team a lead they would not relinquish.
Rookie Kalish added to the lead in the sixth by sending his first major league home run into the Yankees’ bullpen. There was no silent treatment on this four-bagger; the team’s injury situation and playoff picture are simply too dire to not revel in such an accomplishment. Now he is a true Red Sox player.
Most of the Yankees and their fans seemed remarkably complacent, satisfied even though their six-game lead was about to be diminished by one. Everyone but Derek Jeter, that is, who fended off 13 pitches to work a two-out walk in the bottom of the ninth.
Theo Epstein hasn’t given up on his team, unlike me. He signed left-handed Carlos Delgado to a minor league deal to platoon with Mike Lowell at first. He’s no Lance Berkman, but the low-risk signing might shore up the weakened lineup.
| Game 110: August 6, 2010 | ||
 Red Sox63-47 | 6 | W: Clay Buchholz (12-5) H: Daniel Bard (24) S: Jonathan Papelbon (27) |
| 2B: Adrian Beltre (32), Marco Scutaro (27), J.D. Drew (21) HR: David Ortiz (21), Ryan Kalish (1) | ||
| Yankees 67-41 | 3 | L: Javier Vazquez (9-8) |
| 2B: Robinson Cano (21) HR: Mark Teixeira (24) | ||
