I am using this icon because Mihashi and Daisuke both use a lot of breaking balls.
YAY! Here we go! I normally don't live-blog without Gameday (I can keep up with that more easily), but this is Opening Day. In Tokyo, Japan. It's sort of...mandatory this time around.
Only downside to this game being on TV? It's the day they chose to make my favorite prospect in the whole world temporarily inactive. Maybe I'll see civilian Jed in the dugout, though!
Yes, Brandon is in the game - J.D. Drew has a tight back. We'll see how this goes. It looks like the lineup last September.
Top of the First:
Dustin is in to start things off! He kicks if off by singling right down the middle! Yay! Blanton moves on and faces Youkilis. Hannahan drops the liner Youk hits at him - hey, he's a rookie, so be nice! - but manages to throw Youk out. Dustin advances to second. Papi time! Wooo! He pops up, going after the first pitch. Ah, but we have Manny to follow him up. Manny knocks one long, but foul, and then flies out to Travis Buck (ASU). Can't wait to see what happens next - Daisuke's about to come in!
Bottom of the First:
Holy freaking shit. The reception for Daisuke is REMARKABLE. He gets Travis Buck to ground out to his former college teammate, Dustin Pedroia, for the first out. Oh, how I adore my Pac-10 kids. Mark Ellis is up, and Daisuke...gives up a home run. Not the right way to start off, Daisuke. Barton is now at the plate, but Daisuke walks him. The A's have a man on first with none out and Jack Cust at the plate. Cust is from my home state of New Jersey, hooray! But the happiness stops there, because Daisuke hits Cust on a 2-2 count. His control is slipping away. With the next batter at the plate, Daisuke throws a wild pitch, and the runners advance to second and third. He then walks Brown to load the bases. This is certainly not the way Daisuke wanted things to go - especially in front of all his own fans. I feel horrible for him...Crosby up now. Daisuke is finally using that fastball. Crosby hits a soft ball back into the infield, and Daisuke throws him out at first. A run comes in, but it's only one run. Hannahan steps in. He once played against my boys in Pawtucket (with the Toledo Mud Hens), so it's nice to see him in the Majors. Hannahan works a full count, but finally strikes out to end the inning. That was ugly. Let's get some offense going, guys!
Top of the Second:
Mike Lowell is up first for Boston - and he gets a base hit! Hooray, Mike! Brandon Moss is up, added in as a late replacement for J.D. Drew, who has back problems. Brandon gets into a hole 0-2, but ends up hitting into a force out at second. Brandon is safe at first. Tek comes to the plate after him, but Tek hits into a double play to end the inning. Why can't we ever do anything right on Opening Day?
Bottom of the Second:
Okay, let's see how this goes. Kurt Suzuki leads off with a base hit (his grandparents are there from Nagano! Awww...). Sweeney up, and he pops out to Brandon, Ye Olde 2007 PawSox MVP. Travis Buck is at the plate now (Pac-10, yaaaaay), but he strikes out. Suzuki steals second - oh, where is Dusty Brown's glorious arm now that we need it? Two outs and a runner in scoring position for Mark Ellis. Daisuke walks Ellis to bring up Barton. Daisuke has already thrown 50 pitches, and it's only the bottom of the second inning. Daisuke manages to load the bases for the second time, and only now does John Farrell come out to talk to him. Cust is up, and he'll be waiting on that fastball that Daisuke pretty much has to throw - does anyone know if he has a special out pitch that he can use? Right now, it looks like it's the change-up. And Daisuke strikes him out to end the inning - that is the Daisuke I was looking forward to seeing this morning! Way to get out of that jam, Daisuke!
Top of the Third:
Jacoby is up for his first at-bat of the season...and strikes out. Welcome to your true rookie year, kid. Lugo up, and he singles. Dustin comes to the plate, but pops out, and Youk is up. Youk hits the ball j-u-s-t fair to Hannahan, but both Youk and Lugo are safe. Papi is now up with men at first and second. But for once, the shift actually works, and that's it. Let's see if Daisuke comes back out for the third...
Bottom of the Third:
Brown (not my Dusty Brown) up to face Daisuke, who is still in. He gets Brown to pop up on the first pitch. Crosby comes to the plate, and he hits a grounder back to the mound. Daisuke throws him out. ESPN shows a clip of Daisuke's Koshien no-no. He's so adorable! I wish Koshien was aired here - I'd love to see it. Hannahan is up now. He walks to bring up Kurt Suzuki. Suzuki lines it to short and Lugo nabs it - thank goodness! Let's move on to the fourth...
In other news, I have finished my very healthy breakfast of...popcorn. Wow. I'm a real college student now. I'm eating poorly.
Top of the Fourth:
IndyCar commercial! Woohoo! IndyCar is one of the components of my other love, auto racing (rallying is still better). It's more interesting to me than most other sports, and the fact that Mario Andretti's grandson Marco is there doesn't hurt, either.
Manny at the plate. He gets underneath a pitch and pops out to deep right. Lowell follows him, and does exactly the same thing, but to center. Brandon reveals his at-bat music is Fall Out Boy, then grounds out to end the inning. (Ha, Brandon, you're emo! I had no idea!)
I would like to see some offense, please. That would be nice.
Bottom of the Fourth:
Daisuke is still in to start the fourth, facing Ryan Sweeney. He makes an out as the commentators talk to Bud Selig. I'd love to see them ask him about why he's trying to fuck over the Cape League. (Selig makes 'Drotti sad.) Daisuke strikes Travis Buck, who looks like one of my reenacting friends, out looking, and then gets a grounder to Pedroia to end the inning. Whew, he's looking better! Too bad he's thrown so many damn pitches.
Top of the Fifth:
Tek is up. They play 'What Do You Do With A Drunken Sailor' over the loudspeakers for reasons unknown. Jacoby follows Tek, who made an out, up to the plate. Let's see if his second official rookie at-bat will work out better. Jacoby has worked a full count - as a good Sox hitter should be able to - and eventually makes an out, being thrown out at first. Julio Lugo, perhaps the star of the game for the Red Sox so far, is now up. He grounds out to short to end the inning, and we're halfway through this game. C'mon, guys, let's see some offense next inning...!
Bottom of the Fifth:
Remarkably, Daisuke is still in. The ESPN commentators are more interested in talking about the sakura. I'll be going to see the sakura in DC with my college's Japan Club on April 12th, which I can't wait for. It'll be pretty. Y'know what's prettier? Daisuke getting strikeouts, like the one he just earned. Jack Cust is at the plate now. Daisuke strikes him out, too! I approve! Mike Lowell cleanly fields the last out, throwing to Youkilis, and we're through five. Okay, so we're still down by two, but we're not out of this game yet!
I say we reactivate Jed and stick him out there in his civilian clothes so he can randomly homer like he did on Sunday. Okay, maybe not.
Top of the Sixth:
Dustin in to start things off for the Sox in the sixth. He doubles...to his college teammate, Travis Buck. Oh, irony, how I love you. A 'Let's Go Red Sox' chant arises as Youk comes to the plate. Youk works a walk on four straight pitches. There are men on first and second, no outs, and David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez on the way. Papi goes first, of course, and he works a full count. He pops out, and with one out and two on Manny is up. See, you have two of them to go through, and that's what makes this lineup so lethal. The combination of the two of them is just one of the most impressive things in baseball right now. Manny doubles hard down the left field line, and Dustin and Youk are both in! Tie game! (Youk runs awkwardly. I'd put him right up there with Jed and Tim Wakefield.) Mike Lowell time! Let's take the lead, Mike!
ESPN shows footage of Kyle Snyder in the underground bullpen. It's pretty interesting to see.
Mike strikes out to bring up Emo!Brandon. (I'm sorry, Brandon, as long as that song is your at-bat music, I'm calling you emo.) The PawSox MVP doubles to bring in Manny, and the Sox have the lead 3-2 in the sixth! Blanton leaves the ballgame and is replaced by an old friend, Alan Embree. Tek works a full count against him, then strikes out to end the inning. Hey, who cares - we got the lead!
Also, someone tell Manny Ramirez there are cameras. That was...interesting.
Bottom of the Sixth:
The sun has risen in Pennsylvania, and Kyle Snyder is in to pitch. I am tempted to compare his hair with Travis Buck's, but that's a game for another time. Snyder gives up a base hit to Crosby to start things off. Whoops. Hamburger Hannahan steps in, and he homers to give the A's the lead back. Greeeat. I like you, Kyle, but you can't do that anymore. He comes back to get Suzuki out, though, then does the same with Ryan Sweeney. The ESPN commentary: "No matter what, if you miss your spots and you make mistakes, guys are gonna do that." Woooow. Mind-shattering stuff, guys. (Dry humor does not translate well to the page.) Kyle gets Buck to pop up to his ASU teammate, Dustin Pedroia, and gets out of the inning...but we're losing, 4-3, and there are three innings left to play.
Top of the Seventh:
This is around the time I normally wake up on Tuesdays and Thursdays. My first class starts at 10, so this whole 6-in-the-morning thing works out. Here we go with Jacoby leading off the inning - let's see if we can get that rookie campaign going! Base hit for Jacoby! Here we go! That, ladies and gentlemen, was the kickoff to a potential Rookie of the Year campaign. It all depends on when people like Evan Longoria are called up...oh, but Lugo ruins it with a double play. C'mon, Dustin. (If Jed was in this game we could've used Mad Oregon Synergy, and that double play would've just been a Jacoby-scoring double. Seriously, check out what happens when Jacoby and Jed play together right here. Jed pulls the best pouty face in there...) Dustin hits a come-backer to the mound to end an inning with a lot of potential.
Poster on JOS: I'm ready for it but I don't see it...the era of Jed Lowrie is just around the corner. Oh, it could be on. I was hoping to see a new Lugo, but so far it might not be what we saw at the beginning of this game. I'd love to see Lugo turn it around from next year, but if he doesn't, we'll all be thanking the stars we don't have Santana. Actually, I've been thanking the stars for the non-existence of this trade for months, because I am obsessed with Jed Lowrie.
Bottom of the Seventh:
Ellis comes close to knocking another homer, but Jacoby is able to reel it in. Tito goes to the mound to pull Snyder for Javy Lopez. Now we don't have to be confused because the other Javy Lopez retired the other day. He faces Barton, who lines to first for the second out. Jack Cust is now up. Cust works a full count (or perhaps Javy worked the count, as it was 3-1 for a bit there). Javy earns a strikeout to end the inning - good outing, Javier! Two innings left to go!
Top of the Eighth:
There is a vacuum outside my dorm room. I hear it. It's 8:33 in the morning now, and some people have left for class. As I mentioned above, my first class this morning is at 10 (and tomorrow, it's at 11), so I should be able to watch the whole game.
Meanwhile, Youk starts things off against, of all people, Keith Foulke. Seeing Embree and Foulke in this game against the Sox is just...odd. I have my 2004 DVDs with me, and I'm tempted to watch them. It'll be very similar, except we'll have a clean-shaven rookie Youk instead. Youk hits it deep to center, but it's caught. Papi follows him to the plate. He flies out to left, and Manny's up. The commentators make jokes about how 'Manny Being Manny' must be a pain to the Red Sox. Actually, I think it's a convenient marketing ploy - every time Manny is Manny, the Sox make money. This time, though, Manny decides to strike out looking to end the inning. Three half-innings, and the first game of the season is over. Wow.
Bottom of the Eighth:
Jose Reyes commercial in which he talks to his bobblehead - so cute! I love Jose. He's a lot of fun to watch. (He and David Wright have one of the cutest friendships in baseball, too! It's right up there with Russ Adams and Aaron Hill, who "got married," and Jacoby and Jed, who have known each other so long that they can fix each other's swings.)
Bryan Corey in to pitch the eighth. Jacoby makes a FANTASTIC catch at the wall, but it reminds me of the concussion he got at Oregon State as a sophomore. Jed is probably worried (he was present at the concussion game). Jacoby seems fine, though. Bryan Corey jams Crosby to retire him, and there are two outs in the eighth. Hannahan hits a come-backer to Corey, who throws him out.
Top of the Ninth:
Huston Street is in to close for the A's. I love that name (and a lot of people appear to love Huston, based on that '10 players I wouldn't kick out of bed' meme. Mike Lowell hits one right out to center field, but it's caught. Emo!Brandon comes up next. (I heard his at-bat music and started giggling. I need more sleep.) ESPN says Huston is only 24. Wow. Can we have a closer rivalry between him and Jonathan?
Emo!Brandon ties the game up in the ninth with a home run! HOLY SHIT! I can think of one person on my Friends' List who is very, very happy right now. It's his first Major League home run, too! That's the 2007 PawSox MVP for you!
Okaji is up in the bullpen. Tek strikes out, and Jacoby is up. Let's see how he's feeling. He almost homers to right, but it goes foul. Almost, Slightly Concussed!Jacoby. He flies out to left, and we go to the bottom of the ninth! Wow. Wow, wow, wow.
Bottom of the Ninth:
I didn't think I'd need this section for a while, but now I do. One hour until class begins for me! Uh-oh.
Okay, that Nextel commercial where all the vehicles turn into creatures weirds me out. Seriously. More importantly, I hear Okajima Oki-Doki, which means that my favorite reliever is in! Let's get it done, Okaji! I guess we're saving Jonathan in case we get a lead - or perhaps for tomorrow. Meanwhile, my roommate is just waking up now. Okajima delivers a strikeout as she boots up her computer to check her e-mail. Mike Sweeney pinch-hitting for Ryan Sweeney. Someone want to make a Kansas City/PECOTA joke along the lines of The Dugout?
I'll just say 'Jif' and hope you understand what I mean.
Okaji walks Mike Sweeney on four straight pitches, and Sweeney gets a pinch runner immediately. Travis Buck is now up. He flies out to Slightly Concussed!Jacoby, who doesn't have to jump into the wall this time, and there are two outs. Ellis works a full count against Okaji, but then hits the ball back to him, and he's out. Extra innings - and forty-five minutes before my class begins. Damnit, why couldn't I have my M/W/F schedule today?
Top of the Tenth:
Lugo in to start things off for the Sox. Huston Street is still in the game, trying to preserve the tie. Lugo grounds it to third, and he makes it to first! Yes! Dustin is now up. Let's see what he does - will he bunt or go for it? I know Dustin loves hitting, but he sacrifice bunts quite nicely to get Lugo to second base (although the bunt does not stay on the ground - he did something I did once, bunted a pitch that was reasonably high up). Youk is now up, with Ortiz to follow. My stomach is tied up in knots. Youk strikes out, and there are two outs. Let's see if Papi can be...well, Papi. Street intentionally walks him to get to Manny. One wonders if he's going to intentionally walk Manny to get to Lowell, too. I almost feel like throwing up now. Manny hits a double, and that's it! The Sox take the lead 6-4!
It's funny - I felt that one coming when Street intentionally walked Papi and Manny strolled up to the plate. I wasn't sure if it was going to be a home run or not, but when Manny was up, I just knew they'd take the lead right there. Sometimes you can just tell.
Coco in to run for Manny. Mike Lowell at the plate now. Another intentional walk and another old friend - Lenny DiNardo - and Emo!Brandon Moss, he of the game-tying homer, is up. The ESPN commentators nickname him 'Babe Moss.' I am content with Brandon, thank you. Calling him 'Babe' makes it sound like we will win the World Series this year, then send him to New York and watch him blossom as a slugger. (I wouldn't mind the first part, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. This is Opening Day.) Emo!Brandon flies out to end the inning, and it's time to close this thing out - with Jonathan Papelbon.
Bottom of the Tenth:
Heeeeeeere's Johnny! We have Papelbon in now to close the game. I'm very, very nervous, even though I trust Jonathan. And yet, I can hear I'm Shipping Up To Boston in the background, and it's one of the most delightful things I've heard in months. The sight of Jonathan Papelbon on the mound - beautiful. Defensive changes - Jacoby to left, Coco to center, Alex Cora at short. Is Lugo's back acting up again?
Jonathan's stare - glorious. His pitching - even more glorious. Well, except when he walks leadoff batters. But he bounces back by striking out Cust. Now a double play would be perfect, but Jonathan gives up a double. The leadoff runner comes home, but the second runner is caught in a rundown between second and third and is double-teamed. That was...awkward. Two outs, and Jonathan is now facing Crosby. Crosby gets a base hit, one that might have won the game had the run-down not occurred. Baseball is such a game of chance, isn't it? Jonathan now faces Hannahan. Jonathan gives up another base hit, and now there are runners at first and second with two outs.
They just don't want me to go to class, do they? I care about my education, Jonathan.
I've finally resorted to the rally cap. Damnit, Jonathan, hurry up!
Finally, Kurt Suzuki grounds out to first, and we've won! We actually won on Opening Day! Okaji even got the win! HOORAY!
...now off to Japanese class.
So there we are. Hooray for baseball!
Only downside to this game being on TV? It's the day they chose to make my favorite prospect in the whole world temporarily inactive. Maybe I'll see civilian Jed in the dugout, though!
Yes, Brandon is in the game - J.D. Drew has a tight back. We'll see how this goes. It looks like the lineup last September.
Top of the First:
Dustin is in to start things off! He kicks if off by singling right down the middle! Yay! Blanton moves on and faces Youkilis. Hannahan drops the liner Youk hits at him - hey, he's a rookie, so be nice! - but manages to throw Youk out. Dustin advances to second. Papi time! Wooo! He pops up, going after the first pitch. Ah, but we have Manny to follow him up. Manny knocks one long, but foul, and then flies out to Travis Buck (ASU). Can't wait to see what happens next - Daisuke's about to come in!
Bottom of the First:
Holy freaking shit. The reception for Daisuke is REMARKABLE. He gets Travis Buck to ground out to his former college teammate, Dustin Pedroia, for the first out. Oh, how I adore my Pac-10 kids. Mark Ellis is up, and Daisuke...gives up a home run. Not the right way to start off, Daisuke. Barton is now at the plate, but Daisuke walks him. The A's have a man on first with none out and Jack Cust at the plate. Cust is from my home state of New Jersey, hooray! But the happiness stops there, because Daisuke hits Cust on a 2-2 count. His control is slipping away. With the next batter at the plate, Daisuke throws a wild pitch, and the runners advance to second and third. He then walks Brown to load the bases. This is certainly not the way Daisuke wanted things to go - especially in front of all his own fans. I feel horrible for him...Crosby up now. Daisuke is finally using that fastball. Crosby hits a soft ball back into the infield, and Daisuke throws him out at first. A run comes in, but it's only one run. Hannahan steps in. He once played against my boys in Pawtucket (with the Toledo Mud Hens), so it's nice to see him in the Majors. Hannahan works a full count, but finally strikes out to end the inning. That was ugly. Let's get some offense going, guys!
Top of the Second:
Mike Lowell is up first for Boston - and he gets a base hit! Hooray, Mike! Brandon Moss is up, added in as a late replacement for J.D. Drew, who has back problems. Brandon gets into a hole 0-2, but ends up hitting into a force out at second. Brandon is safe at first. Tek comes to the plate after him, but Tek hits into a double play to end the inning. Why can't we ever do anything right on Opening Day?
Bottom of the Second:
Okay, let's see how this goes. Kurt Suzuki leads off with a base hit (his grandparents are there from Nagano! Awww...). Sweeney up, and he pops out to Brandon, Ye Olde 2007 PawSox MVP. Travis Buck is at the plate now (Pac-10, yaaaaay), but he strikes out. Suzuki steals second - oh, where is Dusty Brown's glorious arm now that we need it? Two outs and a runner in scoring position for Mark Ellis. Daisuke walks Ellis to bring up Barton. Daisuke has already thrown 50 pitches, and it's only the bottom of the second inning. Daisuke manages to load the bases for the second time, and only now does John Farrell come out to talk to him. Cust is up, and he'll be waiting on that fastball that Daisuke pretty much has to throw - does anyone know if he has a special out pitch that he can use? Right now, it looks like it's the change-up. And Daisuke strikes him out to end the inning - that is the Daisuke I was looking forward to seeing this morning! Way to get out of that jam, Daisuke!
Top of the Third:
Jacoby is up for his first at-bat of the season...and strikes out. Welcome to your true rookie year, kid. Lugo up, and he singles. Dustin comes to the plate, but pops out, and Youk is up. Youk hits the ball j-u-s-t fair to Hannahan, but both Youk and Lugo are safe. Papi is now up with men at first and second. But for once, the shift actually works, and that's it. Let's see if Daisuke comes back out for the third...
Bottom of the Third:
Brown (not my Dusty Brown) up to face Daisuke, who is still in. He gets Brown to pop up on the first pitch. Crosby comes to the plate, and he hits a grounder back to the mound. Daisuke throws him out. ESPN shows a clip of Daisuke's Koshien no-no. He's so adorable! I wish Koshien was aired here - I'd love to see it. Hannahan is up now. He walks to bring up Kurt Suzuki. Suzuki lines it to short and Lugo nabs it - thank goodness! Let's move on to the fourth...
In other news, I have finished my very healthy breakfast of...popcorn. Wow. I'm a real college student now. I'm eating poorly.
Top of the Fourth:
IndyCar commercial! Woohoo! IndyCar is one of the components of my other love, auto racing (rallying is still better). It's more interesting to me than most other sports, and the fact that Mario Andretti's grandson Marco is there doesn't hurt, either.
Manny at the plate. He gets underneath a pitch and pops out to deep right. Lowell follows him, and does exactly the same thing, but to center. Brandon reveals his at-bat music is Fall Out Boy, then grounds out to end the inning. (Ha, Brandon, you're emo! I had no idea!)
I would like to see some offense, please. That would be nice.
Bottom of the Fourth:
Daisuke is still in to start the fourth, facing Ryan Sweeney. He makes an out as the commentators talk to Bud Selig. I'd love to see them ask him about why he's trying to fuck over the Cape League. (Selig makes 'Drotti sad.) Daisuke strikes Travis Buck, who looks like one of my reenacting friends, out looking, and then gets a grounder to Pedroia to end the inning. Whew, he's looking better! Too bad he's thrown so many damn pitches.
Top of the Fifth:
Tek is up. They play 'What Do You Do With A Drunken Sailor' over the loudspeakers for reasons unknown. Jacoby follows Tek, who made an out, up to the plate. Let's see if his second official rookie at-bat will work out better. Jacoby has worked a full count - as a good Sox hitter should be able to - and eventually makes an out, being thrown out at first. Julio Lugo, perhaps the star of the game for the Red Sox so far, is now up. He grounds out to short to end the inning, and we're halfway through this game. C'mon, guys, let's see some offense next inning...!
Bottom of the Fifth:
Remarkably, Daisuke is still in. The ESPN commentators are more interested in talking about the sakura. I'll be going to see the sakura in DC with my college's Japan Club on April 12th, which I can't wait for. It'll be pretty. Y'know what's prettier? Daisuke getting strikeouts, like the one he just earned. Jack Cust is at the plate now. Daisuke strikes him out, too! I approve! Mike Lowell cleanly fields the last out, throwing to Youkilis, and we're through five. Okay, so we're still down by two, but we're not out of this game yet!
I say we reactivate Jed and stick him out there in his civilian clothes so he can randomly homer like he did on Sunday. Okay, maybe not.
Top of the Sixth:
Dustin in to start things off for the Sox in the sixth. He doubles...to his college teammate, Travis Buck. Oh, irony, how I love you. A 'Let's Go Red Sox' chant arises as Youk comes to the plate. Youk works a walk on four straight pitches. There are men on first and second, no outs, and David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez on the way. Papi goes first, of course, and he works a full count. He pops out, and with one out and two on Manny is up. See, you have two of them to go through, and that's what makes this lineup so lethal. The combination of the two of them is just one of the most impressive things in baseball right now. Manny doubles hard down the left field line, and Dustin and Youk are both in! Tie game! (Youk runs awkwardly. I'd put him right up there with Jed and Tim Wakefield.) Mike Lowell time! Let's take the lead, Mike!
ESPN shows footage of Kyle Snyder in the underground bullpen. It's pretty interesting to see.
Mike strikes out to bring up Emo!Brandon. (I'm sorry, Brandon, as long as that song is your at-bat music, I'm calling you emo.) The PawSox MVP doubles to bring in Manny, and the Sox have the lead 3-2 in the sixth! Blanton leaves the ballgame and is replaced by an old friend, Alan Embree. Tek works a full count against him, then strikes out to end the inning. Hey, who cares - we got the lead!
Also, someone tell Manny Ramirez there are cameras. That was...interesting.
Bottom of the Sixth:
The sun has risen in Pennsylvania, and Kyle Snyder is in to pitch. I am tempted to compare his hair with Travis Buck's, but that's a game for another time. Snyder gives up a base hit to Crosby to start things off. Whoops. Hamburger Hannahan steps in, and he homers to give the A's the lead back. Greeeat. I like you, Kyle, but you can't do that anymore. He comes back to get Suzuki out, though, then does the same with Ryan Sweeney. The ESPN commentary: "No matter what, if you miss your spots and you make mistakes, guys are gonna do that." Woooow. Mind-shattering stuff, guys. (Dry humor does not translate well to the page.) Kyle gets Buck to pop up to his ASU teammate, Dustin Pedroia, and gets out of the inning...but we're losing, 4-3, and there are three innings left to play.
Top of the Seventh:
This is around the time I normally wake up on Tuesdays and Thursdays. My first class starts at 10, so this whole 6-in-the-morning thing works out. Here we go with Jacoby leading off the inning - let's see if we can get that rookie campaign going! Base hit for Jacoby! Here we go! That, ladies and gentlemen, was the kickoff to a potential Rookie of the Year campaign. It all depends on when people like Evan Longoria are called up...oh, but Lugo ruins it with a double play. C'mon, Dustin. (If Jed was in this game we could've used Mad Oregon Synergy, and that double play would've just been a Jacoby-scoring double. Seriously, check out what happens when Jacoby and Jed play together right here. Jed pulls the best pouty face in there...) Dustin hits a come-backer to the mound to end an inning with a lot of potential.
Poster on JOS: I'm ready for it but I don't see it...the era of Jed Lowrie is just around the corner. Oh, it could be on. I was hoping to see a new Lugo, but so far it might not be what we saw at the beginning of this game. I'd love to see Lugo turn it around from next year, but if he doesn't, we'll all be thanking the stars we don't have Santana. Actually, I've been thanking the stars for the non-existence of this trade for months, because I am obsessed with Jed Lowrie.
Bottom of the Seventh:
Ellis comes close to knocking another homer, but Jacoby is able to reel it in. Tito goes to the mound to pull Snyder for Javy Lopez. Now we don't have to be confused because the other Javy Lopez retired the other day. He faces Barton, who lines to first for the second out. Jack Cust is now up. Cust works a full count (or perhaps Javy worked the count, as it was 3-1 for a bit there). Javy earns a strikeout to end the inning - good outing, Javier! Two innings left to go!
Top of the Eighth:
There is a vacuum outside my dorm room. I hear it. It's 8:33 in the morning now, and some people have left for class. As I mentioned above, my first class this morning is at 10 (and tomorrow, it's at 11), so I should be able to watch the whole game.
Meanwhile, Youk starts things off against, of all people, Keith Foulke. Seeing Embree and Foulke in this game against the Sox is just...odd. I have my 2004 DVDs with me, and I'm tempted to watch them. It'll be very similar, except we'll have a clean-shaven rookie Youk instead. Youk hits it deep to center, but it's caught. Papi follows him to the plate. He flies out to left, and Manny's up. The commentators make jokes about how 'Manny Being Manny' must be a pain to the Red Sox. Actually, I think it's a convenient marketing ploy - every time Manny is Manny, the Sox make money. This time, though, Manny decides to strike out looking to end the inning. Three half-innings, and the first game of the season is over. Wow.
Bottom of the Eighth:
Jose Reyes commercial in which he talks to his bobblehead - so cute! I love Jose. He's a lot of fun to watch. (He and David Wright have one of the cutest friendships in baseball, too! It's right up there with Russ Adams and Aaron Hill, who "got married," and Jacoby and Jed, who have known each other so long that they can fix each other's swings.)
Bryan Corey in to pitch the eighth. Jacoby makes a FANTASTIC catch at the wall, but it reminds me of the concussion he got at Oregon State as a sophomore. Jed is probably worried (he was present at the concussion game). Jacoby seems fine, though. Bryan Corey jams Crosby to retire him, and there are two outs in the eighth. Hannahan hits a come-backer to Corey, who throws him out.
Top of the Ninth:
Huston Street is in to close for the A's. I love that name (and a lot of people appear to love Huston, based on that '10 players I wouldn't kick out of bed' meme. Mike Lowell hits one right out to center field, but it's caught. Emo!Brandon comes up next. (I heard his at-bat music and started giggling. I need more sleep.) ESPN says Huston is only 24. Wow. Can we have a closer rivalry between him and Jonathan?
Emo!Brandon ties the game up in the ninth with a home run! HOLY SHIT! I can think of one person on my Friends' List who is very, very happy right now. It's his first Major League home run, too! That's the 2007 PawSox MVP for you!
Okaji is up in the bullpen. Tek strikes out, and Jacoby is up. Let's see how he's feeling. He almost homers to right, but it goes foul. Almost, Slightly Concussed!Jacoby. He flies out to left, and we go to the bottom of the ninth! Wow. Wow, wow, wow.
Bottom of the Ninth:
I didn't think I'd need this section for a while, but now I do. One hour until class begins for me! Uh-oh.
Okay, that Nextel commercial where all the vehicles turn into creatures weirds me out. Seriously. More importantly, I hear Okajima Oki-Doki, which means that my favorite reliever is in! Let's get it done, Okaji! I guess we're saving Jonathan in case we get a lead - or perhaps for tomorrow. Meanwhile, my roommate is just waking up now. Okajima delivers a strikeout as she boots up her computer to check her e-mail. Mike Sweeney pinch-hitting for Ryan Sweeney. Someone want to make a Kansas City/PECOTA joke along the lines of The Dugout?
I'll just say 'Jif' and hope you understand what I mean.
Okaji walks Mike Sweeney on four straight pitches, and Sweeney gets a pinch runner immediately. Travis Buck is now up. He flies out to Slightly Concussed!Jacoby, who doesn't have to jump into the wall this time, and there are two outs. Ellis works a full count against Okaji, but then hits the ball back to him, and he's out. Extra innings - and forty-five minutes before my class begins. Damnit, why couldn't I have my M/W/F schedule today?
Top of the Tenth:
Lugo in to start things off for the Sox. Huston Street is still in the game, trying to preserve the tie. Lugo grounds it to third, and he makes it to first! Yes! Dustin is now up. Let's see what he does - will he bunt or go for it? I know Dustin loves hitting, but he sacrifice bunts quite nicely to get Lugo to second base (although the bunt does not stay on the ground - he did something I did once, bunted a pitch that was reasonably high up). Youk is now up, with Ortiz to follow. My stomach is tied up in knots. Youk strikes out, and there are two outs. Let's see if Papi can be...well, Papi. Street intentionally walks him to get to Manny. One wonders if he's going to intentionally walk Manny to get to Lowell, too. I almost feel like throwing up now. Manny hits a double, and that's it! The Sox take the lead 6-4!
It's funny - I felt that one coming when Street intentionally walked Papi and Manny strolled up to the plate. I wasn't sure if it was going to be a home run or not, but when Manny was up, I just knew they'd take the lead right there. Sometimes you can just tell.
Coco in to run for Manny. Mike Lowell at the plate now. Another intentional walk and another old friend - Lenny DiNardo - and Emo!Brandon Moss, he of the game-tying homer, is up. The ESPN commentators nickname him 'Babe Moss.' I am content with Brandon, thank you. Calling him 'Babe' makes it sound like we will win the World Series this year, then send him to New York and watch him blossom as a slugger. (I wouldn't mind the first part, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. This is Opening Day.) Emo!Brandon flies out to end the inning, and it's time to close this thing out - with Jonathan Papelbon.
Bottom of the Tenth:
Heeeeeeere's Johnny! We have Papelbon in now to close the game. I'm very, very nervous, even though I trust Jonathan. And yet, I can hear I'm Shipping Up To Boston in the background, and it's one of the most delightful things I've heard in months. The sight of Jonathan Papelbon on the mound - beautiful. Defensive changes - Jacoby to left, Coco to center, Alex Cora at short. Is Lugo's back acting up again?
Jonathan's stare - glorious. His pitching - even more glorious. Well, except when he walks leadoff batters. But he bounces back by striking out Cust. Now a double play would be perfect, but Jonathan gives up a double. The leadoff runner comes home, but the second runner is caught in a rundown between second and third and is double-teamed. That was...awkward. Two outs, and Jonathan is now facing Crosby. Crosby gets a base hit, one that might have won the game had the run-down not occurred. Baseball is such a game of chance, isn't it? Jonathan now faces Hannahan. Jonathan gives up another base hit, and now there are runners at first and second with two outs.
They just don't want me to go to class, do they? I care about my education, Jonathan.
I've finally resorted to the rally cap. Damnit, Jonathan, hurry up!
Finally, Kurt Suzuki grounds out to first, and we've won! We actually won on Opening Day! Okaji even got the win! HOORAY!
...now off to Japanese class.
So there we are. Hooray for baseball!