Context
What to expect in today’s games? The first one on this twin bill was the resumption of the suspended game from June 26, which was called in the second inning due to weather. We knew in advance it would make history by featuring one player—our own Danny Jansen—playing for both teams during the “same” game. He started at catcher for the Blue Jays and was at bat when the game was called. At the trade deadline, he was traded to the Red Sox and was named as our starting catcher today. Normally, this is against the rules; even if a player is traded mid-game he can’t be removed and reinserted into another team’s lineup, even if time allowed him to race over to his new team’s dugout. Several items from this game were already earmarked for the Hall of Fame before the game even began.
The second game of the doubleheader would be similarly historic in featuring another first: two female broadcasters for the Red Sox (working alongside two male broadcasters). We’ll get to that later.
On top of making history, there were the usual problems of going about winning two baseball games in one day. So here we go!
Game Action
Oh boy, is my scoring sheet a mess! With two months and a trade deadline in between games, a number of players no longer play for either team. The Red Sox had three substitutions to start the game; the Jays had five.
They were hitless and scoreless through five. Lots of strikeouts on both sides. Wilyer Abreu had a great sliding catch to close out the top of the fifth. Jansen, appropriately enough, got the first hit for the Sox, a single in the fifth inning. Alex Cora got creative and aggressive in the sixth, bringing in right-handed hitters. The plan worked (at first); Romy Gonzalez executed the Sox first extra-base hit of the game. In the next at-bat, Tyler O’Neill came on to pinch-hit (hitting .316 vs. the Jays this season) and walked. And it kept looking good as we initially saw Rafael Devers, the next batter, get hit in the back by the catcher’s throw to first. We were told that Gonzalez scored, and O’Neill moved to third, with Devers standing on first. But it was not to be! The run was given back, the runners were returned to first and second, and Devers was out for batter interference, for stepping on the edge of the grass as he ran to first. The rest of the inning was uneventful, and the game remained scoreless.
Until the next inning: New Englander George Springer launched a ball waaaay over the Monster. It was followed by a strong single. Nick Pivetta, who began today’s portion of the game though it was officially a relief appearance, seemed to be tiring. Two batters later, he made a god-awful pickoff attempt that went super-wide and into center field, putting a runner on third. He was able to hang in there and conclude the ten-pitch at-bat with a strikeout. Audible sigh of relief!
Pivetta returned for the eighth. Casas committed a fielding error by taking his eye off a groundball. Romy G and Pivetta both converged on the bag, trying to pick the ball up and still make it happen, but despite Romy’s best efforts, it didn’t work out. Pivetta looked pissed, and came out in favor of Luis García, who promptly gave up two doubles as three runs scored to make it 4-0.
And once again, it got late fast.
Jarren Duran, who had been 0-3 spanning the entirety of the game, homered in the bottom of the eighth, just barely clearing the Monster. But that was it for the eighth, and the Sox once again left themselves with some heavy lifting to do in the ninth.
With two outs in the ninth, Masataka Yoshida barely missed a home run, lifting one high up on the Monster and notching himself a double.
That brought up Jansen again, the man of the day, with a chance to keep the Sox alive. But it wasn’t to be…he struck out and that’s the kind of game it was for the Sox today.
Three Studs
There’s not much to celebrate today, in terms of individual performance. The Sox were up to their usual tricks, not able to get anything done, and then giving us too little, too late.
Jansen
No matter what, he was going down in the history books. But he also had a hit.
Duran
Solo HR
Gonzalez
A double, and good effort in the field, as always
Duds
García
0.2 IP, 2H, 1R, 1K
Sox offense, again.
With only four hits all day, the Sox hitters have a lot to answer for. In today’s portion of the game, there were eleven strikeouts. At least Casas drew a walk, but our hitters generally looked feeble. The outs weren’t strongly hit, either.
“Not great, Bob.”
Play of the Game
Some may say Duran’s home run, but Abreu’s sliding catch in the fifth inning was the more fun and more spectacular play.
Rejoin us later today for the wrap-up of the night game, and the historic night in the broadcast booth as the excellent duo from Double A, Emma Tiedemann and Rylee Pay, staff the NESN booth with the regular crew.
