Monday, September 26, 2016

Another new book.  I knew almost nothing at all about this team -- even though they were the team the Red Sox were eventually named after.   Until I worked on this book.  It was a really great learning experience. Thanks to Bob LeMoine for suggesting it.



What a game!  Not to mention Pedroia's play, which words fail to describe.

The win was the 11th in a row for Boston, and at one point as the game progressed, Sox pitchers struck out 11 consecutive Rays, establishing a new major-league record. Eduardo Rodriguez had already struck out the side in the third, the fourth, and the fifth – but not all of those were included in the run of 11. He walked the second batter he faced in the fourth. Then he struck out the next two. Add in the three batters from the fifth, and the first of the sixth, and we're up to six in a row retired with a K. He was whiffing the Rays at a pace he could have blown past the 20-K record, but his pitch count was already up to 113 and not only were the Red Sox not about to endanger their young pitcher. They also wanted to win the AL East. Heath Hembree came on in relief – and he faced five batters (two in the sixth and three in the seventh), and struck out every one of them. Matt Barnes later struck out one and Joe Kelly two, giving the Red Sox staff 21 Ks in nine innings, a new major-league record. The game did go to extra innings, and Kelly struck out two more in the 10th, for a team total of 23 Ks in 10 innings.