Breakfast With The Bo Sox

If your going to wait nearly 5 months for opening day, and have to get up at 6am to watch Dice K turn into Nuke LaLoosh, you better win the game. Well, thanks to the Manny/Moss combo, the Boston Red sox eked out a 6-5 win over the Oakland Athletics. 

Considering that Dice K was the Japanese version of The Wild Thing (5 walks and a hit batter in 5 innings) he managed to pitch a decent game by numbers, only allowing two hits, two runs and struck out six. But after getting the first batter of the game Travis Buck to ground out to second, Matsuzaka reverted to his 2007 inconsistencies.   

After falling behind in the count, the pesky Mark Ellis took a grooved fastball over the left field fence to make it 1-0. Then Dice K walked Barton, hit Cust, and walked Brown to load the bases.  I'm thinking, c'mon multi million dollar Matsuzaka, you're in your home park with your home fans, with a year under your black belt, against an Oakland team that has maybe one guy who could be a bench player on the Sox.  Throw a freakin' strike, it's legal in both countries.

To Dice K's credit, he made a great play on a slow bouncer down the third base line to get Crosby at first. Regardless, it was 2-0 on the fielders choice and Dice K was 25 pitches deep, something we saw many times last year.  I hate to quote Ken Macha (that not at all exciting guy who sometimes does the wrap up with Tom Caron on Extra innings) but he's right when speaking of Dice K.  He said something along the lines of "Dice K fears contact."  It's pretty much true, even when he gets ahead 0-2 he nibbles and picks and winds up walking guys.  It makes no sense to me, he's got plus stuff on at least 3 pitches and he seems to be very competitive. When he learns to be aggressive and pound the strike zone like the Man, Josh Beckett, he'll be that solid number two the Sox need.  But until then, get used to My Woman From Tokyo pitching every fifth day.

Aside from Dice K's early inning woes (he did settle down and pitch pretty well in his last three innings), the Sox have to feel pretty fortunate to win a game where J.D. Drew comes up lame, Ortiz goes 0-4 with 5 left on base, and Papelbon gives up 1 run on three hits in the 10th inning.  Call it fortunate or just call it the Manny and Moss show.  Down 2-0 in the sixth, with Pedroia at second after doubling to right, and Youk on first from a walk, Manny lined a one out double down the third base line to score both runners.  After Lowell struck out, Brandon Moss singled between first and second to give the Sox a 3-2 lead. Dice K was fired up in the dugout, he somehow had a chance at a W.

I couldn't have been happier for Moss, it was an emergency start, and who really knew what the 24 year-old could do. Obviously he did, and he had much more in store.  But what was J.D.'s deal?  Back stiffness on opening day?  The guy was Mr. Spring.  How could he not be in there?  This was supposed to be his come back year, not his weak back year.  What did he tell Terry "it's no good"?  He probably sounded like Maverick talking to his new wingman after Goose died.  "Engage, Maverick!"....  "no.....it's no good." I mean, JD's no Top Gun, but injuries and all, this could be another year of bumps and bruises for the $14 million dollar Ice Man.

Back to baseball.  Moss' go ahead run scoring single was short lived after Jack Hannahan took a Kyle Snyder fastball out of the park with a man aboard in the bottom of the sixth for a 4-3 lead.  After a couple of former Sox hurlers, Alan Embree and Keith Foulke, set down the Sox in the 7th and 8th respectively, it came down to the ninth.

With Houston Street on the mound, the Athletics closer, things weren't looking too promising after leadoff batter, Mike Lowell, flied out to center.  Moss was up, I figured he'd already used up his Randy Moss and would go back to Pete Moss, but what did I know.  No Drew and all, Moss hooked a two strike change up just over the right field wall to tie the game.  It was his first major league home run and couldn't have been any bigger. It was a breath of fresh air for the struggling Sox, the Fenway fans of the far east got rocking, and all of a sudden the Tokyo Dome changed from what seemed like a Sushi convention to an exciting baseball game.

After a scoreless inning from the other home town hero, Hideki Okajima, the stage was set for extra innings.  Lugo led off the 10th with an infield hit after the first baseman Barton couldn't scoop Hannahan's throw from third.  Pedroia sacrificed Lugo to second which set up the usual pick your poison scenario with Ortiz and Manny coming up.  The A's chose to walk Ortiz, who was 0-4, and pitched to I'm going to hit 600 home runs Manny. Down a couple of strikes, Houston threw a fastball down the wrong street and Manny blasted it off the top of the center field wall, scoring Pedroia and the off on contact Ortiz.  The Sox took a 6-4 lead.  

Papelbon had a very shaky outing, giving up three hits and a run in the 10th. After a walk and a strike out, he was the beneficiary of a big time bone headed running play by Barton who doubled and got tagged out trying to take third on the throw to the plate.  Two straight singles followed by Crosby and Hannahan, then Papelbon induced Suzuki into a game ending grounder to first. Sox win 6-5!

It was only the first game of the year, but considering it was a 6 am start for us, the Sox had to come from behind twice, the rookie Brandon Moss had to hit a ninth inning homer to tie the game, and people in the Cask and Flagon had to wait to 8:05 to drink (who gets to make these absurd alcohol consumption times? Not Ted Kennedy) it was a great win. 

Hideki Okajima was the first Japanese Major leaguer baseball player to get a win in Japan and Brandon Moss was the first Red Sox player since Ben Steiner in 1945 to hit his first home run on opening day. It was also the first time I ever got up at 5:30 to watch a live Sox game.  Just thought I'd give you some more quality trivia.

There you have it.  All this baseball stuff and it's only been one game.  Get ready for only 161 more.  Get some sleep, breakfast with the Bo Sox will be served up before you know it.