Running Log of Game Seven
9:12 PM, Top 2nd: Okay, it’s the top second … and JOHNNY DAMON JUST HIT A GRAND SLAM! JOHNNY DAMON! Amazing. Kevin Brown had been yanked after loading the bases, and Javier Vazquez had given up a salami to Damon. Just crushed. Good time for Johnny to break out. And now Bellhorn has been walked. Love it. Come on, Manny! I decided to do this log when Damon crushed it. I had to. I had to tell you guys! We had been up 2-0 on some nice hitting in the bottom first. And Brown is out after 1 1/3 innings.
9:19 PM, Mid 2nd: Still hyperventilating. If Lowe can get this second inning 1-2-3, he’s gotten through the meat of the order with no help. Wow. Dave Cohen, MVN Webmaster, said that he thought Lowe would be the unsung Hero of the ALCS… BEFORE the ALCS! Very perceptive. David Ortiz, apparently also said to watch out for Lowe after winning the ALDS… I’ve had to go to the bathroom since the very first pitch of the game. But I ain’t moving. Mojo is too good. Got my “9” hat on, a leather jacket I broke out for the first time today, a glove and a ball, and the TV on. Hey ho, let’s go!
9:26 PM, Bot 2nd: 1-2-walk-3! Lowe is on, like he was at Game 4, when I went! I know I’m all sheer joy and bliss, but I can’t help but think … if I had done this log last year for Game 7, I’d be all happy too … and the end would be crushing. IT IS NOT OVER. MORE RUNS ARE NEEDED.
9:37 PM, Top 3rd: 1-2-walk-3. Eh … would have liked to keep the pressure on. But fortunately we just saw a walk. At least it’s not a complete shut-down. But I want to see some movement on the bases next inning, fellers. Six ain’t enough.
9:41 PM, Bot 3rd: Cairo walked … leadoff walk. Not good. But according to McCarver last night, a walk is as good as a HR. So I guess it’s 6-1. Jeter ripped a ball just foul. Would have scored Cairo. Now he just stole second on a lousy pitch to Jeter. Lowe is not looking good here. And Cairo will score on a single by Jeter. I don’t like the lack of speed Manny has in left and his not so good arm. I mean, his bat is valuable, but I would prefer to see Ortiz at first base, with Manny DH and Roberts in left. Yes, it IS 6-1, but we can’t afford any runs … period. Lowe needs to pull up and get this out here with A-Rod at bat. Captain Intangibles on first, 1-0 to A-Rod … aha, Mike Myers warming. Good move in my opinion. Lowe threw 88 pitches two days ago. I expected him to get through three (strike to A-Fraud) and if he can get through three without giving up anymore, I am as happy as a clam. Wait … how can clams be happy? I don’t get it. (Foul by A-Rod.) No, really, how are clams happy? They have no emotions … and no mouth. So I guess I’m as happy as David Ortiz when he hit the game winning homer. There, that does it. Come on, Lowe. Strike him out or get a DP out of this. Tapper to Lowe, Lowe goes to first. Jetes on second, two out. I’ll take it. And my heart goes a-thumping, first time all game. And Sheffield is up. Ah, Myers and Leskanic. Pedro warming. Francona is the man. Perfect timing. And Sheff grounds to Mueller. And Mueller = Automatic. End third.
9:52, Top 4th: An … absolute … blast … by Johnny Damon. 3-3 with 2 HR, 6 RBI. Nice way to break out of a slump. Thanks, Johnny. 8-1! He had been 3-28 before this game. And now Bellhorn has walked on four pitches. 9:57 PM – Ortiz up … and what do I hear from the crowd? MVP! MVP! MVP! Love it. And now Vazquez is being yanked. Pun unintended. And now Varitek shoots one to Cairo which shoots likewise into right field … and the bases are juiced. The pitcher by the way is now Esteban Loaiza … yes, that Loaiza. COME ON, TROT! LET’S GO! OK, that didn’t work out well … 10:06 PM Millar grounded out. Come on. Don’t let it bite us. Shut … them … down.
10:14, Bot 4: 1-2-3! I’ve no words. Yet. It’s STILL only the fifth. One hitter, yes. But only the fifth. OK? Yes…
10:19, Top 5: Wow, everything is going our way. Mueller singles, Cabera breaks a bat, advances Mueller to second. Grounder back to Loaiza, he tries to pick Mueller off second, but Mueller slides into the ball and it goes way out into right field! Second and third. Pinch me. Dang. No runs. Bellhorn and Manny couldn’t get it done. But Lowe will, for sure! Let’s go, Lowe!
10:26, Bot 5: Nice play, Cabrera. Theo: Sometimes the best moves you don’t make ARE in fact the best moves. (A-Rod.) Then the best moves you make to shore up a weakness (defense) end up being the best moves. Period. And now Millar shovels to Lowe. Come on, one more one-two-three! STRIKE OUT! Amazing. One hitter.
I just saw this on Boston Dirt Dogs, they update so much, I never saw their other updates.
?”We wouldn’t have won the game if they didn’t get those calls right, especially the play by that punk-ass A-Rod. What he did was extremely unprofessional… no class move. It was the most unprofessional thing I’ve ever seen done on a baseball field… Derek Jeter would have never done that, he’s too much of a professional. Jeter, Posada, Bernie Williams, Matsui, those are the real Yankees. A-Rod’s not a real Yankee anyway, he’s an idiot like Barry Bonds. Hall of Fame numbers, but that’s about it.”
— Sox warrior Curt Schilling on Jim Rome/ESPN Sports Center/Fox Sports Net/ The Poughkeepsie Pennysaver/ etc. (paraphrased)
Amen, Curt. On to Top Six!
10:35 PM, Top Six: Ok, 1-2 by Loaiza … but it won’t matter IF WE CAN HOLD THE LINE! Pedro is warming. Sweet redemption. If he can pull it off … wow. Man, Lowe is really doing great here. Trot lines out. Bottom six, here we come.
Oh! Forgot to say … I heard on FOX today the Red Sox didn’t take batting practice. They watched the movie “Miracle” in the clubhouse. Miracle…
10:40 PM, Bot Six: Orlando Caberea is a vacuum. That is all. Pedro still warming, Mike Myers back up. GET THEM READY. Lowe has a one-hitter, but at the first hint of trouble… it’s Operation Bullpen! We can do it!
And Cabrera throws A-Rod out. One more, Lowe. One more. Let’s go! Uno mas!
SHEFFIELD STRIKES OUT! SHEEEEEFFFF!
10:48 Top Seven: Mueller singles! Pedro waiting to come in as Lowe is clearly done. High fives and handshakes galore. Pedro has to go uno, dos, tres, LOS PUNCHADOS DE PEDRO and then LA GLORIA! (Is that spanish for The Glory? Nooobody knows!) And now Cabera singles! First and Second. RUNS. As hoothehoo always says in the message board of the Cardiac Kids: “RUNS! I LOVE RUNS!” Hmm, Pedro’s got his jacket back on and Joe Torre is coming out. Reliever change? 10:52 It is Heredia. He used to be pretty good, struggled the last couple seasons but started pitching well at the end of this season. He used to be a Blue Jay. Not sure if he was any other team besides Yankees after being a Jay.
Hmm, and Damon will ground in a double play. I guess we’re fated to stay at 8. 86 years of misery … 8. To six? Dear God, no. Pedro’s warming, and it’s time for God Bless America. Go Petey!
PEDRO IN! PEDRO PEDRO PEDRO!
Bot Seven: And the predictable “Who’s Your Daddy!?” And Matsui doubles. COME ON PEDRO! Here’s Bernie Williams. Foul. Foul. And Bernie doubles, that will score Matsui. It’s 8-2. Posada. Strike. Gobbled by Millar, that’s an out. Bernie to third. Timlin warming. Good move. Pedro is clearly on a short leash. One out with Kenny Lofton up. Single, that’ll score another run, 8-3. Strike to John Olerud. Ball. Foul. 1-2. Foul. Another foul. I knew this would happen. It had to, didn’t it? It couldn’t be THIS easy. And now my Yankee friends are alive. Such fair weather fans. 11:07 and that’s a ball to Olerud, and Lofton steals second. The double play is now taken away, but we can still punch Olerud out. If Olerud gets on base, Timlin NEEDS to come on. STRIKE OUT! And now Cairo. Shut the crowd up!
People don’t understand why Pedro came in. Pedro gives you a chance to shut them down. The Yankees led in comeback wins … did we want to take it easy? NO. And case in point… ah, Cairo fouls. 93 mph there. Put all you got in here, Pedro. Now Varitek is going out to give Pedro a chance to breathe. 96 MPH! A ball, though. STRIKE TWO! (77 MPH.) Get it Pedro. Get. It. The windup … CAUGHT BY TROT NIXON AT THE WARNING TRACK! Thank you. Now while I am a huge fan of Pedro, I think we need to yank him here. If Francona doesn’t, I kind of have to question it.
11:14 PM, Top Eight: Tom Gordon in. MARK BELLHORN HITS A HOME RUN! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Manny pops up … and Timlin is warming. Good man. And Ortiz shoots this to a backwards catch by Jeter. Two down. Varitek up. Did you know Gordon got a champagne cork in the eye from the celebration earlier this year? Nice… I wonder if that affected him this series. Not that I care. Oh man, the suspense. PITCH THE BALL! It’s 1-2 on Tek. And Tek loops it to Matsui, just before the waning track. Six outs… last year we came within five. Can we close it?
11:22 PM, Bot Eight. Timlin in. Time to D.O. I.T. Ahhhh yes, Pokey at second. Perfect. Wow, a devout Christian just told me he hates the Yankees worse than Satan. There you have it. Ball. To Jeter. Ball. Ball Three. I don’t need this. Full count! MUELLER = AUTOMATIC! Lowe likes this! Now it’s time (oh, Mientkiewicz is also in, for Millar. Good, I was wondering this.) for Purple Lips Rodriguez. Count is 1-1. Yankee “friends” quiet. Fair-weather fans. Jesus.
Me: Aren’t you going to root on your team!?
Them: Silence, blank stares.
11:27 PM 3-1 on A-Fraud. Strike two. STRRRRIKKKE THREEE! Four … more … outs.
11:28 PM Sheffield on, strike one. I’m rocking back and forth like an insane madman. If we win, this is H-I-S-T-O-R-Y. 1-1 to Sheffield. Check swing! OHLAHNDO CAHBRERAH!!!
THREEEEEEE MORRRRRRRE OUTTTS! OH YE GODS! MAKE IT EASY!
11:32 PM Top Nine: Strike to Trot Nixon by Tom Gordon. Foul. Joe Castiglione, according to Dave, said that Brian Cashman is all alone in the executive box. If we win … you can bet there will be changes. Changes.
11:33 PM And it’s 2-2 to Trot Nixon.
Single!
Joe Castiglione again: 25% – 30% of the fans have already left the stadium. Wow. When they win, they have fans. When they lose, ABANDON SHIP. Sickening.
And now a charging Matsui cannot get a single by Mientkiewicz!
Mueller flies to Bernie, that’ll get a tag by Mueller. First and second, one out. And now my good men, we get to see Cabrera at bat. And that’s a sacrifice fly! 10-3! Ten To Three! Pile it on boys, I don’t trust the Yankees! Pile it on! And Torre will pull Gordon … with Rivera coming in. Ok…
You know, if we win … the Yankees can’t accuse us of choking anymore! They will have pulled the biggest choke ever. Wow. Thanks to Frank for that mind-blowing statement that I didn’t realize.
11:45 PM and it’s 0-1 to Damon. Tapper to Rivera, and that’s it.
It’s now or never.
TIMLIN!
11:49 PM STRIKE! BALL ONE! BALL (to Matsui) … Single by Matsui. Ah well, wasn’t gonna be easy.
11:51 PM Bronson Arroyo warming, Bernie Williams up… Ball One. Ball Two. Please. End now. 11:52 PM, STRIKE! (Two grand slams, they’re right back in it.) Ball. STRIKE! 3-2. 11:53 PM Embree warming up. Arroyo ran back up to continue warming. Miscommunication, perhaps. AND THIS WILL BE A … no, just the force at second by Pokey. I WILL TAKE IT!
ONE MORE! ONE MORE! POSADA POPPED OUT! UNO MAS!!!!!!!!
Ball … high, to Kenny Lofton. You just KNOW Schilling wants Lofton to make the last out ….
Ball two … ball three. COME ON TIMLIN! Ball four. Okay. So we need to do it for John Olerud, eh. Fine by me. Ah, but Tito’s coming out to yank Timlin. NO CHANCES! Embree coming in!
And Ruben Sierra will pinch-hit.
Sierra is a switch-hitter, so will bat righty. Bernie on second.
12:00 PM Ball. Come on! GROUNDER…
THE WIN! THE WIN!
THE SOX WIN! HISTORY! HISTORY! THE SOX WIN! YESSS!
Oh.
My.
God.