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Best In Show Winner Declared
If the next 17 games that these two teams face each other are half as entertaining as this one, Yankee and Red Sox fans alike will have a lot to cheer about. While things looked decidedly in the Yankees' favor for most of the night - thanks in large part to the hottest hitter in the universe - the outcome was uncertain until the final out was recorded.
Lately, whenever either of these teams play, the only thing that seems to matter is the late innings. Comebacks are becoming the rule instead of the exception for both the Yankees and Red Sox. That played out again as the Red Sox were down 6-2 in the 8th inning. Ortiz lined a double off of lefty specialist Mike Myers. That brought Luis Viscaino to the hill and the rally was on. The Sox cut the lead to 6-3 with just one out, and into the ballgame is Mariano Rivera. Before he can record an out, the Sox took the lead on a Varitek single and two unlikely heroes in Crisp and Cora. Coco tripled to the right field corner driving in the tying runs, and Cora muscled a tough pitch over second base to plate Crisp. Cora was caught stealing and Lugo K'd.
Normally, you would see Jonathan Papelbon stride confidently from the bullpen in this situation. But after pitching back-to-back days in Toronto, Paps was unavailable. Enter Hideki Okajima. Never once mentioned as a potential closer in the spring when the job was up for grabs, Okajima has quietly done his job, striking out 6 of the last 8 batters he faced. Here he was facing the heart of the Yankee line-up in the 9th inning of a one-run game. After getting Jeter to ground out, he walked Abreu. Next up: A-Rod.
Alex Rodriguez continued his dominance of anyone silly enough to throw a baseball in his direction. He took Schilling deep twice and doubled off of Romero. It would take one of the many unlikely heroes of the night - Hideki Okajima - to silence A-Rod. On a 3-2 pitch, Okajima jammed him and A-Rod lined softly to Alex Cora. Kevin Thompson - who pinch-ran for Giambi in the 8th - was over matched and Okajima struck him out to end the game.
If you ever heard people talking about a Red Sox - Yankees game where one closer was the goat and one was a hero, and those two closers were Rivera and Okajima, how many people would ever envision this outcome? But Red Sox fans - while never expecting it - are becoming familiar with the site of Rivera snapping his head back after throwing a pitch to a Red Sox batter. Twelve of his career blown saves are against the Red Sox.
All this in game one. Seventeen more, starting tomorrow.
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