Monday, July 30, 2012

Quick post: Why last night's victory is great news

For those of you who didn't catch light nights exciting Sunday Night Baseball game between the Red Sox and the Yankees, you only missed the turn around in the Red Sox season. No big deal.

To begin with, taking two out of three games from the New York Yankees IN New York is a big deal on it's own. As is getting back to .500. As is doing it in extra innings. All of those compounded are a pretty big deal. Paired with the events of the exciting 10th inning, this victory will change the face of the Red Sox for the remainder of the season. Here's the run down:

Will Middlebrooks up to bat, one on. He shows bunt, but pulls back when realizes its coming inside. It hits him on the wrist and hits the ump. Both fall to the ground in pain. Does Middlebrooks get first base? Nope! Umps assert it hit the bat for strike two. Bobby V comes out to argue, and it's quite easy to see the ejection coming. But, being Bobby V and the Red Sox manager, he's got to get his money's worth. He starts back to the dugout still infuriated, sees Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Beckett - among others - also enraged, shouting at the umps. Bobby V goes back for one more spat and then retires into the dugout, but not before throwing his gum at the dugout wall. He stays to give one last sign while Beckett continues his tirade and gets himself ejected, too.

Middlebrooks eventually got to first on a single, and Pedro Ciriaco hit the game-winning bloop single moments later. Very exciting!

Why does this matter? Managers getting ejected always fires up their team, and this is the perfect time to light a fire under the Red Sox, especially after some questionable comments from Orel Hershiser that were quickly repudiated. (Hershiser claimed Andrew Miller was non-chalant, jovial, and uninterested after leaving after putting the would-be go-ahead run on base. Miller told reporters that teammates were keeping things cool for him so he didn't get too upset with himself)

With Beckett, this is great for many reasons: 1. Any time a player gets ejected for arguing for a teammate they gain a lot of points. 2. Beckett has been under attack for not caring and having no intensity since Chicken & Beergate. This showed his fire that made him such a good pitcher. 3. With recent trade rumors - which Ben Cherington has said are false - it shows that Beckett wants to be there, or at least does care about being in Boston and his teammates.

The Red Sox needed something dramatic to keep their momentum moving forward. Reaching .500 again, winning against the Yankees, in extra innings, at Yankee Stadium, where your manager and embattled pitcher get ejected has got to be the perfect storm. It's up and up for the Red Sox now.

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