Experience and a Lil' Bit of Magic Wins Game 1
It was a pitchers duel last night at The Trop as Dice-K and Shields battled it out what appeared to be all night. For Sox fans, we didn't know what to expect from Dice-K... Was his pitch count going to be through the roof?... Was he gonna walk batter after batter? All of which allowing the Rays to score big innings... But on this night Dice-K was magical. He put men on base, and just like that, they disappeared as three outs were recorded.
In and out of every inning Dice-K held the exact same facial expression. Pitch after pitch he threw the ball with precision and without fear. He kept Rays hitters on their toes, not giving in to anything they liked. On 3-1 and 2-0 counts is where he was simply perfect. Rays hitters expected the fastball out and over the plate and Dice-K did everything but. It was nerve-wrecking and exciting all in one.
With Dice-k pitching a magical performance, the Red Sox favored a lil' better against Shields. He too was able to get out of some jams, but Sawx hitting was relentless. The Sox have become a team that plays baseball of old. They can manufacture runs with any part of the lineup. The Sox timely hitting allowed them to score the 2 runs that would ultimately be enough for the win. Mixed with check-swings and quickly sinking liners, it was the Red Sox that had their composure at the plate.
Last night the Red Sox, once again, got the message across that we are World Champions and to get through us teams will have to be near flawless. The Rays and experts alike thought home-field advantage would prove to be the ultimate differance. What everyone fails to recognize is that we are in October. The rules change, the teams change, the game changes. It takes more than a regular-season record to win ball games. The Red Sox have that something extra. Unlike the NL, the Red Sox have taken down the two best teams in the Majors. But the way I see it, the Red Sox have simply proved that they have been the best all along and that October baseball is a beast in itself.
In and out of every inning Dice-K held the exact same facial expression. Pitch after pitch he threw the ball with precision and without fear. He kept Rays hitters on their toes, not giving in to anything they liked. On 3-1 and 2-0 counts is where he was simply perfect. Rays hitters expected the fastball out and over the plate and Dice-K did everything but. It was nerve-wrecking and exciting all in one.With Dice-k pitching a magical performance, the Red Sox favored a lil' better against Shields. He too was able to get out of some jams, but Sawx hitting was relentless. The Sox have become a team that plays baseball of old. They can manufacture runs with any part of the lineup. The Sox timely hitting allowed them to score the 2 runs that would ultimately be enough for the win. Mixed with check-swings and quickly sinking liners, it was the Red Sox that had their composure at the plate.
Last night the Red Sox, once again, got the message across that we are World Champions and to get through us teams will have to be near flawless. The Rays and experts alike thought home-field advantage would prove to be the ultimate differance. What everyone fails to recognize is that we are in October. The rules change, the teams change, the game changes. It takes more than a regular-season record to win ball games. The Red Sox have that something extra. Unlike the NL, the Red Sox have taken down the two best teams in the Majors. But the way I see it, the Red Sox have simply proved that they have been the best all along and that October baseball is a beast in itself.
Leave a comment