Boston Red Sox Swept Out of Bronx

Down by one run in the eighth inning, Victor Martinez ended Boston Red Sox 30-inning scoreless streak by depositing a hanging curveball from New York Yankees reliever Phil Coke deep into the leftfield seats.

After touching home plate, the energetic Martinez slapped hands with his teammates waiting on the dugout steps, then hugged fellow slugger David Ortiz.

The Red Sox, for the first time since the ninth inning of Thursday’s opener, had scored. For the first time in seven games, they were in prime position to come away with a victory.

After Martinez hit the home run, I said to my dad, “the Yankees have six outs.” Their lineup is potent from top to bottom, this I knew. Therefore, I cringed knowing they could score in a hurry. So, little to my surprise, they waste no time regaining an advantage.

With two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, Johnny Damon turned on Red Sox flamethrower Daniel Bard’s 98-mph fastball and laced it into the Yankees bullpen. Just like that, Boston’s momentum and lead was gone. The Red Sox led for a grand total of ten minutes.

For some reason, Bard went away from his fastball. Mark Teixeira, the next hitter, made this a huge mistake. He saw a slider for strike one, then clubbed a high curveball high into the New York night that landed in rightfield’s second deck. The knife was thrust deeper into Boston’s heart.

Teixeira, the pretty boy who followed the money this past offseason, took a curtain call, just like Damon before him. The Red Sox depression returned, while the Yankees feeling of ecstasy continued.

Bard went back to his fastball, but, to my surprise, it did him no good. Who would have thought a 98-mph fastball could be so hittable? To the Yankees these days, everything else has been, so why not some gas from Bard’s right arm? He allowed four more hits in the frame and two more runs to score.

Now the deficit was three runs. For a team with two runs total in their previous 31 innings, overcoming a three-run deficit, especially against the famed Mariano Rivera, who, since blowing his first two saves of the 2007 season, had saved 100 of his previous 104 chances, would be a miracle.

J.D Drew singled to begin the top of the ninth. It was a good start and it gave the Red Sox a sliver of hope. A one-out walk to pinch-hitter David Ortiz heightened my interest and brought up the potential tying run, Jacoby Ellsbury.

Ellsbury isn’t known for his power, but has the strength to take advantage of the short porches in right and left field. He, who had four of Boston’s eight hits the previous two games, was the Red Sox last chance.

The team’s chance to avert a humiliating sweep. He could’t deliver, squibbing a Rivera cutter down the first base line for a game-ending groundout. The weight of the world should not have been on his shoulders.

The Red Sox are now 6 1/2 games back of the Yankees. They are tied with the Texas Rangers for the Wild Card lead and are only 1 1/2 ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays, a division foe.

They have little hope, considering four hitters—Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, and Victor Martinez—are hitting,  and two pitchers—Josh Beckett and Jon Lester, who threw seven solid innings in this series finale—are pitching well. They have holes in their lineup, holes in their rotation, and holes in their relief core.

Even though a more than 50 games remain, the Red Sox have to rebound quickly to salvage their season. They are out of New York. That alone should rejuvenate them.