Game Sixty One: To Be The Man, You Have To Beat The Man

(Before the Red Sox recap, the Mets just lost in wholly improbable fashion. Leading the Yankees at US Government Field (I won't call it Citi until they pay us our money back), the Mets have an 8-7 lead in the bottom of the ninth. Two on, two out, ARod up, KRod pitching. ARod pops it up into short right. Luis Castillo, Met second baseman (and member of my fantasy team) gets under it in plenty of time. Luis Castillo, who has probably been playing baseball for 25 years and has caught hundreds, if not thousands, of popups, circles under it-and drops it. It clanks right off his glove, and rolls away, and both runs score, and they lose. Wow.)



So the Red Sox go on a little jaunt down the coast to Philadelphia to face the defending World Champions. Boston takes a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth, but New Guy RR, in a trend which grows more and more disturbing, ties the game with a home run. The two sides battle onwards, going through the 10th, 11th, 12th, and into the 13th. Bat Masterson threw some strong ball to keep the Phils off the board, as did Sensei Saito.

Then, in the top of the 13th, against Phillie Kyle Kendrick, Bay and Lugo single with one out. Varitek walks, and then the healed up Jacoby Ellsbury singled in a run, Shortstop Without Portfolio Nick Green hit a sacrifice fly, and Mike Lowell knocked in a third run.

Now, finally, leading 5-2, it was Danny Ocean time, and the future closer struck out the side, allowing a walk and a hit by pitch, but posting one last 0 to put this epic into the books.