Sports Redux: Words Fail

Folks got their money's worth at Fenway last night. But what do you say to recap the game?

We were set to write about the big-league debut of knuckleballer Charlie Zink. Then we were going to write about the titanic 10-run first inning (Bostonist was returning from a weekend trip, and the first inning alone got us from near Meriden all the way up past Hartford and to Vernon. That's a good first inning.) and David Ortiz' pair of three-run home runs.

But the Sox managed to turn their 10-0 (and 12-2) lead into a thrilling comback win, thanks to a mutual Boston/Texas display of slugging prowess, atrocious pitching and shaky defense. Final score: 19-17, a game that tied the AL record for total runs.

The Sox pounded Ranger starter Scott Feldman for the ten first-inning runs on seven hits, two walks and an error. Feldman got hit by a batted ball, which looked like it would be the best thing to happen to him all night, but he stayed in the game, even though Corey Feldman or Marty Feldman would have been just as effective. Nice 10-run cushion to work with, eh, Charlie Zink?

Well, the mighty bats of the Rangers didn't take long to figure Zink out, and he didn't even last long enough to pick up the easiest 5-inning win in baseball history, surrendering a parade of hits in the fifth. By the time Lopez, Aardsma and Delcarmen had befouled the mound, it was 15-14 Rangers in the 6th. Of one Texas reliever, the radio guys cracked, "Madrigal gave up six runs to the Yankees in his season debut. He'll fit right in tonight."

Finally, the Sox reasserted themselves, and Youkilis' second homer of the night scored three runs for the 19-16 lead. Papelbon gave up only one run in the ninth, earning him Pitcher of the Night honors and sending everyone out of Fenway for a shot of morphine.

Comings and (hopefully not) goings: Mike Lowell pulled his oblique muscle and will have an MRI to see how much time he'll miss, if any. Charlie Zink, predictably, was sent back to Pawtucket for retooling after the game, and to make room for the newly-acquired Paul Byrd. Byrd, a 37-year old veteran who defies any description but "crafty" (think Eddie Harris in Major League), was great for Cleveland in the playoffs last year. He's also tainted in the baseball steroid investigation, having been caught buying HGH from a quack Florida dentist.

Above us in the standings, the Rays lost in Oakland, and are in trouble. Evan Longoria is on the 15-day DL, and Carl Crawford is going to have surgery that will keep him out well into September. Their lead's down to three.

Between the SuperLiga title and the resumption of the MLS season, the Revs had to play for the U.S. Open cup semifinals last night in D.C. They rested a lot of their stars, and lost 3-1.

The image above is our interpretation of what it would have looked like last night had a different fan gotten to post each hit or run on the Monster scoreborad. It's actually a concert photo, by DMBFreak41 and used under a Creative Commons license.