Friday 7/5/24
I thought the Red Sox had a really gutsy win down in Miami yesterday to complete their sweep of the Marlins before heading up to New York to begin a weekend series with the Yankees tonight. I know that the Marlins aren't very good, but sweeps aren't easy and this game very well could have resulted in a loss for the Sox. Nick Pivetta had a no-hitter going and a 2-0 lead, but then the Marlins tied it up. That can be demoralizing for a team. You're leading all game, feels like the opponent has nothing going on, then it's a new ballgame.
The game went to extra innings and the Sox failed to score in their top of the tenth. I don't know what the percentage is, but when you fail to score in that situation with the new rules and the automatic runner on second, you usually lose. All the other team needs to do in the bottom of the inning is advance a runner two bases.
And the Red Sox would have lost, if Jarren Duran hadn't thrown out a Marlin at home plate. He doesn't have a great arm, but what I noticed was how fast he got rid of the ball. He fielded it and threw it in one continuous motion. He knew what he needed to do. What I see this year with Durran is a player whose head is in the game. Tag was perfectly applied at home, but because everything about the world is now worse than at previous times, the play had to be reviewed.
Can't life be lived? Can't it just happen and be real? When there's an outcome, can't we deal with it and move forward? Do we need to try and reverse the reality of what just happened? It's looking for an excuse. A way out. I prefer just dealing with things. Replay is often about looking for a technicality. And often that technicality has nothing to do with the result of the play. Wouldn't have changed it one way or the other. The technicality is not in the spirit of the game. A game is a game. Let it be a game. Don't make it more than it is. When you make it more than it is, you make it less than it is.
The Red Sox went on to add two runs in their half of the eleventh. I'm uncomfortable saying as much, because it's not really two runs when you stick that runner on second "just because," but that's they do it now. You thought, "Okay, should be a nice win." But then in the bottom of the eleventh, the Marlins got a two-run homer. Tied again.
The Sox put more runs on the board, though, in the third frame of extras, and this time they managed to hold the Marlins down. In recent years, that game would have been a loss. The Sox ended up using more pitchers than they wanted to, especially with their big series in the Bronx. You need arms to face Aaron Judge and company. Perhaps they'll call up someone from Triple A for the series. But it was more important to get the win. You'll take that trade.
The Red Sox deserve credit: They play hard. Their speed is disruptive, too. They put pressure on the other team. As a style of play, it's an enjoyable one to watch. Lively. Now get in there and make some noise in Yankee Stadium.
