This is a rather depressing scorecard. The first thing you notice is the mass of colored squares in the middle. But, it was all for not. The eventual World Champs came back, and took the game right out from under the Sox.
One of the more interesting parts of the card is the “game notes” section. It states that this is Gabe Kapler’s first game with the Red Sox. Kapler was a shooting star when he entered the league. While he developed into a decent player, he certainly didn’t quite pan out. The Red Sox picked him up not long before to fill a hole in the outfield. How did he do? If only all holes were filled as well as this one. Kapler doubled in his first at-bat. He singled in his second. His third at-bat produced an RBI triple. That’s right. Six innings into his Red Sox career, and he’s a home run away from the cycle. Next time up? He didn’t quite do it. We had to settle for a double, driving in two runs. If you’re looking to become a fan favorite, going 4-4 with three RBI in your debut is a great way to start. The fact that he struck out in his final chance didn’t matter. He had us hooked. Gabe ended up homering in the next game…so he got a slightly extended cycle.
Who else had a good game? Nomar certainly stands out. He stands out in a lot of scorecards. He only went 2-4, but with a home run and four RBI. Who had a bad game? Brandon Lyon. He was entrusted with a three run lead, and only one inning left to play. He couldn’t do it. Four runs later, the Red Sox were losing and didn’t recover.
It was too bad, because it’s certainly a game the Sox should have won. It’s too bad because Kapler came in with such gusto. It’s too bad because the game was so much fun for 8 innings. It just didn’t end well.
And the scorecard shows how it happened.
No comments:
Post a Comment