I Scored: April 10, 2004

Sometimes it’s such a waste. Look at that run total. 14 runs! What an offensive outing. Then you look at the pitcher. Pedro Martinez. Shoot. The Sox could have gotten by with just three. Why can’t they score 14 runs when the starting pitcher isn’t the best that ever lived? Why not save those runs for a Jeff Fassero start? But, they got the runs in a Pedro Start. I guess he needs run support too.

One of the most interesting parts of the scorecard, to me at least, is Trot Nixon’s at-bat in the first inning. He bunted Offerman to second. What’s that? A Red Sox player sacrificing in the first inning? Even back when the Sox sacrificed, that was pretty crazy. Why did they do that? The opposing pitcher was Tim Hudson. The Red Sox coaching staff wouldn’t have been alone if they though one run might be all that was scored that day. So, they went for the run right off the bat. It worked, sort of. The next batter drove the runner home, with a double. Of course, Offerman might have scored from first on a double anyway. Nixon himself scored from first on a double the very next inning. And, if Offerman didn’t score on the double, the single by Nomar would have done it. By the time the second inning was over, it was a moot point. The Sox had chased Hudson, andwere cruising on to victory. The only question became how long we’d be able to enjoy seeing Pedro on the mound. As it turns out, Pedro went seven innings. He gave up seven baserunners in those seven innings. Tim Hudson? He gave up seven runs. Quite the contrast, and not exactly the pitchers duel we were expecting.

I’m going to give the hitter of the day award to Carl Everett. Crazy Carl went 3-4, and drove in four runs. Every Red Sox starter scored a run in the game. The worst hitter on the day? I’m giving it to Troy O’leary and his o-fer. Nixon went hitless as well, but at least he walked a couple times, and contributed with that sac bunt.

There was plenty of talent in that game. Offerman, Nomar, Everett, Varitek, Pedro, and Wakefield all had been, or will have been to All-Star games. (On the other side, Hudson, and Miguel Tejada can make the same claim for the A’s.) There was both hitting and pitching. The stars shone in a great game.

And the scorecard shows how it happened.