Red Sox 1-36: 10 is for…

Red Sox and Major League record ten runs before making an out in the first inning

This record was set on June 27, 2003 against the Florida Marlins. I remember this game for a couple different reasons. The first was because Carl Pavano was the starting pitcher for the Marlins that night, and he happened to also be on my fantasy baseball team. So, I had a big decision to make. Do I start the opposing starting pitcher? Isn’t that like cheering against the Sox? Do I bench him? After all, if you remember, the 2003 Red Sox had a pretty decent offense. There was a good chance that Pavano wouldn’t have a great outing. I ended up starting him. I figured one of two things would happen. He could pitch great, and the Sox would lose. At least I would then have the consolation prize of having a better fantasy night. Or the Sox offense would drub him. I figured in that case, he wouldn’t throw many innings, so the damage to me team would be minimized. It ended up being option B. He gave up six runs over 0.0 innings. I didn’t mind one bit.

I also remember because the Red Sox ended up thumping the Marlins, and took a little grief for running up the score. I was at the game the following day. The Sox had a decent lead in that game, and then took their foot off the accelerator. The Marlins promptly came back to win the game. Figures.

Is there a significant difference between scoring ten runs before an out is made and simply scoring ten runs in an inning? Not really. In both cases you’re set up pretty well for a victory. Doing it before an out is made is a lot more fun, though. It almost became comical. You had players getting two hits before an out is made. Incredible. It’s also fun when they start flipping though the record books during a game. Even though this is more of a fluke than an accomplishment (like a 56-game hitting streak) it’s still fun to think you’re watching something that hasn’t happened before. As the number got higher, you hoped to make it to certain hurdles. Can they bat around without making an out? Can they get to double figures without making an out? Can they make the Marlins use a third pitcher without making an out? The game was basically over before the second inning, so it was just a lot of fun. And that’s really all I’m looking for in a game.

10 is for ten runs scored before making the first out of the game