Yes it is. Yes it is.
And, it’s a very small magic number at that. While it’s not
as small as zero, it’s definitely getting there. And, while I’m sure Farrell
would ever admit it, that was shown during last night’s game.
Xander Bogaerts came to the plate with the tying run on
second, and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. It’s September, so you
know there were plenty of pinch hitters available. But, Farrell left him in
there. He needed to see what the kid could do, and had an opportunity to do so
without killing the team. It was obviously a high pressure situation. The game
was in Xander’s hands. He was the last resort. Who knows? The Sox may find
themselves forced into that very situation during a playoff game. So, it’s nice
that they were able to put Bogaerts into a trial run now. Now, he didn’t come
through. But, because the magic number is so small, that they can absorb the
loss. It was worth the chance to get the kid into the situation at least once.
So, while I certainly don’t think the Sox should take their
foot off the accelerator, it was good that they took that opportunity when it
presented itself. They can get right back to their winning ways tonight, and
get one step closer to clinching. I love hearing so much talk about having the
best AL record, or getting to 100 wins. They’re not stopping now. They’ve
learned their lessons. They’re going to keep playing as hard as they can all
the way through.
And lower that magic number tonight!
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