I Scored on July 15, 2000!

Here I thought we'd go back to the turn of the century, to a game that you might remember. Let's see what happened!

As always, my first stop is in the pitchers box. Did I get a Pedro game? Well, close. This game was started by Pedro’s brother, Ramon. It looks like he had a pretty good game, tossing a quality start while striking out four. He was followed the regulars from the pen, including Derek Lowe finishing it out.

What did the lineup look like? Dear god, look at that thing. Offerman was coming off an all-star season, and Nomar was Nomar. And I love Jason Varitek, but if he's your three hole hitter, you're probably in trouble. Of course the key to the lineup is the addition of Carl Everett. He was supposed to supply the needed punch in the middle of the order. While, he didn't exactly do on this day. Because he was ejected. In this second inning. For headbutting the umpire. While I will always contend that it was more of an accidental contact than a headbutt, he was out of the game and replaced by Daubach. Which, it turns out, ended up working out just fine.

The hero of the game? The aforementioned Daubach. When the Mets walked Nomar in the sixth (and, why wouldn't you?) Dauber made them pay. His three-run homer supplied almost all the runs the Sox would need on the day.

The goat? Other than Everett? I guess it has to go to Troy O’Leary. He was the only player, other than Everett, without a hit or RBI on the day. I'm sure the Sox wanted more from their playoff hero.

But in the end, it didn't matter. The Sox scored plenty of runs, and the bullpen didn't succeed in blowing the game. It was a successful day at the ballpark.

And the scorecard shows how it happened.

I Scored on May 21, 1999!

I know I do it a lot. But, when I look at cards from the 1999 season, I'm always stunned that this team made it to the ALCS. How Pedro didn't win the MVP that season is beyond me. But, more on that later. Let's look at the card, shall we?

I always like to start looking at scorecards by checking out the pitchers box. What high powered match-up did I get to see this day?

Pat Rapp. 

Yes, it was the rare Escobar-Rapp showdown. Rapp was followed by Lowe, Corsi, and Gordon. In a game the Red Sox won. Seriously. Rapp even pitched pretty well, striking out seven over six innings for a quality start.

So, how did the lineup fare? I use the term “lineup” loosely. Look at those names. No mar was the lone star, and he actually went hitless on this day. (I guess Varitek became a star, but he certainly wasn't one when he was wearing #47.) How did they win? One big inning contained two walks and three hits. That accounted for four Red Sox runs, and was the difference in the ballgame.

The hero on the day? Has to be Darren Lewis. He went 2-3 from the lead off spot, scoring a run and driving in two others. That would account for all the runs the Sox needed.

The goat? Let's go with the aforementioned Nomar. The 3-6 batters all went hitless on the day, but you really expect and need more from Garciaparra. He has to come through.

But, the Sox were able to work around it on that day. The offense did just enough to support a pitching staff that did just enough. That's all it takes sometimes.

And the scorecard shows how it happened.

I Scored! July 28, 2002

It's been a while since I did one of these. So, I thought it was time to take another trip in the wayback machine, and see how my scorecard looks for a game from the past. In this case, July of 2002. Things were different in Boston sports around this time. The patriots had shocked the world just over four months earlier by winning their first Super Bowl. The rest of the Boston teams were working on pretty lengthy championship droughts. So, how did this game between the Red Sox and Orioles end up? Let's see!

Seriously, how did I survive with a scorecard that has 16 batting positions, but only nine innings and four pitchers spots? No wonder I made my own.

But, how did the Sox do it this game? Pretty well it appears. You can just see all the black on their card. Derek Lowe starting things off strong for the Sox. While Time Wakefield struggled a bit, it didn't affect the outcome.

The star of the game? I waffled a bit, but I think it has to be Nomar. 3-3, 2R, and 1 RBI would probably be enough. But, look at the timing of his production. First inning, he drives in the game's second run from the three-hole. Third inning, following a double play, he doubles to start a five run rally with two outs. Fifth inning, he leads off with a single, sparking a three-run inning. Three key at-bats.

The goat? I have to go with Carlos Baerga, if only so that I can remind people that Carlos Baerga once played for the Sox. But, he was the only starter without a hit or run. And, once he was replaced, his pinch-hitter clubbed a two-run home run. That's not what you want.

But, it didn't matter. The offense came early and often, giving the stars a nice restful day.

And the scorecard shows how it happened.

I Scored! October 19, 2013

Following the Red Sox incredible playoff run this season, it seemed like a good time to take a look at this scorecard. Let's dive right in, and see what we have.

A look at the notes section really tells us everything we need to know. “ALCS Game 6”. Sounds like a pretty important game to me. And, if I remember correctly, it was a pretty exciting one.

The first thing surprised me when I looked at the pitcher's box. I had completely forgotten that Clay Buchholz started this game. With Max Scherzer pitching for the Tigers, this was a scary match-up for the Sox. But, Clay held his own. In fact, the two runs scored on him came in after he left the ballgame. After Clay, the Sox used their bullpen to perfection to finish out the game.

On offense? I love looking at Bogaerts wearing number 72, batting ninth, and playing third. What world is this? But, the kid scored two runs on the day. Add that to the performances by Ellsbury and Victorino at the top of the order, and the Sox had a nice little run.

The player of the game? Well, if you don't know already, not sure how much of a Sox fan you can be. Shane Victorino's grand slam in the seventh is one of the most memorable plays in recent Sox history. He not only tied the game, but put the Sox comfortably ahead with one swing of the bat. It was a key as key can get.

The goat? I have to split it between two players. Or, maybe I should combine two players. Saltalamacchia and Napoli in the 5-6 spots combines to go 0-8 with six strikeouts. Not exactly the performance you need following Ortiz. In fact, they were equally inept, both going 0-4 with 3 K's. That's not what you want.

But, in the end it didn't matter. As the Sox did that entire postseason, they made their few hits count when they needed them. The Victorino slam provided the offense, and Koji came in to close the door.

And the scorecard shows how it happened.

I Scored! May 19, 2008

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, so I thought it was time. This looks like a fun one too.

First, I probably should have gone ahead and filled in all the totals before doing this. But, honestly, I didn’t feel like it. We can still get the general idea of what was going on. Second, ignore the logo in the bottom right corner. Let’s just say I was still trying some things.

Let’s start, as we often do, in the pitchers box. Daisuke Matsuzaka got the start for the Sox. If there was ever a classic Daisuke start, this was it. He pitched into the seventh…actually a bit long for him. He struck out six. He gave up two walks and seven hits. But, he didn’t give up any earned runs, and got the win. So his 1.35 WHIP was balanced by his 8 K/9IP. Typical.

The batting order has some fun blasts from the past too. Jacoby Ellsbury was setting the table. Dustin Pedroia was coming off his ROY season, and working towards his MVP. Ortiz and Ramirez were ready to do some real damage back-to-back. The other JD was probably still living off his playoff heroics. We even see old friend Alex Cora make an appearance as a defensive replacement.

The hero of the game? Clearly it’s David Ortiz. He walked and scored a run in the first. In the second, he gave the Sox all the runs they would need with a three-run homer. The Sox scored five runs as a team…and Ortiz scored two of them, and drove in three. That’s a good day.

The goat of the day? Actually, lots of candidates. But, the nod has to go to Pedroia. He’d most likely get it just for going 0-5 in the two-hole. With Ortiz mashing the ball, a couple more baserunners in front of him would have been huge. But, Pedroia was also the only member of the starting line-up not to reach base, and he was the only one to strike out. (Wow.) That’s a pretty bad day.

But, much like the Sox in recent years, the team overcame Pedroia’s dismal performance to grab the victory. Everyone else did just enough to help the team win.

And the scorecard shows how it happened.

I Scored: August 18, 2007

OK, what do we have here? Today I decided to flash back to a game in the fantastic season of 2007. The Sox were on their way to winning the division, finishing with the best record in the American League. This team had some skill, and the scorecard from this game shows exactly that.

Let’s start with the pitcher box. This box sums up this gave very well. Curt Schilling struggled out of the gate, only being able to go six innings while giving up five runs. But, the rest of the bullpen was able to shut things down to allow the Sox to stay in the game. In fact, that pitcher succession would be seen again in the World Series, simple removing the need for Timlin. This game was also closer than the final score would indicate, because of the Sox scoring so many runs in the eighty. When Timlin and Oki were in there, they were in a hold situation. Then the offense did their thing.

Speaking of the offense, Wow. Just look at it go. As always with these old cards, the names are fun to look at. Julio Lugo leading off? Alex Cora at second base? 

I love the Manny Ramirez line. Could there be a more “Manny” outcome? He started with four swinging strikeouts. But in the eighth he followed an intentional walk by driving in two huge insurance runs with a double. With that double, the Ortiz-Manny combo ended up with fantastic number, driving in six on the ten runs (thanks to an Ortiz grand slam) and scoring three of their own.

The hero of the game? Have to give that to Ortiz. His go-head grand slam in the fifth was enormous. Clutch, you might say. 

The goat? I usually give the horns to a batter. But, the only starter who didn’t score at least one run was Varitek, and he went 2-5 with an RBI. So, I’m going to hang them on Curt Schilling. Five runs in six innings is just not what you’re looking for. He’s lucky the offense bailed him out, of it would have been a disaster.

But, the offense did bail him out. JD Drew collected his 1000^th career hit on the way to an eventual blowout.

And the scorecard shows you how it happened. 

I Scored!

September 19, 1999

Let’s go quite a few years back, and check out a game from a playoff stretch run. This game is from late September1999, a year that the Red Sox would win the Wild Card, and make it to the ALCS before Pedro could carry them no farther. Let’s see how this one played out!

My favorite part about this card is the pitchers box. Check out Derek Lowe doing his best Andrew Miller impression. He entered the game in the sixth inning, and finished the game from there. He struck out three, while only allowing one baserunner. Not a bad performance at all.

The second thing I notice is the number three hole in the line-up. Not only is it weird to see Jason Varitek in that spot, it’s weird to see him wearing #33. Well, weird at the time. This is the first game I scored where Varitek wasn’t wearing #47. Does that make this card more valuable?

I know I say it every time I do a 1999 game, but I still can’t get over the rest of the line-up. Pedro really did carry this team all by himself, didn’t he? Damon Buford in the two-hole? Scott Hatteberg at DH? Wow.

But it worked, because the Sox had one inning big enough to seal the deal. The four-spot in the second was all the pitching would require in this game. The Sox added on three more just for fun to make sure Tim Wakefield could cruise until Lowe finished it off. 

The player of the game? Tempted to go with Wilton Veras and his key bases loaded single. But, I’m giving the nod to Nomar Garciaparra and his insurance two-run homer. The Tigers had just inched their way closer by scoring a run in the fourth when Nomar got it right back. 

The Goat? Everyone on the Red Sox got a hit in this game, so there’s nothing super-obvious. But, the aforementioned Damon Buford was the only player not to drive in or score a run. His 1-5 in the second spot wasn’t the sort of production you’re looking for. His strikeout in the second was particularly annoying because the first six batters in the inning had reached base before him.

But, of course, it didn’t matter. The Sox pounded out seven runs despite his best efforts to the contrary. The pitching did its job to seal the deal. Another convincing win from the hometown boys.

And the scorecard shows how it happened.

I Scored

1999 April 24

In a preview of the 1999 ALDS, the Indians were in town in this game. That Indians team would go on to score over 1000 runs that year. In this game, they picked up four of them. Let’s check out the action.

Speaking of Indians runs, lets see who they scored them off. Looks like Bret Saberhagen had the start that day, and gave up one of the runs. Oddly, he left after only four innings. I can’t see any decent reason for him to be removed. Must have been an injury. Or, Jimy Williams simply made a “manager’s decision.” Tim Harikkala came into the game, and didn’t provide much relief. He gave up the other three runs the Indians scored. Guthrie, Cormier and Lowe combined to pitch three shutout innings. Overall, a good job to hold that line-up to four runs. How about the Red Sox line-up? They did a bit better.

Right off the bat, the Sox got some breathing room with three quick ones. Five straight batters reached base with four singles and a walk. Pretty impressive to score three runs with two outs without getting an extra-base hit. The Sox broke it open with three more runs in the seventh. That was a bit more of a conventional rally with a homer and double mixed in to score the runs.

Looking at the rest of the line-up begs one question, though. Is O’Leary-Buford-Lewis a better outfield than Nava-Byrd-Sweeney?

The hero of the game? I’m going to give it to Mike Stanley. He went 2-3 on the day, driving in two runs and scoring two. The goat of the game? Has to be Jason Varitek. The future captain went 0-5 with only one ball getting to the outfield. Pretty pathetic.

But, it didn’t matter. The Sox took the game by out-slugging the Indians. On a day that their bullpen had to pitch most of the game, the offense was able to pick up the slack. It was a big win against a very good team.

And the scorecard shows how it happened.

I Scored! July 19, 2003

The first thing I think of when I look at this card is, “So that’s why I made my own card!” Only room for two players per batting position? Only room for three pitchers? Only nine innings available, but room for 16 batters? Off the shelf cards just weren’t working for me. But, beyond that to the game itself…

What an exciting game was. I see a lot of back and forth action. The Sox had a lead, and gave it up. Had a lead, and gave it up. Fell behind, but crawled back in late. A 2-out rally in the ninth. A walk-off victory. Fantastic. Everyone played a role. The game was tied thanks to their superstars. Nomar walked and stole a base in the ninth. Manny drove him in to tie the game with two outs. Frankly I’m shocked that with the winning run on second, Ortiz only grounded out. No matter. The role players finished the job. Jeremy Giambi led off the tenth with a walk. Gabe Kapler stole a base as a pinch runner. Trot Nixon sent everyone home with a single. It was a complete team victory. Just the way you draw it up in Spring Training. I also look at the bottom of the eighth. Kevin Millar singled to lead off the inning, with the Sox trailing by a run. Damian Jackson pinch-ran for him. Everyone in the world knew he was only in the game to try and steal second. Like he did many times in 2003, he did just that. I’ve said before that the one thing I thought the 2004 team was lacking was a guy who could steal a base when everyone knew he was stealing. Until, of course, they traded for Dave Roberts.

The player of the game? That’s a tough call. The easy choice would be Trot Nixon for getting the game-winning hit. But, that’s ignoring all the efforts of everyone else to put him in that position. I’m going to have to go with Kevin Millar. He was on base three times, and had a solo homerun. That’s a big effort. The goat? Another toss up. I have to give it to David Ortiz. His two strikeouts put him below Todd Walkers one. Plus, Ortiz grounded out with the winning run in scoring position. All that adds up to a tough night.

In the end, it didn’t matter. The Sox pulled it out in dramatic fashion. The entire team pulled together to get a win when nobody had their best games. It’s exactly the sort of game you expect from a team that would go deep into the playoffs.

And the scorecard shows how it happened.

He Scored!

October 27, 2011

Not long ago, Tom of The Angels in Order posted a scorecard he kept while watching game six of the 2011 World Series. I thought it would be another opportunity to look at how other people keep score. Naturally, Tom keeps score a bit differently than I do. But, that’s the great the great part of scoring a game. You make your system work for you. There’s only one thing I need from the scorecard. Can I figure out what happened during the game? Do I know what all the markings mean? Let’s find out.

Right away in the first inning, I see something that I like. On Schumaker’s single, there’s a line showing where the ball went. That’s an easy thing to do, and would be nice to have later on. On that same box, you see that hits are denoted by horizontal lines in the box in the upper left corner. This is another common way of showing it, different than the 1B, 2B, and 3B notations. I’m more visual, so I like seeing the 2B on my cards. I wonder where the idea of the horizontal lines started? I also notice that home runs are circled. That’s a nice way of drawing your eye to an important event. I also like how Tom took the space to add some commentary to the card. I’m guessing that since this game was scored from TV, the notation on Pujols’s strikeout leading off the sixth denotes where K-Zone says the pitch was. Apparently the Rangers caught a break. I can also see that Holliday being picked off base during the same inning was a huge play by Napoli. I also see that Tom reacted to the end of the eighth with relief. I love the way it keeps the scorecard more alive.

The rest of the card follows just as you’d expect. You can see the Cardinals battle back whenever they needed to. Tom has clearly noted just how close the Rangers were to winning the game, and the series. (I wonder if he made the “1 strike away” notations in real time, or after the game when they became more significant) But, as we all know, the Cardinals prevailed in dramatic walk-off fashion.

And the scorecard shows you how it happened.

Thanks Tom!

(And don’t forget; if you’ve scored a game send in a scan so we can all enjoy it.)

I Scored!

August 28, 1999

Whenever I feel a little down about the Red Sox, I like to look back through the scorebooks. It reminds me of how good we really have it right now.

Take a look at that line-up. Of the nine players listed, which would you prefer over their 2011/2012 counterparts? Nomar at short over Scutaro. That’s it. Unless, you count taking the 1999 Varitek over the 2012 Varitek. That’s seven of the nine positions that are better now. Better than a team that made it to the ALCS. Yup. It’s pretty good right now. If you look in the pitchers spots, you see Tim Wakefield still there. And, it looks like he had the same line he kept putting up in 2011. The more things change…

So, what do we have here on this card? It’s a late season game against the Angels. I can only imagine that we were still upset at the time with Mo Vaughn’s appearance on the Angels side of the scorecard. It doesn’t look like the prettiest of game. Both teams squandered leads over and over. Thankfully, the Angels were the last ones to do it.

The player of the game? I’ll have to go with Jason Varitek. He had the key hit in the game. His bases clearing double in the third gave the Sox back the lead. To do it the same inning that the Angels were able to score four of their own was truly clutch. It would have been so easy to pack it in at that point. But, it was Varitek who stopped them from doing it. It was one of two doubles Tek had on the day. Both were key pieces in the victory.

The day’s goat? Has to be Brian Daubach. Look at him in the three-hole. Let me say that again. Look at HIM in the 3-hole! But, an 0-4 day isn’t exactly what you’re looking for in front of Nomar. Nomar had to be hitting close to .400 for the season at this point, since he finished at .357. Dauber still couldn’t get a good pitch to hit. Twice he led off an inning by grounding back to the pitcher. Not exactly a super performance.

In the end, it didn’t matter. The Sox pulled it out late and held on to win. They scored seven runs, and needed every one of them as they marched on towards the playoffs.

And the scorecard shows how it happened.

I Scored!

April 16, 2001

The top of this card tells you that once again this will be an exciting game. An early April game against New York can only mean one thing. The Yankees are in town! Who do the Red Sox have one the mound in this epic battle? Yup. Frank Castillo. Oh well. It was a nice try. Wait. What? The Sox won? How did they do that?

It looks like they did it by slowly annoying the visitors to death. The Sox scored one run in four different innings. They had just over a hit per inning of the game. There were no major scoring threats. They didn’t bat around. They just scored more runs than the Yankees.

The hero of the game? That’s a tough one. No player scored more than one run. Nobody had more than two hits. But, Darren Lewis was the only player with both two hits, a run scored, and a run driven in. So, he gets the game ball for this game. The goat? The obvious choice is Trot Nixon. He was the only starter without a hit. He also hit into a double play. But, he did get that RBI. So, the game wasn’t a total loss. Maybe Shea Hillenbrand and his one-hit RBI-less day can share in some of the blame.

The pitching? It was actually stellar. Castillo held the Yankees completely at bay. To say he had a qhality start is an understatement. Tim Wakefield and Rod beck tossed scoreless outings of their own. What an effort.

So, the Sox did just enough to win. The offense made the most of every opportunity. The pitching made sure every run counted. The Red Sox beat the Yankees. What could be better?

And the scorecard shows how it happened.

I Scored!

It’s really hard to look at the scorecard and not see the glut of runs scored by the Red Sox. So, we might as well start there. The Sox scored a ton of runs. Fourteen of them to be exact. Which team was the victim of this barrage? The top of the card tells us. The New York Yankees. You’d probably assume the Sox got lucky and faced one of their pathetic rotation members. You’d be right. It doesn’t show on the card, by the Yankees starter was AJ Burnett. Looking down at the Red Sox box, you’ll see that the Boston starter was Junichi Tazawa. Really, once you saw the Burnett Tazawa match-up, you had to expect blowout.

How did the Sox score their runs? Lots of power. The Sox scored on a 3-run homer, a 2-run homer, and a 2-run double. Six batters had an RBI in the game. Who had the best game? That’s a tough call, as it often is in a blowout. I’m going to go with Kevin Youkilis. He had two home runs on the day, and drove in six runs. Dustin Pedroia also had a good game, scoring four runs. Victor Martinez scored three of his own before being lifted. Pretty nice production from the 2-3-4 batters in the line-up.

The goat of the day? Has to be Jacoby Ellsbury. His five hitless trips to the plate did their best to derail the offensive train. JD Drew and Jason Varitek gave him some stiff competition. They each posted two strikeouts, although at least Drew had an RBI double.

Really, it was a pretty impressive offensive output considering it was really only from five guys. The 2-6 batters scored 13 runs, and drove in 12. Wowsers.

So, it was a great game, even if the weather was apparently a bit hot. Anytime the Sox can dominate the Yankees like that is a good day. The rookie Tazawa held the Yanks at bay for six innings. It was an inning longer than AJ Burnett was in the game. The big bats did their job, and the Sox absolutely cruised to a late season victory.

And the scorecard shows how it happened.

I Scored! April 27, 2002

Let’s see if anything exciting happened in this game. A quick look at the card shows that the Sox scored a lot of runs. All those black diamonds just pop out at you. How about the Devil Rays? Let’s see. No runs. Woohoo! Wait a minute though. There are two zeroes in the line score. Quick, look at the bottom of the card. Yup. Derek Lowe pitched the complete game with all those zeroes, including the one in the hit column.

This is, obviously, the scorecard from Derek Lowe’s no-hitter. It might be the coolest game I’ve ever been to. It wasn’t like a playoff game, or a great pitchers duel. You know when you’re going to those games that it is going to be special. Nobody knew this was coming. It just evolved as the game went on. Pretty amazing.

Things started off great for the Sox, with Rickey Henderson adding to his record total of lead-off home runs. A fast 1-0 lead is just what the doctor ordered. The Sox really broke it open in the third scoring six runs, and giving Lowe a comfortable lead to work with. All the offense took the fans attention away from the fact that Lowe hadn’t given up any hits. After all, if a Red Sox pitcher was going to throw a no-hitter, it’s Pedro that you tracked it for. But, by the time the eighth inning rolled around, everyone in the park knew exactly what was at stake. So, for the only time I can think of, the last thing I wanted to do was see the Red Sox score a lot of runs. I wanted Lowe to get right back out there and finish the thing off. Of course, looking at the card shows that it didn’t exactly happen. The Sox almost batted around giving Lowe plenty of time to sit in the dugout and contemplate his place in baseball history.

Thankfully the wait didn’t hurt him. He finished off the string of zeroes to complete the no-hitter. The offensive hero on the day? (not that anyone would remember there was even an offense) I’m going with Jose Offerman. Three runs scored on a 2-3 day. The goat? For a ten-run game there are a surprising number of candidates. But, I’ll go with Trot Nixon. Sure, he was 2-5. But, he struck out twice. He also didn’t score or drive in a run, the only player in the line-up who could make that claim.

So, long before every Red Sox pitcher started throwing no-hitters, this one broke the drought. It was Varitek’s first career no-hitter caught. It let everyone know that maybe, just maybe, Derek Lowe could make it as a starter after all.

And the scorecard shows how it happened.

I Scored! July 17, 2010

Not a very long trip in the way back machine this time. This game is from this past season. The line-up was starting to be in complete shambles. Hope was still there. There was still hope that Pedroia would be of some help. There was hope that Youkilis would play the rest of the year. There was hope that Ellsbury would find his way onto the field at some point. Beyond that hope, we had what promised to be a pretty good baseball game. I doubt anyone thought the Rangers would be the AL Champs yet. But, they did have newly acquired ace Cliff Lee. Lee was pitching in this game against Boston’s own relatively new rotation stud, John Lackey. Would the game live up to thy hype? Let’s see.

A quick look at the score along the top of the page suggests that a pitchers duel did, in fact, take place. The Rangers were only able to score in one inning. The Sox scored single runs in three. The scoring was that sparse, even though the game went eleven innings. Not too shabby.

John Lackey pitched well, and was rewarded with a no-decision. When the story of Lackey’s first season is written, outings such as these are often overlooked. The team let him down as often as it saved him. In this game, he went seven innings, only giving up two runs. It’s not his fault that the Sox were held to only one run while he was in the game. (Nor was it exactly the team’s fault. Cliff Lee does that to a lot of teams)

The rest of the pitching was stellar following Lackey. The Sox went for it after he left, bringing in the big guns. Bard and Papelbon pitched wonderfully to keep the Sox in the game. Manny Delcarmen did the same (imagine that) to earn the victory. As a team, the Sox pitched eleven innings, giving up only the two runs. You need to win games when your pitchers do that. Thankfully, that’s exactly what the Sox did.

They did it in comeback fashion. The Rangers tried to ride Lee a little too long, and he gave up the game-tying run in the bottom of the ninth. The way the Sox scratched it out, you can’t really blame Texas for not going to the pen. It’s not like Lee was getting lit up out there. It was really the same thing in the 11^th. A scratch run was pushed across on a sac fly. It wasn’t dominating, but I’ll take it.

The player of the game? I’ll have to give it to Youkilis. He drove in both the game tying, and winning runs. He led the team in hits on a day when hits were scarce. Although, a case could be made for Scutaro, since he scored both runs Youk drove in. There’s something to be said for getting on base any way you can when one run makes all the difference. He led off both the ninth and eleventh innings, reached base, and scored. Both of those two did a great job.

The goat? Probably Bill Hall. He went hitless, and struck out twice. Although, Drew Cash, and Beltre also started and went hitless. Basically a rough day all around.

So, the Sox kept their playoff hopes alive. The won a game started by Cliff Lee. They treated their fans to a walk-off victory in extra innings.

And the scorecard shows how it happened.

I Scored! April 6, 2001

This was a huge game. So huge, I can’t believe I haven’t done it yet. So, if I have, forgive me.

One of the big points of the game can be found in the “Game Notes” section. This game is recognized as the Home Opener. That in itself makes it a big day. I’ve talked over and over about the magic of Opening Day. But, in this case, things are even a bit more special. It’s because of the guy in the clean-up spot. Yup. This is the Red Sox Fenway debut of Manny Ramirez. The guy we’d been waiting to see since December had finally arrived. What would this mean to the Red Sox? Would it change the team that had such trouble scoring runs and winning games the year before? I’d say so.

The top of the card shows the Sox fell into an early hole. Tomo Okha gave up a quick three runs to the visitors. Luckily, the Sox put the first two runner on before a strikeout gave the first out. It was all to familiar. Fall behind early. Rally, but never have enough bats to get it done. The 2000 Red Sox surely would have stranded the two runners. But, in 2001 the next batter was Manny. All he did was launch a three-run homer to tie the game. Maybe he was the difference after all. Manny ended up with a fantastic game, despite two strikeouts. He had a home run, two hits, and drove in four runs. It was a quick glimpse into what we could expect for years to come.

Who challenged Manny for player-of-the-game status? Well, Carl Everett had a pretty good day. He hade a home run of his own, driving in two runs. Jason Varitek had a two-run double. The goat of the game? A case could be made for Troy O’Leary. He went hitless with two strikeouts on the day. It was, unfortunately, telling that the goat of the game hit directly behind Manny. Protection would be a major issue for Manny that year.

But, it was all good on this day. Manny introduced himself in the best way possible. He kept sniffing out RBI as he led the Sox to victory. It was a great day.

And the scorecard shows how it happened.

I Scored! July 31, 1999

Here’s another game from the great 1999 season. Looking at the top of the card, I can see that this was a great game. A walk-off win against the Yankees. Is there a better type of game? I doubt it.

Starting the game, the Red Sox appeared to be in a hole. It doesn’t show, but the Yankees starter was Roger Clemens. The Red Sox countered with Brian Rose. Not exactly the match-up Red Sox fans would have hoped for. As it turned out, we were half right. A look at the pitchers box shows that Rose got lit up. Five runs and eleven hits in four innings are not usually going to get it done against Clemens. Luckily for the Sox, in this case, it was just barely enough. Clemens wasn’t much better, giving up four runs of his own over five innings. That’s what set up the late-inning heroics.

Is it any surprise that the first Red Sox run was a Trot Nixon homer? Was there a more notorious Clemens killer than Nixon? His homer in the third allowed the Sox to sneak back into the game after an early hole.

I’d be tempted to give Trot the “player of the game” honors, but I can’t. Look at the day Jose Offerman had. He reached base all five times he came to the plate. He scored three runs, and drew three walks. His leadoff triple in the bottom of the ninth was enormous. If you can get a runner at third in a situation like that, it changes the whole dynamic of the inning. It made it easy for Valentin to knock home the game winner.

The goat of the day? Other than Rose? Has to be Brian Daubach. Something about Brians that day. Dauber went hitless in four at-bats on the day, striking out twice. Not exactly what you need from the third hitter in your line-up. (Wow. Daubach was hitting third!) Thankfully the Sox were able to overcome that performance.

So, the Sox won in exciting fashion. They stole a game that they lost easily on paper. They allowed their fans to go home happy, which is always the goal.

And the scorecard shows how it happened.

I Scored! June 19, 2010

There is a lot going on in this game, beyond the game itself. A quick look at the “Game Notes” section tells us the historical significance. This game was Tim Wakefield’s 200^th career start at Fenway Park. I’ll admit, I don’t know where that ranks all-time for the Red Sox, or for other teams in other parks. But, it’s pretty cool nonetheless. The other significant part of this game is alluded to at the top. The visiting team is the Los Angeles Dodgers. So, yes, this would be Manny Ramirez visiting Fenway. It wasn’t his first game back, but it was still a significant time. So, how did the game itself turn out amid all the drama? It was one heckova game!

First, take a look at the Red Sox line-up. It was only mostly decimated by injuries at this point. The first six batters actually look pretty good. But, then you get to the outfield. Hall-Nava-McDonald isn’t exactly the trio Red Sox fans were expecting at the bottom of the order. To their credit, though, those three did contribute to the game rather nicely. It’s hard to call a 5-4 game “low scoring” but that’s really the case. The Sox scratched out a run in the second. Two home runs accounted for three quick runs in the fourth and sixth. The last run was another claw and scratch way to score a run. There weren’t a lot of bases-loaded jams the Dodgers wriggled out of. Scoring threats were fairly limited. The Sox actually went 1-2-3 four times. Of course, the most important run scored was the last one. It was clearly scored in walk-off fashion, which is always an exciting way to end any game. It was the bottom of the order that kick-started the rally. Hall singled to lead things off. It looks like a botched sacrifice bunt allowed Nava to switch places with him at first. A strikeout put the pressure on the top of the order. A walk put Nava in scoring position. From there Pedroia sent us all home happy with a run-scoring single. It wasn’t exactly a perfect manufacture. But, It got the job done.

The player of the game? I’m going with Victor Martinez. He and Youkilis each scored two of the five Red Sox runs. Each homered. Martinez had three of the five RBI, to give him the edge. The goat of the day? Had to be Darnell McDonald. Hitless on the day with two strikeouts, including a key one in the bottom of the ninth. He had plenty of great games for the Red Sox in 2010. This just wasn’t one of them.

So, the Fenway faithful got to welcome back Manny once again. (He went 2-4, scored two runs, stole a base, and homered, by the way) The Red Sox won in dramatic fashion. We were treated to both “Okajima” and “Shippin’ Up To Boston,” blaring through the park.

And the scorecard shows how it happened.

I Scored! April 11, 1998

The 1997 Red Sox had finished the season with a 78-84 record. They were in fourth place in the AL East, 20 games behind the leader. Their lone bright spot? The incredible rookie campaign of Nomar Garciaparra. He put up one of the greatest seasons ever by a rookie shortstop. But, even with that, the 20 games were a lot. The Red Sox needed more. Enter Pedro Martinez. The Red Sox traded for him following the 1997 season, and signed him to a long-term deal. As we all know, the Red Sox haven’t had a losing season since. But, on April 11, 1998 Pedro had yet to show his stuff to the hometown fans. His first starts as a member of the Red Sox had been wonderful, but had been in other cities. The fans were drooling over the chance to see those performances in the home whites. This was the chance. Here is how the day looked.

With all the build-up, let’s just start in the pitchers spot and see how the great Pedro Martinez did in his Red Sox Fenway debut. Yeah. Not so bad, eh? Nine innings. Zero runs. Two hit, two walks, and 12 strikeouts. He certainly has a flair for the dramatic, doesn’t he? It always amazes me when an athlete enters a game with unrealistic expectations, and them exceeds them. We all expected him to dominate. We all expected him to win. He simply shut Seattle down. It was almost unfair.

Who else played a part in the game? I see Nomar still in his lead-off position. Really, the top three that year is pretty solid. Nomar-Valentin-Vaughn is pretty formidable. Compared to Ellsbury-Pedroia-Youkilis? Not really much of a drop off. It’s the rest of the order that needs some work. In this game, Jim Leyritz did just fine…even if I forgot to write down his number. Frankly, he was probably the offensive star of the game. He went 2-3 with three RBI and a home run. Not a bad day from the clean-up hitter. The stiff of the day? That honor has to go to Damon Buford. He was the only player without a hit on the afternoon. Hatteberg’s presence in an early season line-up shows that Jason Varitek was still “That other guy they got for Slocumb.”

So, the Sox rallied around their new ace. It was a mark of things to come. They would finish the season 92-70, improving by 14 games. (Oddly, they would finish even farther out of first…22 games…but win the wild card behind the ’98 Yankees) Pedro would finish with a 19-7 record. This Fenway start certainly gave a glimpse of greatness yet to come.

And the scorecard shows how it happened.

I Scored! April 7, 2009

With the finish of the 2010 season fresh in our minds, this is an interesting scorecard to look at. It wasn’t from very long ago, but it makes me long for that year gone by.

Picture in your mind the line-up that started that final game against the Yankees this season. Then, look at the line-up listed on the left side of this scorecard. Makes you a little weepy, doesn’t it? Want to really start the tears flowing? Check out the lines in the pitchers box. Why can’t the Sox get pitchers like that?

As the “notes” box clearly states, this was Opening Day at Fenway for the 2009 season. The game had been rained out the day before, so the Sox had to take advantage of the standard off day following the opener. Just look at that line-up. Ellsbury-Pedroia-Ortiz started things off with a flourish. Youkils-Drew-Bay made up an actual heart of the order. Lowell-Lowrie-Varitek rounded out an amazing bottom of the order. The best player this day? I’ll have to go with Dustin Pedroia. His home run filled out his batting line nicely. The goat? Has to be Ellsbury. 0-4 isn’t what you’re looking for from your exciting leadoff hitter. Despite that, the Sox were able to put up five runs, and hold off a late charge by the defending AL Champs.

I know it was painful the first time, but look at that pitchers box again. Josh Beckett got the nod. He went seven innings, giving up one earned run! Not only that, but he struck out ten guys in those seven innings. If most of his 2010 starts were like that, the Sox might have overcome all the injuries. Same goes for Mr. Papelbon. One inning pitched, and two strikeouts. Not even a single base runner. A few more outings like that in 2010, and things would have been different.

But, after this game, the Sox were off and running. They had pitching. They had offense. They had it all. Justin Masterson would use his outing today to help prove he was worth shipping off for Victor Martinez. It was a great start.

And the scorecard shows how it happened.