10/28/07 Up 3 games to 0

up 3 games to 0

Good game for the Sox unless your name is Lopez...

There is a pattern that emerges with Dice-K in the postseason. Look unhittable for 3 or 4 innings, then run into some trouble in the 5th. Last night, no different. Cool that he got a big 2 rbi hit in the middle of that...historic, at least McCarver and Buck told me so. First Japanese pitcher to get a hit in the world series or something like that. Sometimes historical moments aren't that significant or seem made up or can be confusing (more later).

Well done Dice-K, other than the walks in the 5th, very well done.

Jacoby Ellsbury = quickly becoming my favorite player to watch. I've mentioned he reminds me of a fast Fred Lynn and time will tell how good he will become but the boys in the booth said two records were matched or broken last night by Jacoby.

1) First rookie to hit 2 doubles in the same inning of a world series game
2) Third rookie to have 4 hits in a world series game

ok, great achievements no doubt, but the other night they mentioned that because Ellsbury didn't have enough at bats this year so he technically will be a rookie still all next year. So, lets fast forward to the series next year. Lets say Ellsbury hits two doubles in an inning again. Does McCarver say, "Jacoby Ellsbury ties a major league record, hitting two doubles in the same world series inning...the only other rookie to do that was...Jaboby Ellsbury...???" Get my point? How many rookie of the year winners will have 2 world series rings to show for it? And besides, will he have to do all the rookie stuff the veterans make them do during the season?

David Ortiz played well at first, grabbing one tough backhand that he took to the bag himself and stretching on this play to get the batter

ok, the one play in the game that needed replays was the Manny slide at home. After watching the angles they showed it is likely in my opinion that the catcher made the tag...however, look at these two shots and you have to wonder when the catcher went from holding the ball in his glove to when he was holding the ball in his hand alone. To make that full out stretched tag with both arms/hands fully extended, you lose some of your reach compared to stretching with just one arm. My guess is he was holding the ball in the glove to ensure it would not get knocked out by contact. But in trying to make the stretch and tag, did he pull the ball out as you see in the second picture. If so, then the tag may have been made without the ball in the glove...

I realize that the big deal is more about Manny flipping his helmet off and how poor a runner he is (McCarver's feelings). Manny wasn't loafing last night, the helmet thing was amusing and unfortunate if it slowed him a little but I saw him hustling and saw him charge hard on a base hit to get the ball and prevent runners from moving up.

Game 4 tonight. Hopefully Lester pitches 5 or 6 good innings. The bats are working good and things should be ok if they get the good starting pitching.

Here are some pictures forwarded to my wife from a friend back home (Boston)