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Home > Departments > Diary of a Diehard > 2002 |
2002: Diary of a Season
Blue Jays 12, Red Sox 11
It was a raw, overcast day, and I arrived well before the gates opened. As I waited outside Gate E, I listened to a band, watched the K-Men gather, and visited the Save Fenway Park table on Lansdowne St. to sign their petition and pick up a new bumper sticker. (I already had one for my car, so this one hangs in my cubicle at work.) When the gates opened, we entered Fenway Park. There was a "Fenway Park 90th Anniversary" logo on the Green Monster to remind us of its history, but it also had a new feel. This was a new era in Boston sports (for surely the Patriots' magic Super Bowl Championship season had reversed The Curse) and a new era in Red Sox history (since the owners, general manager, and manager had all been replaced before the start of the season). And for the first time in a few years, Fenway opened the season with a fresh coat of paint.
My seat was in the left field grandstand, and I had an excellent view of everything on the field... except the pitchers mound! After all the anticipation of being able to watch Pedro pitch the opener, I couldn't even see the mound! Maybe it was for the best, though, since this was, after all, April Fools' Day. It would turn out to be a very strange day. It didn't take long for the game to get weird. Pedro walked the first batter, and went on to give up three runs in the first inning. He had gained weight over the winter in an attempt to be more durable, and had assured everyone the shoulder injury he had last season was gone, but we worried it was still there. The ball seemed to be taking strange bounces, too. One hit was straight up the middle, which would normally be out of the range of middle infielders. But this year the Red Sox had an excellent fielder, Rey Sanchez, at second base, and Nomar Garciaparra at short. Both players have such good range that they had no trouble getting to the ball as it went behind second base, but they got tangled up and the ball went through for an RBI double. "Oh great," I thought. "Our fielders are too good."
Darren Oliver replaced Pedro in the fourth. He was followed to the mound by Rolando Arrojo, Casey Fossum, Rich Garces, and Ugueth Urbina. Six Toronto pitchers combined to allow 13 hits and 12 walks. The two errors of the day were committed by Nomar and Pedro. The Red Sox were down 7-1, then led 11-8, but wound up losing 12-11. When April Fools' Day ended, the Red Sox and Yankees were tied for last place, a game behind the first place Devil Rays, Blue Jays, and Orioles. The end result of the game was disappointing, but it was certainly a memorable afternoon. It was only April 1st, but the roller coaster ride that is the Red Sox was in full gear. Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 | Next Page >>> |
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