Knuckled Under
Wednesday, April 12, 2017 – Fenway Park, Section 43
Orioles 12, Red Sox 5
You could say the first week of the season “flu” by, with many key players on the team hit by either influenza, a stomach bug, or a respiratory bug, all of which were circulating through the clubhouse. Add to that two players on the bereavement list at the same time, and transportation issues when they attempted to return. Play-by-play announcer Dave O’Brien even had to leave one broadcast half-way through due to illness. But after a road trip to Detroit which caused the Tigers to have the visiting clubhouse fumigated when they left, the team returned to Fenway in much better shape, with the full lineup they envisioned all winter (with the exception of Jackie Bradley, Jr., on the D.L. with a sprained knee).
For me, it was the first game of the year in my familiar Tenth Man Plan seats in Section 43.
Unfortunately, Wright’s knuckleball wasn’t exactly knuckling. He gave up two homers as the Orioles batted around in the first and two more in the second, and the Sox were down 8-0 when he exited the game. I didn’t have the flu, but I sure felt like puking.
Once they were down 9-0, the Red Sox did try to make a comeback. The first run scored in the third on a sac fly. Three more came in the fourth, capped by a homer by Pablo Sandoval. In the fifth they had the bases loaded with one out, and when Xander Bogaerts drove in their fifth run, that brought the tying run to the plate. Unfortunately that was as close as they’d get.
When Ben Taylor finished his 3-2/3 innings of relief, Fernando Abad was next, making his first appearance of the season. My favorite thing about Abad is getting to make “Abad pun” every time he pitches. Tonight he did well, which I called “Agood Abad outing,” and then when Joe Kelly allowed three more runs in the eighth, “This game just went from Abad to worse.” (Sorry, but with a game like this, I had to do something to stay amused.)