On a huge sports day—a near-upset that would have made FIFA history between Argentina and Cape Verde, Novak Djokovic tying a record at Wimbledon, the Cardinals clobbering the rival Cubs 17-1, Tour de France regulations put in place due to extreme heat, Taylor Swift's wedding—this late-night match-up between the lowly Red Sox and Angels falls somewhere like the 18th most important sports story today.
Besides all that, it's the start of the holiday weekend. But for all the night owls who tuned in, it was a thoroughly enjoyable game!
Jake Bennett proved he belongs and Romy González showed he's back. Bennett quickly got out to a confident start, with a 1-2-3 first inning; he repeated that feat in each frame through the fourth, not allowing a hit until the fifth and never giving up a walk. I was surprised that Chad Tracy brought him out for the eighth, not because he was struggling—he most definitely wasn't—but because he'd never gone that deep in a game before. Sure enough, he was a little gassed and began to falter, giving up a home run, a single, a wild pitch, then another single. Two runs scored in the inning but this wasn't indicative of his night.
In the ninth, Aroldis Chapman broke Hoyt Wilhelm's record for most strikeouts by a reliever—not a closer, but all relievers.
As for the offense, the Sox hitters were as confident as their pitchers, with nearly everyone getting at least one hit. Rafaela, Abreu, Contreras, Durbin, and Duran were on the basepaths multiple times. Though Duran didn't have a hit, he had a nice sac fly, laid down a sacrifice bunt, and advanced on a fielding error.
Besides all that, it's the start of the holiday weekend. But for all the night owls who tuned in, it was a thoroughly enjoyable game!
Jake Bennett proved he belongs and Romy González showed he's back. Bennett quickly got out to a confident start, with a 1-2-3 first inning; he repeated that feat in each frame through the fourth, not allowing a hit until the fifth and never giving up a walk. I was surprised that Chad Tracy brought him out for the eighth, not because he was struggling—he most definitely wasn't—but because he'd never gone that deep in a game before. Sure enough, he was a little gassed and began to falter, giving up a home run, a single, a wild pitch, then another single. Two runs scored in the inning but this wasn't indicative of his night.
In the ninth, Aroldis Chapman broke Hoyt Wilhelm's record for most strikeouts by a reliever—not a closer, but all relievers.
As for the offense, the Sox hitters were as confident as their pitchers, with nearly everyone getting at least one hit. Rafaela, Abreu, Contreras, Durbin, and Duran were on the basepaths multiple times. Though Duran didn't have a hit, he had a nice sac fly, laid down a sacrifice bunt, and advanced on a fielding error.
26 days ago
