ALDS Game 3: October 11, 2009 Angels 7 W: Darren Oliver (1-0)S: Brian Fuentes (2) 3-0 Red Sox 6 H: Daniel Bard (1)H: Billy Wagner (1)BS, L: Jonathan Papelbon (1, 0-1) 0-3 Highlight: Despite cruising at an altitude of 39,000 feet I was able to experience m...

ALDS Game 2: October 9, 2009 Red Sox 1 L: Josh Beckett (0-1) 0-2 Angels 4 W: Jared Weaver (1-0)H: Darren Oliver (1)H: Kevin Jepsen (1)S: Brian Fuentes (1) 2-0 Highlights: In Japanese the word for “four” (shi) is a homonym of the word “death.” The ...

ALDS Game 1: October 8, 2009 Red Sox 0 L: Jon Lester (0-1) 0-1 Angels 5 W: John Lackey (1-0) 1-0 Highlights: Having Don Orsillo as play-by-play man is almost like having a postseason game on NESN. Buck Martinez spoiled the effect by sprinkling in impercep...

Continuing with the rest of the season, I list the highs and lows of the 2009 Red Sox. It is almost uncanny how Brad Penny’s success coincided with the uncertainty around John Smoltz such that the front office couldn’t capitalize on Penny’s value at...

Game 162: October 4, 2009 Indians7L: Tomo Ohka (1-5)65-97, 5 game losing streak Red Sox12W: Michael Bowden (1-1)95-67, 4 game winning streak Highlights: Bowden, he of the bizarre delivery, attained his first major league win in 2009 in the last game of th...

Game 161: October 3, 2009 Indians6L: Aaron Laffey (7-9)65-96, 4 game losing streak Red Sox11W: Josh Beckett (17-6)94-67, 3 game winning streak Highlights: Beckett allowed four runs but none were by way of the longball. Cleveland is middle of the pack for ...

Game 160: October 2, 2009 Indians2L: Carlos Carrasco (0-4)65-95, 3 game losing streak Red Sox6W: Daisuke Matsuzaka (4-6)H: Billy Wagner (6)H: Ramon Ramirez (12)93-67, 2 game winning streak Highlights: The Japanese borrowed the English term “general mana...

Game 159: October 1, 2009 Indians0L: Carlos Carrasco (0-4)65-94, 2 game losing streak Red Sox3W: Jon Lester (15-8)H: Daniel Bard (13)H: Billy Wagner (5)S: Jonathan Papelbon (38)92-67, 1 game winning streak Highlights: A win, a very palpable win. MLB.com n...

Game 158: September 30, 2009 Blue Jays12W: Roy Halladay (17-10)75-84, 6 game winning streak Red Sox0L: Tim Wakefield (11-5)91-67, 6 game losing streak Highlights: Only Rocco Baldelli (seventh frame) and Joey Gathright (sixth inning to break up the no-hitt...

Game 157: September 29, 2009 Blue Jays8W: Ricky Romero (13-9)S: Jason Frasor (11)74-84, 5 game winning streak Red Sox7L: Clay Buchholz (7-4)91-66, 5 game losing streak Highlights: For the second game in a row a Red Sox starter allowed four runs in the fir...

Game 156: September 28, 2009 ? 7 innings Blue Jays11W: Scott Richmond (8-10)73-84, 4 game winning streak Red Sox5L: Michael Bowden (0-1)91-65, 4 game losing streak Highlights: The Red Sox honored Johnny Pesky on his 90th birthday by having him throw out t...

Game 155: September 27, 2009 Red Sox2L: Paul Byrd (1-3)91-64, 3 game losing streak Yankees4W: Andy Pettitte (14-7)H: Brian Bruney (14)H: Phil Coke (21)S: Mariano Rivera (44)100-56, 5 game winning streak Highlights: Victor Martinez’s hitting streak was s...

Game 154: September 26, 2009 Red Sox0L: Daisuke Matsuzaka (3-6)91-63, 2 game losing streak Yankees3W: C.C. Sabathia (19-7)H: Phil Hughes (18)S: Mariano Rivera (43)99-56, 4 game winning streak Highlights: Ainote is a virtuoso musical interlude in kabuki dr...

Game 153: September 25, 2009 Red Sox5L: Jon Lester (14-8)91-62, 1 game losing streak Yankees9W: Joba Chamberlain (9-6)98-56, 3 game winning streak Highlights: Though both possess abundant talent there is a marked difference in temperament between Lester a...

Game 152: September 24, 2009 Red Sox10W: Clay Buchholz (7-3)91-61, 2 game winning streak Royals3L: Anthony Lerew (0-1)63-90, 2 game losing streak Highlights: Zack Greinke heckled home plate umpire Greg Gibson’s strike zone in the third inning and was ej...

Game 151: September 23, 2009 Red Sox9W: Josh Beckett (16-6)90-61, 1 game winning streak Royals2L: Luke Hochevar (7-11)63-89, 1 game losing streak Highlights: Beckett has all but recovered from his August abatement. He twirled six innings of two-run ball d...

Game 150: September 22, 2009 Red Sox1L: Paul Byrd (1-2)89-61, 2 game losing streak Royals5W: Zack Greinke (15-8)S: Joakim Soria (28)63-88, 3 game winning streak Highlights: The Red Sox batters mustered only two hits against Greinke. One of them was Victor...

Game 149: September 21, 2009 Red Sox9BS, L: Daniel Bard (3, 2-2)89-60, 1 game losing streak Royals12W: Yasuhiko Yabuta (2-1)H: Jamey Wright (12)S: Joakim Soria (27)62-88, 2 game winning streak Highlights: I’m on vacation in Nevada and the Red Sox reliev...

Game 148: September 20, 2009 Red Sox9W: Daisuke Matsuzaka (3-5)89-59, 3 game winning streak Orioles3L: Jason Berken (5-12)60-89, 4 game losing streak Highlights: The Japanese word for earned run average, b?gyoritsu [???], much better defines what this met...

Game 147: September 19, 2009 Red Sox11W: Jon Lester (14-8)H: Billy Wagner (4)88-59, 2 game winning streak Orioles5L: Matt Albers (2-6)60-88, 3 game losing streak Highlights: Victor Martinez took all the tension out of extending his hitting streak by launc...