Filed under: Boston Red Sox
Big Papi has done it again. This time with a walk-off three run dinger in the bottom of the ninth to lift the Red Sox over the Cleveland Indians 9-8. If you weren’t paying attention this weekend, this is Ortiz’s second walk-off hit in three days, as his RBI single in the bottom of the eleventh inning Saturday helped the Sox beat the Angels. You can’t make this stuff up. Ortiz’s game winning hit parade is like something out of a back-yard game of pretend where you are up to bat in the bottom of the ninth and trying to drive rocks over your neighbors fence with a wifflebat to win the World Series.
Sometimes it’s difficult to comprehend exactly how clutch this guy really is. Not only do his hits come in critical points of each respective game, they also happen to come at critical points in a pennant run as well. Both Ortiz’s game winning hits this past 72 hours have occurred on the brink of a second place standing in the AL East. The hated Yankees are lingering ominously as the Sox cling to a rickety one game lead. Thank God for Papi or else Red Sox Nation might be digging through the medicine cabinet for that last Zanex or Percoset.
Saturday’s game was an emotional roller coaster. In the fifth inning the Sox were down 6-3 and the Yankees were up 1-0 on Tampa Bay, meaning the Sox 1st place lead would be no longer. But the Sox bats came through tying the game up 6-6 in the ninth while Devil Ray bats clobbered Randy Johnson in later innings. Then Papi worked his magic in the eleventh producing the game winning hit and preserving the BoSox lead in the East.
Sunday’s game was just a disaster as the Sox got spanked 10-4 by the California Angels of the Greater Los Angeles Area or Something. Schilling just plain sucked and we will leave it at that.
Monday saw the return of David “Boomer” Wells and boy was it a sight for sore eyes. Or knees. Or ears. Or whatever. After giving up 8 earned in less than five innings, Kyle Synder came in and actually cleaned up Boomer’s mess by pitching 4+ innings of shut-out ball giving up only one hit. The Sox put two on in the ninth with Gonzalez squeezing out a hit and Kevin Youkilis walking. Loretta popped out and Papi came to the play to deliver a three run shot for the game winner.
This guy is seriously unbelievable.
After Saturday’s game I actually tuned into ESPN radio and heard two of the host debating about David Ortiz. One was saying that in no game-tying or game-winning possible situation could you pitch to David Ortiz. Even if you walked the tying run in by intentially walking Ortiz its better than the alternative. With Big Papi’s resume, its hard to argue. However there are two words in the English language(I think its English) that counter that argument. And they are: Manny Ramirez. So I understand not pitching to Ortiz. Why give him the chance to win the game after he has delivered time after time? The answer is that there is not Papi without Manny. Teams are forced to pitch to Ortiz because pitching to Manny is just as dangerous if not more. Manny’s average is 30 points higher, he has better overall stats(except game winners), and he is possibly the best right handed hitter in the American League. The fact is that if they did walk Ortiz in all of those game winning situations, Manny might have very well delivered himself. Granted the Angels did walk Ortiz in the bottom of the ninth on Saturdays game and Manny grounded out to end the inning and force extras. But get this; Manny has the most Runs Batted In since 1995 of any active player. And he has delivered a few clutch hits himself. Perhaps not 0f the caliber of Ortiz, but maybe that’s because of the opportunities. Also if you want to walk Papi to load the bases, think about this first: Manny has the most Grand Slams of any active players as well. Hmm.
Am I arguing that Manny is better than Papi? Absolutely not. Maybe I think that teams should keep pitching to Papi. Maybe I don’t. Or maybe I just hope they do so I can keep seeing one of the most clutch professional athletes any of us have ever seen keep doing what he does best.
theaveragefan@bostonprosports.com
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