Welcome to October, Tampa Bay. The Rays and their fans, who created an atmosphere like that of a cicada-infestation with their cowbells echoing throughout Tropicana Field, learned an important lesson in their first ALCS game. Sometimes, it is better to be lucky than good. There was no superior team on the field last night in Florida; one team got a few breaks and lucky bounces, and the Red Sox won 2-0.
James Shields was the hard-luck loser in this one, recovering from a first inning in which he threw 26 pitches to go 7 1/3 innings, giving up only two runs. In the top of the first, Shields was locating his fastball but struggled with his off-speed pitches, many bouncing in the dirt. After walking Dustin Pedroia, the Rays got their first (only?) break of the night. Kevin Youkilis ripped a ball down the right-field line, but as Pedroia rounded third, the ball hit the artificial warning track material and skyrocketed up and into the crowd for a ground-rule double. With runners on 2nd and 3rd with two out, Shields regained his control; he threw two straight breaking balls for strikes and ended with a K of JD Drew to end the inning.
Daisuke Matsuzaka started the game by sandwhiching the first two out of the innings with walks, leaving the bases loaded for Cliff Floyd. Floyd routinely grounded out, ending the threat, and Dice-K (Dice-BB?) escaped the threat he created. Matsuzaka settled in from there, at one point he retired 8 of 9 Rays, with only Carlos Pena reaching base by, of course, a walk. By the time the Red Sox came up to bat in the top of the fifth, TBS was already talking no-hitter.
Mark Kotsay has yet to have his Bobby Kielty moment, and maybe last night was the best we
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