PLAY BALL!!
Red Sox kicked off the 2008 regular season by playing against the Oakland A's this morning in Tokyo. Dice-K got the start (as Beckett is on the DL already
) and looked pretty shaky at the start. He gave up 2 runs in the 1st inning and struggled in the 2nd. He settled down and pitched very well into the 5th. Sox took a brief 3-2 lead, but then gave it back. Okajima came in and held down the fort long enough for Brandon Moss to tie it at 4-4 with a homer in the top of the ninth. Manny drove in 2 (and performed his first stand-and-stare routine) with a deep drive in the 10th. Papelbon did NOT look good in the bottom of the 10th, giving up a run. The only reason the A's didn't tie it in the 10th was that one of their rookies made a bonehead baserunning play, getting into a rundown between 2nd and 3rd instead of just staying at 2nd.
It sure doesn't feel like the regular season, since the game started at 6:05 on the east coast of the US. Plus, the Sox are going to come back to the States and then play some more exhibition games. But this one really does count, so I'm glad they pulled it out.
I also didn't like seeing all the sponsor logos on the hats and uniforms. I wonder if everybody is going to do this all season or if it's just part of the deal to play in Japan.
Tue Mar 25, 2008, 09:00am
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