Here are today’s gifts:
1-1 game, bottom of the 8th, Royals have bases loaded, one out. It’s obvious the Sox won’t score in the 9th, as they’ve scored one run all game, and that was on a 335′ homerun! If they squeeze, the game is over. The Royals don’t squeeze, the batter strikes out, and they don’t score the winning run. Bottom of the 10th, 1-1, Royals have first and third, one out, and I think the same batter up. If they squeeze, the game is over. On top of that, the on-deck batter was a .191-hitting LEFTY, and lefty Sale was pitching. The batter already didn’t come through once, and you know if you get the guy for the second out, you’re almost guaranteed the third out. No squeeze again, no winning run again.
Now, before someone says that the Sox gave the game away on a wild pitch, I will disagree. Santos constantly throws pitches in the dirt, and gets batters to swing, which is why he’s effective. (Never mind that the batters shouldn’t swing at those.) This is true: The batter had already swung and missed for strike one at a pitch in the dirt, so just before the wild pitch, I said to myself that I hope he throws another slider in the dirt and I don’t even care if the batter swings again since that would only be strike two, because the ball could bounce away, scoring the run. I actually did say that 2 seconds before it happened. My point is that it’s not a regular wild-pitch gift run, since Santos pitches that way and that’s the risk that comes with the reward.
One more example. I was at the Cub game Tuesday night. Garza was leading 2-0 in the top of the 8th, and gave up a leadoff single. As soon as Quade came out to get him, I told the people around me this was a big mistake, and that Garza was fine. Two batters later, the game is tied, and one inning later, the game is lost.