Adding Insult to Injury: Jays Walk Off, Beckett Limps Off
9/5/11: Blue Jays 1, Red Sox 0 (11 innings)
Prized Toronto rookie Brett Lawrie hit a walk-off home run in the 11th inning to beat the Red Sox, and unfortunately, that’s not the worst news SOx fans received on Labor Day. Josh Beckett left the game with a right ankle injury, of which the severity is not known. Beckett is flying to Boston to have the ankle checked out.
Obviously, any serious injury to Beckett would be awful for Boston’s championship aspirations, given how thin the rotation is at the moment. No one really wants to see John Lackey pitch one of the first 3 games of the divisional series, but it might be a necessity.
Key Players:
- Hero of the Game: Brett Lawrie (walk-off HR in 11th inning, 46.2% WPA)
- Goat of the Game: Dan Wheeler (see above, -35.7% WPA)
Top 3 Plays:
- The HR, of course (46.3% WPA)
- Jonathan Papelbon strikes out Adam Lind in the 10th with 2 outs and the bases loaded (16.2% WPA).
- Josh Reddick doubles with 1 out in the 9th (11.8% WPA).
Quote of the Day:
“I could wake up tomorrow and feel like playing basketball. We’ll just see.”
- Josh Beckett, on the uncertainty of his injury
Please don’t.
Prospect Watch:
- AAA: Third baseman Will Middlebrooks, now the #1 rated prospect at soxprospects.com, went 1 for 3 with a HR in Pawtucket’s win over Rochester.
- High A: Pitcher Stolmy Pimental, whose stock has dropped drastically after a disappointing season, provided fans with a glimmer of hope by pitching 7 strong innings and only yielding 2 hits.
- Low A: Second baseman Sean Coyle, went 3 for 5 with 2 home runs and 7 RBI in Greenville’s 11-4 rout. Sean’s Isolated Power (Slugging % – Batting Average) is .217, which is amazing given his age, frame, and position.
Other Notes:
- As the minor league season winds down, I’ll be working on a final ranking list. It will be up in a week or so, most likely.
- Chris Jaffe takes us back to 10 years ago last Friday, when one of the more memorable Red Sox – Yankees games took place: Mike Mussina’s near-perfect game broken up by “Jurassic” Carl Everett with 2 outs in the 9th. I remember watching that game at the White Horse Tavern (a vivid memory despite my inebriated state), and jeering bitterly at some college-aged Yankees fans who were loudly cheering on Mussina. There was a world of difference between then and now, in terms of the attitude amongst Sox fans.
