Sox Walk Off on Error

My last post may have jinxed the Red Sox's success, as the day I wrote that post, the Sox saw their winning streak snapped due to Jose Bautista's two-run homer off Junichi Tazawa; the homer gave the Toronto Blue Jays a 4-2 lead that they would eventually stretch to 6-2 and hold ont for the win. However, yesterday the Sox were determined to come back from this loss.

With Ryan Dempster pitching against Mark Buehrle, the Sox struck first, driving in three runs in the third thanks to doubles from Ryan Lavarnway and Brandon Snyder. Dempster gave two back in the fourth, but the Sox had a secure 4-2 lead once Dempster left in the sixth. Unfortunately, Craig Breslow gave up a run later in the sixth, but the Sox still led the Jays comfortably. Fast-forward to the ninth inning, where Jose Reyes lofted a fly ball down the right-field line. Racing for the line, Shane Victorino ran at full speed towards the ball before entering an excellent slide and barely making the grab. This amazing catch was further amplified when the next batter, Jose Bautista, smashed a home run, tying the game. If Victorino hadn't made the catch, the Sox would've been down a run, so it's awesome that Victorino made that play. Then, in the bottom of the inning, with two men on and one out, Victorino grounded a routine ball to first, but Josh Thole couldn't field it, allowing a run to score for Boston, giving the Sox the win. I was pretty excited when the Sox won; even though it wasn't a pretty win, they still came away with it, so I was happy. Hopefully the Sox can keep up their positive energy and continue to perform well as they carry on through the season.

Incidentally, this is how I deal with sloppy wins like this. I think of how badly the Sox played, then stop thinking about that. Instead, I think that at the end of the season, every win shows up exactly the same in the standings: W. By the end of each season, it does not matter how you win your games, as long as you win them.