It's rare that a mid-season baseball game earns the instant classic label but last night's Sunday Night Baseball contest between the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays immediately joined that elite status (even while it was still going on into the wee hours of the morning).
After 480 combined pitches over five hours and 44 minutes, the Red Sox (57-36) ended up winning 1-0 in 16 innings at Tropicana Field. In the process, Boston took two of three from Tampa Bay (50-43) which put them seven games ahead of the Rays in the AL East and dealt them some psychological damage by taking the longest game in Tampa Bay franchise history.
In a ridiculous performance that featured once-in-a-lifetime stat lines (Jacoby Ellsbury 0-for-8, Adrian Gonzalez 1-for-7, BJ Upton 0-for-6, etc), Dustin Pedroia (3 for 7 with a walk, stolen base) was the only hitter for either team to notch more than one hit.
Pedroia's RBI single through the hole between first and second base scored Josh Reddick in the 16th gave the Red Sox the only run they would need. Pedroia also had two great plays in the field to get close outs at first while Reddick sent the game to the 11th with a remarkable leaping catch at the left field wall.
Tampa Bay's Adam Russell (1-2) was the hard-luck loser in a game that featured nine pitchers for the Rays and six for the Red Sox.
Josh Beckett and Jeff Niemann each went eight scoreless innings as neither offense could get anything going. The Red Sox left 17 men on base and they didn't score in the ninth or 11th after loading the bases. The Rays only left six men on base, showing how much they struggle offensively when Evan Longoria is hitting .233 and Casey Kotchman is batting fifth in their lineup.
Coming off his shutout against his one-hit shutout against the Rays on the night the Bruins won the Stanley Cup, Beckett picked up where he left off. He allowed one hit with no walks and six strikeouts.
Niemann gave up just two hits with two walks and 10 strikeouts.
Alfredo Aceves (5-1) earned the win with three perfect innings, including two strikeouts. Jonathan Papelbon put the exclamation point on the win with a 1-2-3 inning (with a strikeout) in the 16th for his 21st save.
With Daniel Bard (1 inning), Matt Albers (1.2 innings), Franklin Morales (1.1 innings), Aceves and Papelbon all pitching last night, expect Tim Wakefield to be pushed more than usual to go deep into tonight's game in Baltimore. The Red Sox open a three-game series at Camden Yards with Carl Crawford expected back in the lineup this evening. In addition, David Ortiz and Orioles closer Kevin Gregg will reportedly begin serving their suspensions tonight. Baltimore's Brad Bergesen gets the nod in the series opener.
Normally I would be worried about the fatigue factor after a game like last night but luckily for the Red Sox, they're playing the Sisters of the Poor of the AL East. The Orioles are a complete joke and they'll probably get swept again, just like they were before the All-Star break at Fenway.
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