Saturday at the Fens

In between attending practically the whole Portland/Norwich series this weekend, we found time to make our second trip of the season to Fenway Park to watch an epic battle between the first place Sox and the first place Sox. My wife and I were accompanied by our friends Steve and Shelly as part of a University of New England alumni group outing.

This was Steve's first trip to Fenway and we weren't going to let anything, be it 94 degree heat, an hourlong backup at the New Hampshire tollboot, or a 40-minute rain delay (complete with lightning and thunder), get in the way of a good time. The festivities began with a private party at Jillian's on Ipswitch Street, just beyond Fenway's right field stands. Jillian's is an impressive facility, with multiple bars, a bowling alley and several pool rooms, one of which served as the UNE party room. Alas, the food was not all that inspiring considering the cost - burgers, dogs and wings, and not much else. Nonetheless, it was a good starting point for the evening.

After satisfying our hunger and shooting a little pool, it was back into the sweltering heat and off to Fenway. Our seats were in Section 3 - way in back of the right field corner. Fenway's grandstand seats are notoriously for being cramped, pointing away from the action, and having obstructed views. With this in mind, we were pleasantly surprised by the views offered in Sec. 3. The only obstruction was a post that blocked a view of the centerfielder and leftfield corner, which thankfully didn't come into play all that often. Other than that everything was wonderful, as we were pointing directly toward the mound. As an added bonus, the Red Sox have hung televisions from the roof, enabling us to see all of the instant replays from the NESN telecast.

The game itself was satisfying for the (Red) Sox fan. Tim Wakefield was masterful, allowing just four hits in the first six innings pitched. Only after the rain delay in the bottom of the sixth did Wakefield stumble, allowing back-to-back home runs to Paul Konerko and Aaron Rowand before giving way to the bullpen. The offense exposed Jon Garland as the overachiever that he has been this year. Boston roughed up the 16-game winner for five runs in 5.1 innings, highlighted by the first major league home run for Roberto Petagine since 1998. (This shot also doubled as the closest any ball came to our seats, though it was at least 100 feet in front of us). There were a couple of bumps in the latter innings, but the Red Sox cruised to a 7-4 victory.

Scorer's Notes:

• Yes indeed, I did score the game from deep in right field. I'd hate to not be able to look back and see what happened in the game. I'll take a break when the Sea Dogs are finished for the year.
• For some reason, Kevin Millar is considered to be a better defensive first baseman than Petagine. In the 7th inning, Millar was moved to first base from right field, and Petagine was replaced by Adam Stern. The conclusion that Millar is a better fielder is dubious at best, but Millar this year is nowhere near the hitter that Petagine is. I look for Millar to see more time on the bench and Petagine (333/400/556-1-8 in 7 games this year) more time in the lineup.
• Another guy whose job should be in trouble is Mark Bellhorn. Tony Graffanino is batting 358/394/493-1-10 in 17 games since being acquired by the Red Sox. While this is obviously above his true ability, Graffanino is a fundamentally solid player who has good on base skills and a little bit of pop. He doesn't have the offensive upside of Bellhorn, but he's been much better this season and Bellhorn's rehab in Pawtucket (5 hits, 15 K's in 45 AB) doesn't inspire any renewed confidence in him.
• Curious pitching move in the 8th inning by manager Terry Francona. Jeremi Gonzalez quickly retired the first two batters (in addition to the final batter of the 7th), then was lifted after only 11 pitches for recent acquisition Mike Remlinger. Remlinger was ineffective, walking a batter and a giving up a double to Carl Everett, necessitating a call for Curt Schilling to enter the game. In two appearances for Boston, Remlinger has faced six batters, all of whom have reached base (one on an error), and five of whom have scored. Not what Theo was looking for, I'm sure.