Grand Slam * Stats & News
Updated: October 23, 2013
Scores & Statistics
Baseball Scores & Stats
Softball Women Scores & Stats
Softball Men Scores & Stats
Copyright © 1997-2013
Grand Slam/Marco Stoovelaar


www.grand-slam.nl
Baseball
Headlines
Compiled and Copyright © 1997-2013 by Marco Stoovelaar


Boston wins big in World Series-opener
Nederlands
BOSTON, Massachusetts (USA) - Boston Red Sox opened the World Series on Wednesday-evening (October23) with a big 8-1 win vs. St. Louis Cardinals With this, Boston appears to set the tone for the final of this season.

Boston struck early and led 5-0 after two innings. But a reversed call led to an extra run for the Red Sox, or might have resulted in no runs when the original call would have been upheld.

Winning pitcher Jon Lester struckout eight batter and gave up only five hits in 7 2/3 inning. On the other hand, St. Louis-starter Adam Wainwright gave up six hits and five runs in five innings.

In the first inning, Jacoby Ellsbury led off for Boston with a walk, then Dustin Pedroia singled with one out. Next, David Ortiz grounded to second baseman Matt Carpenter, who flipped the ball to short stop Pete Kozma for the force out. But Kozma missed the ball, which hit his glove and fell on the ground. However, veteran umpire Dana DeMuth immediately gave the out-signal, meaning Pedroia was forced out. Thatb brought out Boston's Manager John Farrell to argue the decision. The 6-man umpire crew got together and overruled the call by the experienced DeMuth, meaning Pedroia returned to second base. Afterwards, DeMuth said he had made a wrong call and that he focused too long on Pedroia's foot touching base. He never saw that the ball wasn't in the call and made the safe-call, thinking Kozma lost control of the ball while transferring from his glove for the throw to first base. And so, the Red Sox had the bases loaded with one out, instead of runners at first and third base with two outs. The last situation might have result in a different choice of pitches thrown by Wainwright to next batter Mike Napoli and therefore might have escaped the inning unharmed, making it a complete other ballgame. But now with the bases loaded and one out, it was another situation and Napoli connected for a baseclearing-, 3-run double that gave Boston and early 3-0 lead. Jonny Gomes then grounded out and Xander Bogaerts struckout in his first World Series-at bat. Farrell again had put Bogaerts in his starting line-up, who with this became the first player from Aruba to play in a World Series.

The BoSox added two runs in the second inning, which also could have been less. But also could have been more. Lead-off hitter Stephen Drew popped up, but the ball dropped in between pitcher Adam Wainwright and catcher Yadier Molina. Wainwright initially waved off others, appearing he would catch the ball, but he then looked over at Molina and the ball dropped between them for an infield-single. David Ross followed with a single, then Shane Victorino grounded to short stop Pete Kozma with one out. While it was a tough ball, Kozma was credited with an error and that loaded the bases. Dustin Pedroia then singled through the leftside to bring in a run and left the bases loaded. Next batter David Ortiz then drove the ball into rightfield near the bullpen for what appeared to become a grand slam homerun. But rightfielder Carlos Beltran made a great catch to rob Ortiz of the grand slam. It now became a sacrifice fly, as Ross scored to make it 5-0. In the bottom of the third, Jon Jay took over for Beltran, who ran into the fence with his ribs. Beltran, who plays in his first World Series in his 16 year careers, sustained a severe rib bruise.

Boston scored two more runs in the seventh inning. With two outs and off of the second new pitcher in the inning, Pedroia reached on an error. Kevin Siegrist then became the third Cardinal-pitcher in the inning and gave up a 2-run homerun to Ortiz that made it 7-0.

The eighth run was then scored in the eighth inning. New pitcher Carlos Martinez gave up a lead-off double to Daniel Nava, who then advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly by Xander Bogaerts.

The Cardinals scored their lone run in the ninth inning when Matt Holliday led off with a homerun off of Ryan Dempster, who had just come in as closer for the Red Sox.

(October 23)


Thank you for visiting this site.
Mail your suggestions and questions to stoov@wxs.nl
Copyright © 1997-2013 Marco Stoovelaar / Grand Slam * Stats & News.