Posted on 04/18/2005 12:05:04 PM PDT by RonF
BOSTON -- There was barely any daylight when Curt Schilling arose on Monday to pitch in the annual Patriots Day morning game at Fenway Park. As groggy as the big right-hander must have been (Schilling arrived at the park before 7 a.m. ET for the 11:05 start), he was fairly certain that it was his wife Shonda who was going to be spending the day running a marathon. The way things turned out, it was an all-around marathon-like day for the Schilling family. At the same time Shonda was trekking in the historic Boston Marathon, Schilling was laboring his way though an outing that was anything but a sprint.
It took the ace of the Red Sox a whopping 117 pitches to complete his five innings of work on this late morning and early afternoon. Ultimately, it was successful (10 hits, three earned runs, 10 strikeouts) enough. Heartbreak Hill never found the Red Sox or Schilling, who prevailed with an 12-7 victory over the Blue Jays. The Sox (8-5) extended their season-high winning streak to five games.
For Schilling, making his second start of the season, it was his first win since Game 2 of the 2004 World Series. Manny Ramirez lost two flyballs amid the high skies (one of which was ruled an error) in the fourth inning, contributing to Schilling's high pitch count.
Ramirez also contributed to Schilling's high run support, clubbing two homers for the second time in three days, and driving in five runs. The Sox wasted no time in their assault of Jays right-hander Dave Bush, taking a 9-1 lead after three innings. Ramirez highlighted a four-run second with a three-run shot well over the Monster Seats. Mark Bellhorn (two-run double) and Johnny Damon (two-run single) paced the four-run third.
In the sixth, Ramirez's two-run homer was nearly ruled a double as third base umpire Bob Davidson ruled that the ball hit off the Green Monster. However, the entire crew convened and ruled that the shot hit the short facing in front of the first row of Monster seats.
Planet Manny has landed his mothership! :)
BUSH LOSES AGAIN IN MASSACHUSSETS!!!
No clouds for a background for you folks from Rio Linda.
I worked today but usually I have this day off and on many previous occasions, I would catch the 11AM ballgame at Fenway and then walk down to Kenmore Square afterwards to see the marathoners sprint to the finish line.
This is always the day that officially kicks off Spring, so far as I am concerned. The snows are over and melted, the grass is turning green and all the trees are exploding in buds. Today it's about 70 degrees out there! Spectacular spring day here in New England.
The bats have come alive in the last five games. That's pissa!
I can usually hear the gunshots from the Lexington reenactment, which starts before dawn, but this year I slept right through it.
How 'bout those Red Sox!
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