Close but no cigar

Robin Lash


Today I thought (didn't say out loud) that I was going to see a no-hitter. I was especially excited because I was on a plane during Clay Buchholz and in a cabin with no Internet or TV within miles during Jon Lester’s. I thought I would finally get to see a no-hitter. Tim Wakefield, 42-years-old, took the mound with a goal of pitching as many innings as possible. The night before the sox used their bullpen for 10 2/3 innings. The bullpen needed a rest and that’s what Wakefield did.
In the second inning Mike Lowell hit a 2-run homer putting the sox up 2-0. It was around the 5th inning that I realized what was going on. I knew it was early to start thinking about a no-hitter but after 5 innings I was getting impressive.
There were impressive defensive plays to keep the no-hitter alive. In the third inning Jacoby Ellsbury had a nice catch that could have resulting in an extra-base hit. Then in the seventh a new face Nick Green made an unbelievable catch holding the no-hitter alive.
The eighth inning was a big one for the sox. J.D. Drew hit a 3-run homer putting the red sox up 5-0. The sox continued that inning with Green hitting in another run and Ellsbury hitting in two more putting the sox up 8-0. The bottom of the eighth brought bitter disappointment. Kurt Suzuki hit a single ending the pursuit for a no-hitter. The Athletics got a run that inning and they got another one in the bottom of the ninth. Wakefield ended up giving up 4 hits and 2 runs, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts, within 111 pitches. All in all the sox played a great game. Wakefield was able to pitch all nine innings giving the bullpen much needed rest.