And So It Begins... by Jared Carrabis
Sox top Rays on Opening Day

(Photos from Boston.com)

One game down, 161 to go.

The Red Sox started the 2009 season off on the right foot with a 5-3 victory against the defending American League Champion Tampa Bay Rays. A game in which was postponed due to rain was well worth the 24 hour wait. The anticipation for Opening Day in New England is an anticipation like no other. From the moment I heard the F18 fighter jets fly over my house on the way to Fenway Park, the excitement for baseball season beginning never let up. For the first time since 2002, the Red Sox opened up their season at home in 2009.

The action picked up right where it left off in Game 7 of the 2008 American League Championship Series. “Big Game” James squared off against Boston ace, Josh Beckett, in game one of a 162 game marathon of a baseball season. The Red Sox took the field at Fenway Park for the first time since falling victim to the eventual American League Champions with the past forgotten and a brand new start on their minds. If there was any doubt whether or not Beckett was still in the shape he was in last October, the right-hander silenced each and every critic in his first start of the 2009 season.

“He was phenomenal,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona spoke of his ace following Tuesday’s Opening Day match up. Phenomenal was an understatement as Beckett tore through the Tampa Bay lineup for seven strong innings of two-hit baseball. The Boston ace hurled 93 pitches, while striking out ten Rays to pick up his first of many victories to come this season. Beckett retired the first seven batters out of the gate, giving up just one earned run in his masterful outing.

Picking up right where he left off, the reigning American League MVP, Dustin Pedroia, launched the second pitch he saw in 2009 into the Monster seats to give Boston the 1-0 advantage. I’ll be completely honest with you, I lost my voice by the first inning and I wasn’t even at the game. Clearly I’m not in midseason form, but I’ll be at Fenway tomorrow night for some more tuning up of my Red Sox fan vocal chords.

As is the case at the start of every season, Red Sox fans often question the productivity that they will get from certain players. Well, the players in question answered those questions without words. After the Rays had tied the score in the top of the third on a sac fly off the bat of Carl Crawford, the Red Sox stormed back in the bottom half of the inning.

Dustin Pedroia started off the inning with a leadoff walk. After a David Ortiz (1-for-3) flyout to right, Kevin Youkilis ripped a single into left field to put runners at the corners for JD Drew. Drew grounded out to first to bring in Pedroia from the back door to put the Sox back on top by one. Starting his first season with the Red Sox, Jason Bay followed up Drew with a single to the opposite field to bring Youkilis around to score.

It was then that Mike Lowell came to the plate. Having underwent hip surgery at the conclusion of the 2008 season, the productivity from Lowell is definitely in question. However, if Lowell can return to form, he will hands down be the best seventh hitter in baseball. The Red Sox third baseman hammered an 0-1 curveball from James Shields that banged off the Green Monster to bring Bay in to score the third run of the inning. Lowell’s health is a big x-factor in Boston’s success this season. If Lowell can stay healthy and hit like we all know he can, this Red Sox lineup will surely be a lineup with few to no holes in it.

Sticking to the topic of question marks, another question was answered in the bottom of the sixth inning. With one out, Jason Varitek hammered the first pitch of the at bat deep into the right field corner for a solo home run. The solo blast for the captain was his first on an Opening Day since 2001. After hitting five home runs during the spring, Red Sox fans can have nothing but optimism for their captain this season.

With a 5-1 lead after seven, Josh Beckett made his departure from the game, as the bullpen gates opened for Hideki Okajima in the eighth. The left-hander struggled with his control, hitting the first batter and walking the second. Okajima battled back to strike out Crawford before giving way to Justin Masterson.

With the fifth spot in the rotation up for grabs entering spring training, many thought that Masterson would be the man to step in if Brad Penny wasn’t ready to go. With Penny set to start on Saturday against the Angels, Masterson stood on the mound in the eighth inning as a reliever. Evan Longoria touched up Masterson for a single to center that drove in two runs, both charged to Okajima. Masterson settled in nicely retiring the next two batters, including a strikeout to Carlos Pena who was 0-for-4 with four strikeouts.

With a save situation in place, none other than Jonathan Papelbon entered the game to his tune of “Shipping Up To Boston.” After his warm up tosses, the Boston closer was ready to go. Papelbon entered the game as only one of three closers in all of baseball with 25+ saves in each of the past three seasons. The right-hander took the first step towards building on his elite reputation by shutting down the Rays in order, striking out the last two batters to end the game.

Not only is getting the first win under your belt very important, but you also have to consider that every game against a divisional opponent will be crucial in 2009. No longer is the AL East a two-team race and the Red Sox will need as many wins within their division that they can get.

Now the Red Sox look to continue their attack on the Tampa Bay Rays with ace number two, Jon Lester. It’s going to be difficult to top a seven inning, two-hit, ten strikeout performance, but if anyone on the Boston staff is capable of doing so, it’s Jon Lester. So there you have if Sox fans; one down, 161 to go.

-Jared Carrabis

Final Score: Rays 3, Red Sox 5

Published on April 07, 2009

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