Nightmare on 161st Street by Jared Carrabis
Panic strikes Boston, as Lester gets drilled by come-backer


Take a collective deep breath, Red Sox Nation; the X-rays came back negative.

On Friday night, Red Sox fans far and wide watched, as Yankee outfielder Melky Cabrera laced a 92mph fastball off the knee of Jon Lester. Almost instantly, Lester came crashing to the ground, as the 2009 season flashed before our very eyes. Just hours after the Red Sox announced that the left-hander would start the first game of the American League Division Series, Red Sox fans were pondering if Lester would take the mound again in 2009.

As minutes, which seemed like hours, went by, Lester was aided to his feet and walked off of the field on his own power to the applause of Yankee Stadium.

Boston fans waited on pins and needles for any information on Lester's condition.

MLB.com's Ian Browne first broke the news on his Twitter account that the X-rays on Lester were negative and that the diagnosis was a "contusion of the right quad" and that the left-hander would be listed as "day-to-day."

Red Sox Nation breathed a collective sigh of relief, as the news only got more positive from that point forward concerning Lester. God must be a Red Sox fan, because naturally, Red Sox fans feared the worst, but after the game it was reported that Lester was walking around the clubhouse without limping.

"Any time they hit a ball off any part of your body, you're worried. But everything came back fine. We'll treat it and go from there," said Lester after the game.

Pending soreness affecting his normal routine in between starts, the left-hander aims to make his next start, which falls in the final series of the regular season against the Cleveland Indians.

As far as the actual game is concerned, there wasn't a whole lot to brag about. Unfortunately, Lester wasn't pitching his best even before he was taken out by Cabrera, as he was already at 78 pitches with just one out in the third inning. The left-hander was handed the loss after being charged with five earned runs on three hits, including a two-run home run by Alex Rodriguez.

The Bronx Bombers went on to pound out nine runs on fourteen hits, as home runs by Victor Martinez and David Ortiz were not enough to carry the Red Sox to victory.

Final Score: Yankees 9, Red Sox 5

Saturday's pitching match-up:

When the Red Sox and Yankees square off at 4:10pm from the Bronx, Daisuke Matsuzaka will face a major test as to what the length of his leash will be come October. He has pitched well in his two starts since coming off the disabled list, but the Yankees aren't like the teams that Daisuke has been working against. In his career, Matsuzaka is 3-2 with a 6.35 ERA against New York. His opponent, CC Sabathia, was also the victim of a line drive in his previous start. However, he remained in the game and moved into a tie for the league lead in wins (18).

Eye on the scoreboard:

Yankees 9, Red Sox 5
Rangers 8, Rays 3

After an ugly defeat to the Yankees, New York's magic number to clinch the American League East was reduced to three. The Rangers handed a beating to the Rays, which kept the Red Sox's magic number to clinch a playoff spot at three as well.

-Jared Carrabis

To order my debut book, One Fan's Story: If This Hat Could Talk, click HERE!





Published on September 26, 2009

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