The Bearded One and The Short One

Sox: 9 Yanks: 7

It was basically everything one has come to expect from a Red Sox-Yankees game. You had your controversial umpiring, your dramatic plays, your back-and-forth momentum, your battle-of-the-bullpens, and your contest of who can chase the other team's starter first. The first part of the game was shaping up to be Opening Nightmare for the Fenway nine. Beckett was getting rocked and the Yanks pulled off a double-steal, including a steal of home by Brett Gardner. The song that was running through my head by the time the fifth inning rolled around: Don't Go Breaking My Heart.

But, one must never count the Red Sox out. Does 2004 ring any bells here? The Sox offense, poo-pooed as nothing to write home about, saw the 5-1 deficit and fought back to tie the game at 5 a side. The bullpen, courtesy of Ramon Ramirez and Hideki Okajima, gave two runs right back to the Yankees. However, The Short One crushed one over the Monster to tie the game up again. Feisty Pedey wasn't done yet. The Bearded One collects his third extra-base hit, a double, in the eighth and scores on a wild pitch and a passed ball. Pedey then knocks in Cameron, who singled, giving the Sox a 2-run pad going into the ninth.

Papelbon shipped up to the mound in the ninth, with redemption on his mind. After two quick outs, he allowed a single to Posada. It turned out to be harmless, since Granderson fed Beltre (that's BEL-tre, Miller and Morgan, not Bel-TRAY) a grounder to end the game in a Red Sox victory. New Sox Cameron (2 for 3), Scutaro (2 for 3 with an RBI) and Beltre (1 for 3 with 2 RBI) made their mark while Youk (3 for 4, 2 RBI, 7 total bases) and Pedey (2 for 4, HR, 3 RBI) showed the Fenway Faithful and the national TV audience what homegrown talent can do.

Among those who did not have their A game last night: The August 2009 version of Josh Beckett, Jacoby "Called third strike" Ellsbury, RamRam-made-hitters-go-BamBam, and Hideki "I inherited a big mess" Okajima. Fortunately for those four, it was but one game, with 162 to go.

LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!!