Kim called it. I wanted a $14M RBI-base hit. She wanted a $14M 2-run homer. I need to learn that she’s always right.

Holy crap what a game. This one had everything, offense, men left on base, pitching, runners left in scoring position, defense, and even some ridiculous dances. Bay got things started in the first destroying a pitch from Ervin Santana with two down, to give the Sox a quick 4-0 lead. Sadly nobody has ever accused Dice-K of being a shut-down pitcher, so he immediately gave the Angels hope with a 2-out rally cutting the lead to 4-1. Even when he got the run back in the top of the 4th, he gave it up again in the bottom of the 4th. And then the Angels really started to get baserunners. Three in the 5th (one scored), none in the 6th (although a fantastic catch at the wall by the game’s hero in right probably robbed Garrett Anderson of a HR), four in the 7th (one scored), and one in the 8th (one scored). The Sox had all of a sudden given up the lead and thanks to Dice-K lasting a whopping 5 innings, used all their good bullpen arms: Okajima for 1+, Masterson for 1+ and Paps was already in the game. Needless to say, I was a wreck. Blowing a 4-run lead is one thing, but to do it bit, by bit is just mean.

Exhibit A

But the good news is, so K-Rod was also in the game. Normally I wouldn’t call this good news, but with a WHIP of 1.288, there was at least some chance. Papi crushed a ball off the wall and the heel of the right-fielders glove on the first pitch of the 9th for a double (JD would’ve had it!). Coco pinch-ran for Papi, almost getting picked off at 2nd. In fact, Erik Aybar was so convinced that he had Coco picked off that he did a ridiculous imitation of a white guy dancing to House of Pain’s “Jump Around” by second base. Pure baseball comedy right there.

After Youks grounded out to the left side, JD came up and on a 2-2 pitch looked like he got jammed just a little on an 88mph changeup at the waist. I thought it was a routine fly out to the center-fielder a good 15 feet short of the warning track. But the ball started carrying, and carrying, and suddenly Torii Hunter was at the wall looking up as the ball bounced off the batter’s eye in right-center for a 2-run homer. I only wish I was there so I could hear the sound of 50,000 Los Los Angeles Angeles De Anaheim fans throw their rally monkeys on the ground.

In the bottom of the 9th, Youks did make up for not moving the runner over by making a great bare-handed pick-and-throw when Tori Hunter tried to bunt for a single and then followed that up by leaping over the camera well to catch a foul pop-up on a 3-2 pitch. (One SoSH poster put it perfectly, “Go Go Gadget Jew.”) Paps is a proud man though, and rather than let Youks help him out again, he struck out Howie Kendrick for the final out.

Exhibit B

If you need any indication of what this game meant, take a look at the two above pictures. In exhibit A, is the Angel dugout after tying the game in the 8th. Exhibit B is the same dugout after JD’s homer. Where’s your rally monkey now?