It’s usually a frustrating loss when 17 baserunners in eight and two-thirds innings (none of which went 1-2-3) only provides two runs. When it’s the first game of the season vs the MFY, a performance like that makes Red Sox Nation want to put its collective fist through a wall. Hell, even Tito gave up on this game when he brought in Javy Lopez, who right now looks like a lefty version of his catching counterpart on the mound, in the 9th and a 4-2 deficit. Maybe we should have realized something was brewing when Lopez got himself into and out of a bases-loaded, no out situation without giving up a run.

So when Jason Bay tied up the game with a shot just above the yellow “home run” line in left-center into the Monster seats with two down in the ninth, down by 2, runner at second and Mariano Rivera pitching, at first I was ecstatic. And then my mind shot back to last year when Bay had his introduction to Fenway home-run with a go-ahead shot in the 8th to give the Sox the lead over Tampa Bay, and what would have been a half-game lead in the division as well. Paps blew the save and suddenly people forgot about Bay’s late-inning heroics. So before I could become too excited for Jason I started thinking, “please don’t let the rest of the team screw this up for him again.”

This time the bullpen held. It might have swayed a bit, but it held. So to reward them, and especially our favorite Canadian (I’m sorry Kottaras), Youk gave all of Fenway a big Shabat Shalom shot into the Monster. He even brought wine and challah to home plate for the celebration greeting party.

Anybody else need a day of rest after that game?