Boston Red Sox Squeak By New York Yankees in First Exhibition : Boston Red Sox

Published: 13^th Mar 12 10:46 pm

Matt Sullivan
Sully

RANT It!

David Butler II-US PRESSWIRE

In the first meeting of baseball’s biggest rivals in 2012, the Boston Red Sox beat the New York Yankees by a single run, scored in the ninth inning. Being a mere exhibition game, this nail biter saw the Yankees closer Mariano Rivera pitch in the fifth inning instead of the ninth, but for Boston fans beating the Yankees is always a good reason to smile. However, tonight, the biggest reason to feel good came from starting pitcher Felix Doubront.

Doubront pitched four innings and did everything you could want to advance his cause for the final starting slot. He struck out three, walked just one and allowed two hits while keeping the Yankees off the board. Among the many options the Red Sox are exploring for the fifth starter slot, Doubront is the most exciting. The young left hander showed great potential in 2010, but lost almost the entire 2011 season to injuries. He has looked healthy and effective thus far this spring and is the current front runner in the battle for the 5^th starting pitcher spot.

Following Doubront, Michael Bowden did his best to keep his place on the 40 man roster, pitching one inning and striking out three after giving up a single to Bill Hall to lead off the inning. After Bowden, Doubront’s top competitor for the 5^th starter role, Vicente Padilla, threw three prefect innings with four strikeouts, giving the Red Sox the kind of dilemma team’s dream about. As if that was not enough to please Red Sox fans, Junichi Tawaza, who is returning from Tommy John surgery threw a perfect ninth, striking out all three Yankees he faced to earn the save.

Boston did not have much going offensively. Yankees starter Ivan Noav was also excellent allowing 2 hits, no walks and no runs in four innings while matching Doubront’s three Ks. He was followed by Rivera Boone Logan who were both perfect.

The game ended in rather absurd fashion. Red Sox short stop, Pedro Ciriaco, slapped an opposite field single to right to lead off the ninth, but Yankees right fielder, Zoilo Almonte, miss played the shallow blooper allowing Ciriaco to reach third. When Yankees second baseman, David Adams, made a terrible relay throw, the alert Ciriaco dashed for home, scoring the game’s only run. After all, this was only a spring training game. You can bet that when the Yankees and Red Sox meet April 20, no one in this paragraph will be on the roster and Mariano Rivera will not be pitching the 5^th inning.