Game 6 – July 29, 2008

Angels vs. Red Sox
Fenway Park, Boston

Angels 6, Red Sox 2

Home runs: Garrett Anderson (Angels), Kevin Youkilis (Red Sox)

Beer: $7.75

Photos

Visiting Fenway Park was eagerly anticipated by many on our tour, but I arrived with a bias: I don’t like the Red Sox. The simple reason is because they beat the Cardinals in the 2004 World Series, and I hold grudges. (Even though I’m no longer a Cubs fan, I still detest Steve Garvey for game four of the 1984 National League playoffs.) To top it off, we were going to two games at Fenway – the only time on the tour we attended more than one game at a stadium. At least Josh Beckett, one of the few Sox I do like (thanks to his Marlins days), was pitching the second night.

The drive to Boston was nice, through Connecticut and briefly in Rhode Island then into Massachusetts. Boston was pleasant – traffic didn’t seem too bad, city looked interesting. Lots of Dunkin Donuts. We arrived at the bus parking lot around 5:30 p.m. and walked toward the ballpark. Right away, the Fenway area reminded us very much of Wrigleyville – shops and bars and people all around Yawkey Way. The exterior of the ballpark, I have to admit, was very picturesque with its red brick and decorative touches. There also were World Series and American League championship banners along here too, which weren’t quite as picturesque (to me, anyway).

We went into a gigantic team store across the street. I did end up buying something there, but it was a t-shirt for my Mom. She’s not a Red Sox fan, but the shirt had a shamrock on the front and a gigantic one adorned with the Sox logo on the back. And she is a bit Irish – her maiden name was Pat O’Brien and her birthday is St. Patrick’s Day. After Marybeth and Eileen also bought Red Sox t-shirts, it was across the street and into the ballpark.

There is one thing Fenway and Yankee Stadium have in common: narrow, crowded, dark concourses. And since we were going to be at Fenway for two games, plus have a tour the next day, I didn’t wander around this first night like I had been at the other ballparks. After the long walk through the concourse to find our seats, which were in the right field bleachers, it was time for dinner. Stevette raved about the Fenway Franks before we arrived, saying they were the best in the major leagues, so we had to try those. Mine was good, especially since I knew in advance about the white bread-like bun, but the one in Philly was far better. However, Fenway definitely had the best beer selection of any stadium. Sam Adams (of course), Guinness, Harp’s, Smithwicks, Heineken – and those were just at the two stands closest to our seats.

That’s another difference at Fenway: no beer vendors in the stands. Anything else, you could get without leaving your seat – and they even had girls going around collecting beer cups and other plastic items to be recycled.

The view from our seats was OK, yet so far away since we were near the top of the right field bleachers. For anyone familiar with Fenway, we were about 10 or so rows and one section over from the red seat – so designated in the midst of all the green ones because Ted Williams hit a homer to that spot in 1946. At 502 feet, it was the longest home run hit at Fenway. (More info on it here.)

It was a hot night – game time temperature, 87 degrees, according to my photo of the scoreboard – and the sun was shining directly into our eyes for the first couple innings (and glaring off the signs atop the Green Monster in particular). And for every other game of the tour except this one, I’d bought a program and kept score. (I was going to do so the next night.) So it figures this game would almost be historic …

Since I wasn’t keeping score, I didn’t realize the Sox had no hits until I heard it from the radio broadcast while I was waiting in line for beer in the sixth inning. John Lackey walked his first batter of the game and the announcer said that was only the second base runner of the night for the Sox. Up until that point, I was just happy the Angels were winning and the Sox weren’t. There were several Angels fans on our tour, and a couple of them were cheering so I joined in – although not as loudly.

In the middle of the eighth inning, Lackey was going strong and the Sox still had no hits. And anyone familiar with Fenway Park knows that point of the game means one thing: Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond. I vaguely knew that they played this song at Fenway, but had no idea about the tradition. But I, and everyone on our tour, quickly caught on. In fact, it became the theme song for our bus. Since the tour ended, there have been countless e-mails back and forth to the entire group with links to Sweet Caroline ring tones, YouTube videos and this history of the tradition.

That night, however, with a no-hitter in progress, the crowd decided to serenade John Lackey even after the music stopped and he was on the pitcher’s mound warming up for the bottom of the inning. But it didn’t affect him – one, two, three outs.

Jonathan Papelbon came on to pitch the top of the ninth for the Sox, an odd spot to use their closer since they were losing 6-0 at the time. Last year, I remember (unfortunately) seeing a video somewhere of him dancing a jig in one of the Sox victory celebrations. Given that, I wasn’t surprised that the music blaring as he took the field was some jig-like tune – although it quickly turned into a heavy metal version of a jig. Inspired by the music, I’m sure, he retired the Angels in order.

So, there we were, going into the bottom of the ninth, three outs away from a no-hitter – with about 80 die-hard fans on a baseball tour in attendance. How incredible for the baseball gods to give us this rare gift as part of our trip – provided Lackey could get three more outs. And he had to get those three outs, right? First up: Jacoby Ellsbury. A strikeout! This was amazing. Next: Dustin Pedroia. And – damn, a single to left field. SO close … Still, Lackey can have a one-hitter. But Kevin Youkilis took care of that, hitting a home run. Damn again. (Actually, that wasn’t the word I was thinking at the time.) But, Lackey still had the chance for the complete game – which he did get. Angels win, 6-2.

A few days later, when I had a chance to check my e-mail, I had a message from my uncle Jim that perfectly summed up the evening: “I bet you were going crazy in the bottom of the 9th. Would have been a great story: “Red Sox hater sees the Sox no-hit in first game at Fenway!!!!!”