Long but Exciting

Not many thirteen inning baseball games can hold your attention, but the Sox-Phils marathon did tonight. The game had a number of highlights, twists, and turns, and hair-raising moments for the Hose.

• John Lester became the first Sox left-hander to have three consecutive ten strikeout games. We're including Babe Ruth here, Mel Parnell, Bruce Hurst, Bill Lee, and Rogelio Moret, too. Lester's brilliance got lost in the shuffle.
• Six Sox pitchers gave up five hits in thirteen innings.
  
• Dustin Pedroia went 0-7.
• David Ortiz played first, but won't win any Gold Gloves.
• Nick Green made a pretty 6-3 double play against the speedy Jimmy Rollins.
  
• Ramon Ramirez moved down the pecking order surrendering a ninth inning titanic game-tying homer to Ryan Howard. It happens.
• Dave Roberts noted (correctly) that the Sox had lost momentum and energy; the Sox promptly rallied.
• Justin Masterson surrendered (almost) the game-winning three run homer in the 12th. It was foul...by a hair.
• The Sox pushed across three runs in the thirteenth, courtesy of an Ellsbury single, a Nick Green sac fly, and mixed in, a single by (crickets) Julio Lugo. Good job.
  
• Daniel Bard, he of the 99 mph fastball, struck out the side in the ninth, earning his first save, with a walk and hit batsman mixed in. Cripes, who wouldn't be afraid of hitting against a guy who has that kind of stuff, and variable idea where it's going.

The Sox have the second best record in the majors, after the Dodgers.*

About the only thing I didn't see tonight was (another) coyote in my backyard.