Boston Red Sox Complete Dramatic Collapse With Loss to Orioles
The Boston Red Sox have just completed perhaps the greatest collapse in baseball history as they blew a nine game Wild Card lead over their final 17 games to the now Wild Card winners the Tampa Bay Rays.
Sept. 28 2011, will forever be known as the day the Red Sox let a sure fire post season berth slip from their grasp as they lost in the 9th inning to the Baltimore Orioles, one of baseball's worst teams, by a walk-off single to middle infielder Robert Andino off of star closer Jonathan Papelbon.
For Papelbon, it was only his third blown save of the year and his first loss. The timing couldn't have been worse for the September beleaguered Sox.
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"I was just over throwing the ball, not really focusing on location. I felt great. I felt great all year," Papelbon said. "I don't think it's going to define me as a ballplayer. I don't think this is going to define the ball-club this year. I don't know about everyone else in this clubhouse, but whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger."
Boston can owe this month's 7-20 record, their worst September since 1952, to terrible pitching down the stretch. Sporting a 7.08 ERA (earned run average) for the month. The Red Sox also failed to play good defense and drive in runners in scoring position over the course of the last ten games.
During a 1 hour and 26 minute rain delay, the Red Sox were able to sit in the clubhouse and watch the Tampa Bay Rays come back from a seven run deficit to tie the Yankees in the late innings of the game.
Heading back onto the field as the rain halted, the Yankees and Rays were tied at seven going into the 10th inning.
After losing the game, the Sox for the first time found themselves rooting for the Yankees because a win for the pinstripes would keep Boston and Tampa at a tie forcing a one game showdown between the two teams to determine who advances to the playoffs.
However, when the Rays got a walk-off homerun by third basemen Evan Longoria off Yankees reliever Scott Proctor, Boston's fate was sealed.
"It's horrible. It's horrible," the baffled Boston DH David Ortiz said. "Dude we were nine games up and then we lost, what can be worse than that? They deserved to win," he concluded referring to the resilience of the Rays.
Perhaps Sox starting pitcher John Lester said it best when a reporter asked what he'd remember most about the season, "September," he quickly whispered.
