With the Boston Red Sox getting ready to take on the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night, it’s time to take a look back at what happened during the 2008 regular season between the two clubs.
There was a couple of blowouts by the Red Sox, a blowout by the Rays, a benches clearing brawl between the two teams and domination by the home club. The Red Sox went 7-2 at home while the Rays went 8-1 at the Trop giving the Rays the season series 10-8.
It should be an ALCS to be remember.
In a game of missed opportunities for both teams, the Tampa Bay Rays finally emerged victorious in the bottom of the 11th with a 5-4 win over the Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field. The loss for the Red Sox is their third in a row after having won 6 straight.
After utterly confusing and dominating the Rays hitters for 7 2/3 innings, all it took was one mistake pitch by Boston Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz to Akinori Iwamura to give the Red Sox their 4th straight loss 2-1 at a sold-out Tropicana Field on Cowbell Night. The win was the 5th straight for the Rays and their record 13th win in the month of April.
Last night it was one bad pitch. Today it was one bad throw that did in the Boston Red Sox as the Tampa Bay Rays completed the sweep with a 3-0 win at Tropicana Field. It’s the 5th straight loss for the Red Sox and the first time that the Rays have swept them in a 3-game set.
After a 2 hour and 27 minute rain delay, the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays finally played some baseball at the Fens. I’m sure after what happened tonight, the Rays would have probably wanted the game to have been canceled as the Red Sox pounded out 13 hits in a 7-3 win on Friday night into early Saturday morning.
When these two teams met a week ago in Tampa Bay, the Rays starter James Shields pitched a really good game throwing a three hit shutout. He was masterful. Tonight was a totally different story as he had a tough first inning that led to a rough outing as Boston beat Tampa Bay 12-4 at Fenway Park on Saturday night.
Last weekend the Tampa Rays got their first ever 3-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox, so what did they do. The Red Sox went out and got a 7-3 win today to sweep the Rays in their 3-game set this weekend. The win for the local nine is their 5th in the last 6 games.
Many were worried about the Boston Red Sox offense without David Ortiz in the lineup. While the Red Sox only managed 7 hits tonight, they were 7 hits that provided 7 runs in a (7-4) win over the Tampa Rays. The win for the Sox was their 11th straight at Fenway Park and moves them a 1/2 game out of first behind the Rays.
The Boston Red Sox pounded out 11 hits tonight enroute to a 5-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in front of the 416th straight sell-out at Fenway Park. The win for the Red Sox is their 12th straight at the Fens and moves them back into first by 1/2 game over the Rays.
The night started out with Stephen King on the NESN pre-game show and just got weirder from there. We had a benches clearing brawl, a fight between two Boston Red Sox players and in between all that there was a baseball game being played as the Red Sox beat the Rays 7-1 for their 13th straight win at Fenway Park and their 6th straight win over the Rays.
In what turned out to be a strange 9th inning, the Tampa Bay Rays were able to hold off the Boston Red Sox 5-4 in front of 34,145 mostly bandwagon Rays fans at Tropicana Field. The win gives the Rays a 1½ game lead over the Red Sox in the AL East.
Matt Garza’s fastball was just a little bit better then Tim Wakefield’s knuckleball as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Boston Red Sox 3-1in front of 31,112 mostly bandwagon fans at Tropicana Field. The loss is the 4th in a row for the Red Sox and gives Tampa a 3½ game lead in the AL East.
The Boston Red Sox bullpen decided tonight was a good night to suffer a huge letdown as they gave up 6 runs in the 7th inning as the Tampa Bay Rays went on to beat them 7-6 in front of 36,048 mostly bandwagon Rays fans at Tropicana Field. The loss for the Red Sox was their 5th straight and dropped them to 3.5 games behind the Rays for first place in the American League East.
Jon Lester dominated the Tampa Bay Rays for 7 2/3 innings and Jonathan Papelbon finished them off as the Boston Red Sox won 3-0 in front of the MLB-record 456th consecutive sellout at Fenway Park. The win for the Red Sox moves them to just ½ a game behind the Rays for first place in the American League East.
Dan Johnson’s first at-bat in a Tampa Bay Rays uniform was a solo home run off of Jonathan Papelbon and 3 batters they added another run to beat the Boston Red Sox 5-4 in front of 37,573 at Fenway Park.
The win for the Rays increases their lead in the AL East back to 1.5 games over the Red Sox. This was the first win for the Rays at Fenway Park all season (1-7).
Carlos Peña hit a 3-run homer off Mike Timlin in the 14th inning to give the Tampa Bay Rays a 4-2 win over the Boston Red Sox in front of 38,114 at Fenway Park. The win drops the Red Sox to 2.5 games out of first place behind the Rays.
The Boston Red Sox entered tonight’s game at Tropicana Field winless in 6 games this season. That all changed early on as they took advantage of an ineffective Scott Kazmir and pounded the Rays 13-5 in front of 29,772. The win for the Red Sox moves them into a tie for 1st place with the Rays.
Dioner Navarro’s walk-off single in the 9th inning off of Justin Masterson gave the Tampa Bay Rays a 2-1 win over the Boston Red Sox in front of 32,079. The win puts the Rays back in sole possession of first place in the AL East.
Monday night it was the Tampa Bay Rays who were given the “Flop at the Trop” moniker after the Boston Red Sox pounded them. Tonight it was the Rays who returned the favor as they killed the knuckleball of Tim Wakefield to beat the Red Sox 10-3 in front of 36,048 at Tropicana Field.
