Day 328

Fresh Start_328: Renewing the Rivalry with a marathon and a double header
Well, that was the second longest game of the season for the Yankees and it was one of the most antagonizing games I’ve ever watched. I walked in on the game in the 7th inning as Luis Severino was finishing up his great outing, and well that’s just where this game starts to get good.

Severino finishes up a 7-inning, 4 hit, 1 run, and 6 strike out performance as I settle into the game. Sale follows suite with an inning and two thirds to match setting up Craig Kimbrel who has been lights out at Fenway this season. Going into last night’s ball game Kimbrel was a perfect 30/30 in save situations. Leave it to the returning Matt Holiday to save the day for the Yankees—hitting a game-tying moonshot over the green monster to lead off the 9th. However, it cannot be forgotten that Starlin Castro in the bottom of the 8th made a game saving tag out on Tzu-Wei Lin who was trying to steal second, but an athletic play by Castro ended the inning, allowing Holiday to tie the game.

Fast forward to the 11th where Matt Holiday continues to be the subject of conversation. After a walk to lead off the inning, Ellsbury hits a routine ball to Boston’s first baseman Mitch Moreland—who proceeds to start a double play by throwing the ball to second. But, on the throw back to first Holiday gets in the way of Moreland trying to cover the bag, and the throw hits Ellsbury in the foot and caroms into right field. Holiday thought Moreland didn’t touch first and was trying to get himself caught in a run down, but instead of still being a live runner, he just was a player taking up space. John Farrell proceeds to challenge the play thinking that Holiday would be ruled as an obstruction and the play would be a double play and Red Sox would have two outs in the inning. However, the call would somehow be upheld and Farrell would protest the game (did you get all of that?).

Continuing on to the 16th where the 1-1 tie was finally broken by Didi when he singled to center, which would be the start to a 3-run inning, ultimately winning the bombers the ball game, but there are bigger fish in this situation. The Yankees and Red Sox have a double-header tomorrow due to a rain out on a game in April, and they just played a 16-inning game.

The bombers followed their 18-inning marathon with the Cubs back in May up with a 2-3 mark over their next five games. The Yanks after their double-header with Boston go to Minnesota on Monday and then Seattle on Thursday with the next day off for the ballclub being Monday, July 24th. In other words the bullpen will continue to be overworked, and the Yankees might not get over their bullpen problems.

With that said, this game might affect the standings come October, and this game will forever be remembered in Boston as “The Obstruction Game.”
Sources:(mlb.com)
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