ALCS Game 1 Liveblog

Admit it, you want to see this again...

This won't be as good a liveblog as the others have been for two main reasons.
1. I hate watching Dice K and typing about him tonight will make me absolutely crazy.
2. My friend Marc "Hammer" Howard is coming over tonight and talking to him is more fun than typing.
Without further ado, Sox in 7.

Top 1st - So Youkilis finally gets a hit in a big spot and for all his awful luck it goes into the stands and Pedroia can't score. I hate having a chance to put a run on the board against the Rays and make them doubt themselves and not being able to do it. Drew strikes out on a bad couple of swings and the Dice K era begins.

Bottom 1st - Here's a SHOCKER!!! Walk by DIce K. I promise you this will get ugly.
- Even better news about the ALCS. We've got TBS back and that means more Buck Martinez with a smattering of Ron Darling. It also means of course that we have Craig Sager back. Super Awesome!!!
- I loathe this umpire. He has a late strike call which with Dice K on the mound is pure torture.
- Dice Man has walked 2 and now he faces Longoria...yikes.
- Longoria strikes out on a late strike call that everyone thought was a ball...I take back everything I said about the umpire.
- 3-1 count with 2 runners on. Why must he torture us so?
- Nothing is like walking the bases loaded in the first inning of Game 1.
- Of course, Dice K gets out of the inning.

Top 2nd - I refuse to comment on the futility. Whoops, I guess I just did.

Bottom 2nd - Dice K with a fairly quiet inning...wow!

Top 3rd - Color me UNDERWHELMED.

Top 8th - This would qualify as an extremely interesting and entertaining baseball game. Dice K settled down to have a no hitter through six innings and then battled out of the seventh to give up 0 runs. Shields pitched well, but finally gave up a run and the Sox score on a Crawford error in the eighth. This was of course, before JD Drew got hit almost in the head by Balfour and Balfour got a strike out of Bay and a pop up by Kotsay. If you can figure this game out, please let me know. Bottom line is the Sox are winning.

Bottom 8th - Somehow, someway Dice K is back out for the Bottom of the 8th?!?! This is the stuff that Francona does that drives everyone crazy. A few days ago he pulls Lester where everyone wants him to come back out and tonight he sends the Dice Man back out.
- Dice K gives up the hit and now there is a runner on base, so no matter what happens the relievers will inherit a runner.
- Does this officially mean that Francona has little to no faith in his bullpen outside of Papelbon right now.
- Upton lost his mind earlier after getting out, yelling back at the field as he walked down the dugout. Here's hoping his emotions get the best of him here.
- Varitek legit drops a pitch and lets it get by and now Iwamura is on 2nd with no outs. You just get the feeling the Sox will need to score a run or two more to win this game.
- Upton hits an absolute smoke job to third. Youkilis makes a nice play knocking it down, but Upton is safe and now there are two on with nobody out. Here's guessing Dice K will get pulled now....GRRRR
- One year wonder Okajima in to face Carlos Pena.
- Haverhill's finest up for the Rays and he quickly goes to 3-0.
- Drew makes a fantastic catch on the 3-0 swing for Pena and Francona quickly gets Okajima out of there.
- It's Masterlock Time
- Masterlock Double Play Baby!
- We go to the 9th

Bottom 9th - The top of the 9th wasn't even worth talking about as the Sox didn't even put up a fight. Now, it's Papelbon time. I'm pretty sure I have faith in him right now, pretty sure.
- First pitch is 95 MPH and smoke. The good news is its Crawford and the bottom of the lineup. Bad news, there are good bats on the bench for this team.
- Second pitch is 95 MPH and smoke again. His pitches, like Balfours, look way harder than mid-90s.
- 96 MPH fastball gets Crawford. One away and a huge out.
- Floyd pops out to Youkilis. Two Away.
- Dioner Navarro comes to the plate...and Paps has him at 1-2 in the blink of an eye.
- STRUCK HIM OUT!
- I'm still not convinced that this is that good a Sox team, but they are up 1-0 in the ALCS and they have Beckett and Lester lined up to pitch the next two. Plus the Rays have to go to bed tonight wondering if they are ready to be here yet.
- Great win, Go Sox!